The Opening: Who is committing and predictions on where they’ll go

We take a look at the prospects set to commit at The Opening and offer up predictions where they will play their college football.

The Opening is getting underway in what is one of the most underrated and fascinating weeks in the college football circle. With this being a big stage many players announce their commitment at the event, adding even more, intrigue to the event.

This year, seven players will be committing at The Opening. We take a look at who they are and where we think they will commit. All rankings are courtesy of the 247Sports Rankings.

Offensive Guard Robert Hainsey (IMG Academy. Bradenton, FL)

A four-star prospect, Hainsey is the No. 70 player in the 2017 class, No. 4 offensive guard, and the No. 17 player in the state of Florida per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He currently has 26 offers on the table, with three programs appearing to be the frontrunners for his services.

Notre Dame, Penn State, and Michigan State are the trio that value him the most.  Most recently, he took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame on June 18.

Where will he go? The Irish would be a tremendous fit for him. At 6-foot-4 275 pounds, Hainsey would give the Irish immediate size up front and allow for their talented quarterbacks to have ample time in the pocket. He could create holes immediately for the running game and provide an intimidation factor as the Irish look to build off a tremendous season last year.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame

Athlete CJ Holmes (Cheshire Academy. Cheshire, CT)

A four-star prospect, Holmes is the No. 292 player in the 2017 class, the No. 20 athlete, and the No. 2 player in the state of Connecticut. He currently has 15 offers on the table and one school appears to be the frontrunner for his talents.

Notre Dame appears to be that team, and this development combined with Hainsey being very much in the mix could spell a big couple of days for Brian Kelly and company. He visited South Bend on June 18, and even though it may seem as though he is favoring one school, he is still visiting other schools. He is scheduled to visit Alabama on July 18.

Where will he go? Notre Dame seems like the most viable option.  He has tremendous speed and could play either at the running back position or a slot receiver. Slant routes would be his friend and he could break away from defenders for big gains with ease.

PREDICTION: Notre Dame

Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas (Pace Academy. Atlanta, GA.)

Thomas is the No. 49 player in the ’17 class, No. 10 offensive tackle, and the No. 4 player in the state of Georgia per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Boasting 29 offers, Georgia appears to be the frontrunners for Thomas.

Most recently, he too went to South Bend for unofficial visits on June 17 and 18 to check out the Irish. His most recent encounter with the Bulldogs came on May 29 as he took an unofficial visit to Athens.

Last season, he tallied 56 tackles, 10 of them for a loss, and one sack for Pace. He was a major reason why they were 2015-16 Georgia AA State Champions

Where will he end up? Georgia seems like the most viable option. He is very physical as soon as the ball is snapped and is able to overpower his man with his size. The four-star recruit would fit nicely and help the Georgia offense put up tremendous numbers by creating gaps for the running backs and providing extra protection for the quarterback.

PREDICTION: Georgia

Tight End Matt Dotson (Archbishop Moeller. Cincinnati, Ohio )

Moller is the No. 290 player in the ’17 class, No. 9 tight end, and No. 13 player in the state of Ohio. Boasting 20 offers in total, he is one of the most coveted tight end prospects in the nation.  The four-star prospect currently has three programs vying for him to come to campus.

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Michigan State, Penn State, and Ohio State are the trio, although the Buckeyes appear to be the odd one out in this situation. Dotson took two unofficial visits to College Station on May 21 and June 18 as well as a visit to East Lansing on June 15.

Where will he end up? Michigan State would be a great fit. He is both an effective passing threat and a tremendous run-blocker.  He uses all of his 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame to get separation in the open field and assert his position. He would be an additional red zone threat for the Spartans and would be a tremendous boost for their offense.

PREDICTION: Michigan State

Offensive Guard Jordan Reid (Cass Technical. Detroit, MI)

Reid is the No. 341 player in the 2017 class, No. 15 offensive guard, and the No. 11 player in the state of Michigan. He has 16 offers in total, and it appears there is an in-state battle brewing between Michigan State and Michigan as they are the top two teams battling for Reid’s services.

The Spartans appear to be the favorite at the moment. Even if Michigan State appears to be the top dogs, Reid is still taking visits to other schools. Most recently, he visited West Virginia on June 18 after visiting the Ohio State Buckeyes the night before. As far as the trio goes, the three-star prospect visited the Spartans on April 23.

Michigan State would be the best fit here. They have made a concerted effort it seems to get better on both sides of the football and a commitment from Reid would allow them to do that. The three-star prospect does a nice job on running plays of getting out in front of the running back, setting up, and making  his blocks He would do wonders for the Spartan rushing attack and could be the type of player that would take them to the next level.

PREDICTION: Michigan State

Grant Delpit (IMG Academy. Bradenton, FL)

Another talented player to come out of IMG, the safety is the No. 92 overall player in the 2017 class, No. 9 safety, and the No. 20 player in the state of Florida. The four-star prospect is getting attention from all across the country as he has 29 offers in total. However, one team has emerged as the overwhelming favorite.

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The LSU Tigers are that team. With that in mind, however, Delpit took a visit to Auburn on June 4 and was offered by Auburn the day after. Most recently, he was the recipient of an offer from Missouri on June 15.

Delpit is the classic ball-hawking safety. He does a nice job of reading quarterbacks and following his eyes to the football in order to make a play. LSU has had success at the cornerback position in recent years and Delpit would continue that trend.

PREDICTION: LSU

Tre McKitty IMG Academy. Bradenton, FL)

A three-star prospect, McKitty is the No. 453 player in the ’17 class, No. 18 tight end, and the No. 61 player in the state of Florida. He currently has 32 offers on the table with Auburn, Florida, and Oregon being the trio.

Most recently, he attended an Oregon cap on June 9 and a Florida Seminoles camp on June 17. Prior to that, coaches Charles Kelly and Odell Haggins from the Seminoles visited McKitty on May 6.

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Auburn would be the best fit for McKitty. At 6-foot-4 McKitty is a tremendous target to throw to and has a knack for getting into the open field. He can get separation from his defenders very well, and that would be an asset against SEC cornerbacks, who are known for playing receivers physically both on and off the football. He would give Auburn a catalyst on offense, something that is needed to compete in the SEC.

PREDICTION: Auburn