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          On The Trail

          Greg Little shows why he's nation's No. 1 offensive tackle

          • Jeremy Crabtree, RecruitingNationJul 9, 2015, 09:00 PM
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            • Jeremy Crabtree is a senior coordinator
            • Spent 12 years with Rivals.com/Yahoo! Sports
            • Graduated from Kansas State
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          BEAVERTON, Ore. -- With six of the nation’s top 10 defensive tackles, three of the top five defensive ends, and eight of the top 20 offensive tackles at The Opening, it gives recruiting observers a unique opportunity to see how the best of the best stack up against each other. Thursday’s practice session at Nike’s world headquarters featured plenty of one-on-one battles, and it was no surprise to see many of these elite linemen show why they’re so coveted by recruiters.

          Top-ranked offensive tackle Greg Little was criticized by some observers for his play Wednesday, especially when he was going head-to-head against defensive tackle Rashan Gary, the top-ranked player in the country. However, Thursday looked to be a different story as Little, a longtime Texas A&M commitment who is still looking at other schools, showed everybody why he’s a five-star prospect.

          First, Little went against five-star uncommitted defensive end McTelvin Agim in a run drill and walled him off to create a hole to the inside. Little earned some redemption a few plays later after he stalemated Gary in another inside run drill.

          Even though he's one of the youngest players in the event, Class of 2017 offensive lineman Jack Anderson has more than held his own at The Opening. Anderson, who already has scholarship offers from more than 20 schools, has a real sense of toughness and that came through here in this repetition against No. 9 defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson Jr. It wasn't an entirely perfect day for Anderson, as Gary showed exactly why he's the best high school football recruit in America. No. 4 defensive end Shane Simmons has been committed to Penn State since last summer, and Nittany Lions fans have to be excited about seeing him glide through bag drills like this. Simmons is a big part of Penn State's No. 6 recruiting class. Part of what makes The Opening so exciting is getting a chance to see future college rivalries play out on the field. Here's a potential future Michigan-Michigan State battle between defensive lineman Mike Panasiuk and offensive lineman Terrance Davis. Committed prospects in defensive lineman Raekwon Davis (Alabama) and offensive lineman Drake Jackson (Kentucky) matched up in the first rep shown here, while Gary had his hands full in generating much momentum against ESPN 300 offensive lineman Michael Eletise in the second rep. Three-star uncommitted offensive center Brett Heggie turned heads Wednesday with some solid repetitions during one-on-ones, and he continued to impress Thursday. Here's a good example of Heggie's work, as he stops No. 7 defensive tackle Derrick Brown in his tracks. Florida State fans have been buzzing about defensive end Janarius Robinson ever since he committed last fall. The 6-foot-5, 246-pounder looked great going through drills Thursday.