Don’t call it a comeback. The Opening Finals has been here before and, after a brief hiatus, the marquee summer showcase returns this week as 120 of the nation’s top recruits will make their way to Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon, for two days of competition.
The last time The Opening Finals took place, all of this year’s participants were in elementary school. But the storied event has served as a proving ground in the past for current NFL stars like Saquon Barkley, Ja’Marr Chase, Derrick Henry and Patrick Surtain II.
This year’s roster is headlined by 11 different five-star prospects and includes almost 50 more rising seniors inside the new-look Top247 rankings. They will lace up the cleats alongside nearly two dozen blue-chip underclassmen from the class of 2028 and a few talented soon-to-be sophomores in the 2029 cycle.
The action gets started Thursday with the Jordan Brand Training Camp before giving way to a 7-on-7 tournament that will culminate with a championship Friday. 247Sports will have coverage throughout the week from The Opening Finals, including a live two-hour show Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel.
ELITE 11 MVP TITLE UP FOR GRABS
The 2026 Elite 11 Finals‘ final leg will play out at The Opening Finals as 11 of the 20 finalists are set to duke it out for the coveted title of MVP.
Five-star commits Trae Taylor (Nebraska) and Israel Abrams (Miami) are believed to be the front-runners for the quarterback competition following impressive showings in Los Angeles a few weeks ago.
