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          College Football Nation Blog

          Dwayne Haskins, Brandon McIlwain show off arms during 7-on-7

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          The Opening: Thursday wrap (3:59)

          USC and Oregon picked up commitments, while top QBs and highly ranked defensive linemen took center stage during Thursday's action at The Opening. (3:59)

          • Jeremy Crabtree, RecruitingNationJul 9, 2015, 08:33 PM ET
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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. -- The linemen had their turn in the morning, but the rest of the day at The Opening at Nike's world headquarters was dominated by skill players during seven-on-seven play.

          It took a little while for some of the quarterbacks to get going, but once they did, they took over. And it was no surprise to see Maryland commit Dwayne Haskins Jr. and South Carolina pledge Brandon McIlwain doing damage. Both Haskins and McIlwain entered Thursday firmly in the Elite 11 finals rankings, and they did nothing to disappoint.

          Haskins climbed all the way to second in the Elite 11 rankings, and it's easy to see why with pin-point accurate throws like these.

          McIlwain has been deadly all week with back-shoulder fades, but on this throw he delivered a bullet on a comeback route for a big gain. Georgia quarterback commit Jacob Eason had an up-and-down afternoon, but he put the ball right on the money on this touchdown pass in the back corner of the end zone. Stanford quarterback commit K.J. Costello and Oklahoma State quarterback pledge Nick Starkel have also been consistently ranked high on the Elite 11 final rankings. These throws show why. Thursday wasn't just about quarterbacks, though. A number of linebackers and defensive backs got into the action also with big interceptions.

          There might still be some confusion over where linebacker Mique Juarez will play his college football, as the USC commit is still considering UCLA, among other schools. But there's no confusion when it comes to his talent, as he showed picking off Eason.

          Uncommitted 2017 defensive back Jamyest Williams showed off his hands and vertical leap with a big interception early in Thursday's action. Florida State and Clemson are the top two teams on Williams' list. ESPN 300 athlete Trevon Diggs, who lists Alabama, LSU, Maryland, Penn State and Tennessee as his top schools, also got into the interception action. And so did uncommitted ESPN 300 linebacker Aaron Hansford. Ohio State, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and Penn State are the top schools on his list. ESPN 300 defensive back Nigel Knott became a social media sensation with his backflip catch and he recreated it Thursday. There were plenty of good catches Thursday, but ESPN 300 receiver Kyle Davis' reception was awfully impressive.