Three Miami football commits impressive at The Opening

Three Miami football commits who are participating at The Opening in Frisco, Texas outside of Dallas have impressed scouts this week.

Miami football commits Running back Don Chaney Jr, wide receiver Michael Redding III and quarterback Tyler VanDyke are participating at The Opening in Frisco, Texas outside of Dallas. All three have impressed scouts this week. Chaney has been graded five-stars by the 247Sports composite, Reeding and VanDyke earned four-stars.

Chaney, Redding and Van Dyke earned a chance to showcase their talents against the best high school players in the country.. All but one player listed on the official roster for the Opening is a Class of 2020 recruit.

Chaney and VanDyke are top ten players at their position in 2020. Redding is the nation’s 35th best wide receiver. Chaney will challenge for playing time in what should be a deep Miami backfield in 2020. Van Dyke could be the QB of the future and Redding adds to a deep receiving corps.

Inside the U and 247Sports had extensive analysis of how Chaney, Van Dyke and Redding performed well at the opening which concluded on Tuesday. Van Dyke was outperformed early by other QBs during the Elite 11 part of the competition which was just QBs. Elite 11 occurred over the weekend preceding The Opening.

Ivins projects Redding III to see the field early with the Hurricanes. He was timed running 4.49 in the 40-yard dash on Tuesday. Redding III was reported to have made a pair of impressive receptions. One was for a touchdown and on another, he went vertical to catch the ball.

Ivins was impressed with Redding’s physical development for a rising Senior. At 6’1, 195 pounds, he has good size for a rising senior in high school. Clint Brewster who is the national scouting director for 247 Sports discussed Redding’s performance.

"“Redding impressed me with his savvy route running and ability to find soft spots against zone coverage here. He catches the ball cleanly and has strong hands. I like his body type and how he can win contested catches out wide but he can also line up at different spots because of his route running.He’s ready to play in college, I don’t think he needs a redshirt year.”"

Redding being ready to play in 2020 would be a huge boost to the Miami receiving corps. The Hurricanes will lose graduate transfer K.J. Osborn and likely will lose rising junior Jeff Thomas. Mike Harley who will also be a junior in 2019 is eligible for the NFL draft in 2020. Three sophomore WRs and a freshman are on the 2019 roster.

Chaney will join an extremely talented Miami backfield in 2020. The only RB that can turn pro following the 2019 season is rising junior DeeJay Dallas. That decision will largely depend on his performance this season. Miami lost RBs Mark Walton and Travis Homer following their junior seasons in 2017 and ’18.

Rising sophomores Cam Harris and Lorenzo Lingard have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Neither is eligible for the NFL Draft until 2021. Even if Dallas turns pro, the triumvirate of Chaney, Harris and Lingard would be tough for opponents to contain. Brewster was impressed with Chaney at The Opening.

"“Chaney really caught my attention with his burst and acceleration in the floor exercises on the first day here…He’s got quickness and some long speed but the impressive thing is that he’s not small back. He’s got plenty of muscularity and he’s built low to ground.Chaney was elusive in cat-mouse drills and looked good in the passing game after the catch. He’s one that I’m really looking forward to watching at the next level and beyond.”"

Gabe Brooks, 247’s Midlands Region Recruiting Analyst gave Chaney high praise.

"“Continuing the theme of well-built, leverage-dominant backs, Chaney provided a consistently solid performance throughout Monday’s workout that earned him a spot in the cat-and-mouse 1-on-1 showcase at day’s end…Chaney is solidly built and showed encouraging twitch.”"

Van Dyke has impressed throughout the summer. He wowed everyone at Paradise Camp last month with his connection to five-star athlete Darnell Washington who is projected as a tight end in college. Van Dyke did well at The Opening after having a less than impressive performance at the Elite 11 over the weekend.

The national director of recruiting for 247 Sports, Steve Wiltfong was impressed by Van Dyke’s resiliency and ability to bounce back from adversity.

"“After what we would all say was a tough day on Saturday, I thought that Tyler really bounced back on Tuesday…I know the stats weren’t great, but he was plagued by three drops. The interception also came at the end of the game when threw a Hail Mary trying to score.I thought that he looked comfortable and poised and made good decisions with the football. If that drop total goes down maybe his touchdown total goes up. I thought he made some smart throws where he anticipated guys getting open.”"

The Opening is the premier recruiting event of the summer annually. The three Hurricanes commits participating bodes well for their future and the Miami football program. Chaney should make an immediate impact. Redding will challenge to be part of the rotation and Van Dyke could be the starting QB as a true freshman.