TAMPA, Fla. – The OT7 Finals kicked off Day 1 of pool play on Friday with dozens of blue-chip recruits in the 2025 and 2026 classes and beyond meeting in Tampa as competition heated up.
Rivals national recruiting analysts Sam Spiegelman and John Garcia Jr. were on hand for the action. Here are details on some of the prospects who performed at a high level.
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An Ohio State Buckeye commitment that shined during the opening day of pool play was five-star WR Chris Henry. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder is a true X receiver with a fantastic blend of size, speed and ball skills.
Henry was able to separate on vertical routes downfield and was equally as impactful working in the red zone, using his frame to body up defenders for big first downs and touchdowns.
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Another wide receiver looking at Ohio State, Ffrench will let the college football world know his pick on Aug. 30. On Friday, he reminded onlookers of the complete skill set that he brings to the table. Ffrench set the tone for his day with a third-level score to kick off his tournament, working leverage on a defender to win via a skinny post. It would be the first of several TD snags for Ffrench, who really came out of his breaks and finished at a high level for South Florida Express. Few at the position have a higher floor than the Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin star.
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The No. 1 cornerback in the Rivals250 was not tested often, but capitalized when the opportunity presented itself. Five-star CB Devin Sanchez was sound in coverage using his elite length and skills in coverage to shadow bigger receivers working on the perimeter.
The Ohio State commit came up with the top defensive play of the day – a massive interception in the end zone while airborne – to cap Day 1. There aren’t many corners on the planet in the same tier as Sanchez.
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The Auburn verbal commitment had one of the stronger wideout performances of the day Friday, making plays in the end zone from a wide variety. Gray’s length and strong hands combine with a wide catch radius to make plays along the sidelines and at the apex alike.
But the Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna standout also showed closing speed and ball skills on several occasions down the field, including on a diving catch-of-the-day type of highlight with his body near parallel to the end zone in the process. It looks like he has added good mass to his frame, too.
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What stood out about the Florida State commit’s first day of action was the rebound he made after coming out of the gates out of rhythm Friday. Jones even turned the ball over in the first of his three outings, but he quickly refocused and went to his usual accurate game to get back into the swing of things.
His connection with his Mandarin High School teammate Ffrench was particularly hot for SFE, leading to a handful of scores between them. Jones worked the full passing package in the second and third games of the day, pushing the ball down the field better than we’ve seen from him of late before countering with on-time dots along the sidelines and an especially pretty score at the front pylon.
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Rivals had the Oregon commit listed at 180 pounds coming into Friday and after seeing Wilson in person, the number was a low mark. Much more filled out in his upper half, Wilson confirmed he is up to 200 pounds in an effort to round out his game.
It showed in his first few drives on the night, snagging a touchdown on a ball that required a strong contested win at the catch point. Wilson still showed his vertical ability off and used his long stride to get to the third level with ease, so the added element to his frame is only enhancing his game.
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Bonus: Lo Pro
You can’t recap the eye-catchers of Day 1 without a mention of Lo Pro. Class of 2026 QB Maika Eugenio and 2026 WR Kaina Watson combined for the highlight of the day – a fantastic pass and catch in traffic to win with :02 on the clock. Eugenio was in a rhythm all afternoon and delivered several balls on the money in timely situations. His game-winning pass to Watson came against tight coverage, a superb grab by the receiver.
