​During Nike Football’s six-week Opening Elite Training Camp, a pair of players who once shared a common link through proximity and a connection to Oklahoma faced off in a compelling matchup. Taven Epps and Jaxsen Stokes don’t resemble each other on the field in many ways. Stokes, a 5-foot-9 running back from Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California, emerged as the lead back for a strong junior season, slicing through defenses and drawing college attention as a three-star recruit. Epps, in contrast, towers at 6-foot-3.5 and makes it his business to bring down backs like Stokes. He is a four-star All-American linebacker at Tustin High School in California and is committed to Oklahoma, while Stokes flipped from Oklahoma to Cal before the spring.
The two participated in an invite-only Nike camp that ran from March 28 through May 23 ahead of June’s Opening Finals. Epps spent the time training with an eye toward deepening his relationships and refining his game. In an email to USA TODAY, he described the experience as meaningful: “Being able to train and go up against the best players in the country, [meeting] and working with all the staff at Nike, and growing friendships and relationships with the players and staff” were among the most valuable aspects of the camp. Stokes, meanwhile, used the opportunity to prove himself at the Opening events. He explained that the camp helped him focus on movement, cutting ability, explosive plays, and readiness to compete at the highest level. “I want to prove that I’m one of — if not the — best running back in the country. Competing against athletes from all over the country, especially from regions like the South and the West, I want to show that I can compete with the best and prove I belong at the top,” he said in an email.
Stokes starred as a fixture of Sierra Canyon’s run game in 2025, tallying 722 rushing yards on 109 carries with 14 total touchdowns over nine games. He remains ranked No. 50 among running backs in the class of 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. With the graduation of secondary rusher Jerod Terry Jr., Stokes has an opening to take on an even larger role for the program. His goal is expansive: to be able to “do everything” for the team. He envisions contributing in every possible capacity—running the ball, catching passes, potentially playing a bit of defense, and stepping into a vocal leadership role. He wants to be someone the team can rely on in any situation, expressing a deep love for his teammates and a commitment to helping the squad grow and build on its achievements.
Sierra Canyon, for its part, claimed a fourth straight Mission League title in the previous season, a stretch that included ten consecutive wins before a first-round exit in the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs. The team had earned consideration in USA TODAY Sports’ Super 25 national rankings for much of the season before eventually dropping from the final list. On the other side, Tustin High’s Epps stands ready to capitalize on opportunities that arise as one of the program’s standout defenders. The contrasting physiques and styles of the two players—Stokes’ smaller, elusive running style versus Epps’ imposing, rangy linebacker presence—made their meeting at the Opening Elite Training Camp a microcosm of the broader landscape of high-level prep football, where talents from different regions and backgrounds converge to test themselves against the nation’s elite.