Each year, the Elite 11 showcase allows for people to see the future gunslingers of college football on display each year, giving host to past college stars such as Andrew Luck, Vince Young, Tim Tebow, and Deshaun Watson. The annual showcase took place in North Texas at the Dallas Cowboys practice field. In attendance were 20 of the best young talents headed into college, with some of them already committed to powerhouse schools and others still undecided. Here’s a look at how each of these quarterbacks performed as well as they’re college football destinations.
Robby Ashford, Committed to Ole Miss
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzGgAthnZco/
Robby Ashford is a 6-foot-2 dual-threat quarterback from Hoover High School in Alabama. Ashford showed off tremendous athleticism competing on the same field as the top quarterbacks in the country. He has a powerful arm and is very decisive both as a passer and as a runner but, relies on his elite athleticism to bail him out at times. Entering the SEC as a freshman, he must improve his abilities as a passer in the pocket to be able to compete at a high level against the top defenses in the conference. Ashford is also rumored to be an MLB caliber talent in baseball and will be an interesting athlete to keep an eye on moving forward.
Harrison Bailey, Committed to Tennesse
https://www.instagram.com/p/BytpMgwAuen/
Harrison Bailey committed to the University of Tennesse back in November and has been considered one of the nations top quarterbacks of the 2020 class over the past few years. The 6-foot-4.5 prospect played his high school ball at Marietta High School in Georgia. He has a tremendous frame and put his physical gifts on display at the showcase but, also showed that he has some flaws to his game. He is not the steady, consistent thrower that other top quarterbacks are but, his size and powerful arm show that he can grow into an elite pro-style quarterback.
Carson Beck, Committed to Georgia
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzI4FBlnOBQ/
A 4-star recruit from Mandarin High School in Florida, Carson Beck is a tall, pocket passer that can sling it all over the field with solid arm strength and even better accuracy. After leading his team to the Class 8A State Championship, Beck was awarded Mr. Football in Florida and has already begun to build a solid football resume for himself. He starred at the showcase and made it look easy. Heading to Georgia in the SEC, Beck will have to add weight to his frame but, has all the skills and tools to be a top quarterback out of this class.
Hudson Card, Committed to Texas
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrY9TlbAH6U/
Hudson Card, a 4-star Texas commit, entered the Elite 11 as the number two quarterback in attendance from Lake Travis High School in Texas. Card looked great once again and is one of the most polished passers headed into college. He can make all the throws and delivers a very catchable ball with great touch. With Texas recruiting his former high school teammate and pass catcher Johnny Wilson, Card could be in a great position to succeed right away. He has already begun communicating with and learning from Sam Ehlinger as well. Card showed at the Elite 11 he will likely be one of the top prospects to go through this year.
Jacolby Criswell, Committed to North Carolina
https://www.instagram.com/p/BytKnl7hYWi/
Jacolby Criswell, the younger brother of 49ers 5th round pick OLB Dre Greenlaw, is a 6-foot dual-threat quarterback from Morrilton High School in Arkansas. Criswell surprised many people at the Elite 11 showcase, being he is only a 3-star recruit but, was ranked in the top groupings for many of the events. Competing amongst the other great quarterbacks of his class, Criswell showed that his physical tools are right up there with even the higher-rated quarterbacks of the class. It will be interesting to see what is instore for Criswell as he heads to Chapel Hill.
Hunter Dekkers, Committed to Iowa State
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqPuHlxF4SQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Dekkers is 6-foot-3 225-pound lefty with a powerful arm hailing from West Sioux High School in Iowa. The only lefty in the group, the Iowa State commit, showed that he can generate great power on deep throws and uses his great frame to his advantage. He seems more like a raw prospect than anything else and is seen as someone that will need to develop a lot more to be successful. Iowa State is a great fit for the young quarterback to grow his game.
Luke Doty, Committed to South Carolina
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYS2MEhZxg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Doty is regarded as one of the more steadily consistent prospects of the group, even though he may not blow you away all the time. He does everything well and stayed on target throughout the Elite 11 showcase. He is a 6-foot1 dual-threat quarterback from Myrtle Beach High School in South Carolina. Doty received great admiration throughout from many coaches and people in attendance, proving that he belongs up there in the top 5-10 quarterbacks in the class of 2020.
T. J. Finley, Committed to LSU
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxyDq2ypek0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Finley stands at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, towering over the rest of the young passers. He went to Ponchatoula High School in Louisiana and showcased tremendous arm strength. It is unknown whether his great size and physical gifts will translate to the college game, especially at LSU but, mechanics are something that can be tweaked and sharpened up. This makes Finley an intriguing prospect to keep on an eye on as has some potential but, also some work to do.
Ethan Garbers, Committed to Washington
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx8YJmPnx8s/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Garbers is a 6-foot-3 pro-style quarterback, and a 4-star recruit out of Corona Del Mar High School in California. He is the #10 ranked prospect from 2020, having already committed to Washington in March. Like many of the Elite 11 passers, Garbers showed potential to succeed at the next level but, needs to add some weight and strength to his frame to maximize his tools on the field and improve his ability to get the ball downfield and in the hands of playmakers.
Garrett Greene, Committed West Virginia
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxyB-QpnPUI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Garrett Greene is not only a great football talent, but he is also the son of former MLB catcher Charlie Greene who is now a member of the Milwaukee Brewers’ staff. This makes Greene an interesting story coming into college as opposed to other Elite 11 passers. He grew up in a baseball environment, to this day, and likely didn’t have the same help as far as mentors and coaches when it comes to quarterbacking. Even though this seems like a disadvantage since many of the other prospects had private lessons amongst other individual training but, Greene was right up there as far as mechanics and holds tremendous potential. He is someone that could grow into an elite college passer with WVU.
Haynes King, Uncommitted
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuwhHqYhr7y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
King is a 6-foot-2.5 dual-threat quarterback from Longview High School in Texas, where he was a 4-star recruit that is still undecided for his college endeavors. King was impressive all throughout the Elite 11 showcase, he drew a ton of praise for his consistency and overall approach as well as athleticism at the position. King accompanied by his high school coach and father, John, captured a 6A state title at Longview in 2018. It is no surprise that King has a high football IQ considering his own father is regarded amongst the best coaches in the state of Texas. Within his seamlessly errorless consistency on throws, King does make mistakes at times and balls will sometimes dip on him and lose velocity as he begins to get fatigued and tired. This aside it was a long afternoon and he stayed solid, he is an outstanding prospect with room to grow into a great college talent for whoever lands him.
Sol-Jay Maiava, Committed to Brigham Young (BYU)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxyB_ILp8Sd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Maiava is a 6-foot dual-threat quarterback from St. John’s High School in Washington D.C., entering the Elite 11 as a 3-star recruit and BYU commit. He obviously has talent, as he was invited to the North Texas showcase but, didn’t do much to stand out amongst the crop of elite high schoolers. He wasn’t exactly “dealing strikes” or displaying elite accuracy and will have to work on sharpening up mechanics and accuracy heading into BYU.
Jack Miller, Committed to Ohio State
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrsgblPnxQC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Jack Miller is a 4-star recruit from Chaparral High School in Arizona, coming from a pro-style system in high school. Unlike the rest of the Elite 11 passers, Miller entered the showcase already battling a back injury and was forced to shut it down only a short while into Day 1’s physical competition. Even with this minor set back, Miller definitely passes the eye test standing at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds and already choosing the Ohio State University to continue his football career. Regardless of the injury coaches and personnel still remain high on Miller as a prospect.
Chandler Morris, Committed to Arkansas
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuwgvJkB_5W/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Another undersized passer, Morris stands at 5-foot-10 but, has still shown to be solid dual-threat talent, as a 4-star recruit out of Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas. Morris was up and down to begin the competitions, particularly during 7-on-7 drills, in which he seemed to be slightly hesitant at times to let the ball rip. The Arkansas commit did show strong abilities moving and throwing outside the pocket, and is regarded to be someone that is probably better suited in pads, rather than in Elite 11 setting to show his abilities. Also, while in college, Morris will be playing under his father, Chad, who is currently with the Razorbacks.
Drew Pyne, Committed to Notre Dame
https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNs-c2JBIm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Pyne is a 6-foot and 194-pound pro-style quarterback from New Canaan High School in Connecticut. He is very strong physically and sets a strong base which allows him to throw with power and push the ball down the field. Throughout the Elite 11 drills, Pyne received praise for both his stability and maturity. He was ranked in the top group nearly the entire competition, proving he is a top prospect out of this group. Pyne will be headed to Notre Dame and look to stir the Irish back to college football prominence.
Anthony Richardson, Committed to Florida
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuUNYGFB31c/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Richardson is a freak of an athlete, standing at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds, he is hard to ignore on the football field. He is a 4-star recruit out of Eastside High School in Gainesville, Florida, and won’t be headed far from home as he has committed to play at the University of Florida. His abilities to move around, and make throws on the run is special, even when he is being evaluated against air. Gifted with athleticism, Richardson will need to work on becoming a more polished passer and develop touch on short to intermediate passes. He led the pack in the long-toss competition, so I doubt Gators HC Dan Mullen is super concerned with his arm strength coming in.
Jeff Sims, Committed to Florida State
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw2JNBdBwJR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
During his career at Sandalwood High School in Florida, the 4-star pro-style quarterback experienced a rapid rise through the recruiting rankings as he jumped nearly 400 spots since February alone, according to 247sports. Sims successfully justified his leaping through the standing with a stellar performance following his Elite 11 invite. Sims wouldn’t give himself any credit only offering that he did “good”, nothing more. But actions do speak louder than words, and if Sims continues to get better at a rapid pace, Florida State could be looking at a potential star on the gridiron.
CJ Stroud, Uncommitted
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxyDRECpsfE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Stroud is a 3-star recruit and entered the event with a lot less hype surrounding him than other passers. The California native is a pro-style quarterback standing at 6-foot-2.5 and 194-pounds, from Rancho Cucamonga High School. Amid the crop of talented 2020 passers, Stroud is regarded as less polished as far as being ready for the college level game but, has been described as “a sponge to everything”, making the most of his Elite 11 invitation and working on his game. Stroud has more to prove than other prospects, being uncommitted at the moment but, definitely used this showcase to prove he has some potential and not only room to learn but, rather has an inclination to do so.
Tyler Van Dyke, Committed to Miami
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzQK3giA3L4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Van Dyke like a lot of Elite 11 attendees, did a stellar job, he was not blowing people away nor was he doing poorly. The pro-style prospect is a 4-star recruit from Suffield High School in Connecticut, he stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 212-pounds giving him a solid frame. Van Dyke didn’t stand out in any particular category or any-one drill but, he did exhibit the ability to be very consistent on throws as long as he was able to position himself properly in the pocket and set his feet. With college football’s recent romance with spread offenses and dual-threat quarterbacks, Van Dyke would not be a great fit at a lot of the major programs but, lands in an ideal situation at the U of Miami to maximize his prostyle potential.
Bryce Young, Committed to Southern California (USC)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtrdiwAFWgE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Bryce Young is slightly undersized for the position standing at only 5-foot-11 and weighing 180 pounds but, this can’t make or break a prospect. Just ask the Kyler Murray. Young is a 4-star recruit from Mater Dei High School in California and is ranked as the #1 dual-threat quarterback of 2020, according to 247sports. At the Elite 11 showcase, Young didn’t hurt his case as the best quarterback in the class, as a matter of fact, he solidified that he is one of the best in the class, if not the best. Landing with the Trojans of USC for his collegiate career will likely allow for Bryce Young to take off as an offensive star of college football. They will be looking to air the ball all over the field in Southern California, and Young is the perfect fit they are looking for with his combination of vision, footwork and unique arm strength.
