Elite 11 Finals

The Elite 11 has returned after a year off due to the global pandemic. Regional competitions ran from early March to early June. The finals are taking place now at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. Here are some of the particulars from the Elite 11 website. 

WHO:  The 2021 Elite 11 Finals is intended for top level rising senior quarterbacks (Class of 2022). The top Class of 2022 signal callers will be selected for the Elite 11 Finals.

 

WHAT: The 2021 Elite 11 Finals will bring together top performers to receive advanced, one-on-one quarterback instruction in a highly competitive setting. The 2021 Elite 11 Finals will span four days and include on-field drills, routes-on-air, classroom instruction and off-field development. The Elite 11 MVP will be named at the conclusion of The Elite 11 Finals.

 

WHEN: June 30th - July 3rd

 

WHERE: Los Angeles, CA

The Elite 11 was founded in 1999 by Andy Bark and has become a staple of the annual college recruiting cycle. It’s rare for any of the top high school quarterbacks to not take part in at least the Regionals. Prior to 2012, the Elite 11 finals were held at various locations across Los Angeles. Since 2013, the competition has been held at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. It returns to the Los Angeles area this year. Good thing as it’s been hot as blazes in Oregon. The last time I watched/followed the Elite 11 was in 2017. Has it already been four years since Justin Fields edged Trevor Lawrence for Elite 11 MVP? I couldn’t help but think that Lawrence had to be from California. Sunshine? Nope. He’s from Georgia by way of Tennessee. 

Elite 11 alumni includes most of the best quarterbacks since the turn of the century.

Drew Brees

Carson Palmer

Andrew Luck 

Ben Roethlisberger 

Aaron Rodgers

Matthew Stafford

Teddy Bridgewater

Jameis Winston

Jay Cutler

Ryan Fitzpatrick 

Vince Young

JaMarcus Russell

Matt Schaub 

Brian Hoyer

Kirk Cousins

Cam Newton

Nick Foles

Ryan Tannehill

Derek Carr

Blake Bortles

Marcus Mariota

Jared Goff

Patrick Mahomes

Kyler Murray

Lamar Jackson

Jalen Hurts

Tua Tagavailoa

Trevor Lawrence

Justin Fields

Mac Jones

Chazz Surratt

Kellen Mond

Here’s the roster of this year’s quarterbacks.

Quarterback	High School	Commitment
Drew Allar	Medina (OH)	Penn State
Devin Brown	Queen Creek (AZ)	USC
Jacurri Brown	Lowndes (GA)	Miami
Tevin Carter	Pure Academy (TN)	Uncommitted
AJ Duffy	IMG Academy (FL)	Florida State
Nick Evers	Flower Mound (TX)	Florida
Quinn Ewers	Southlake Carroll (TX)	Ohio State
Holden Geriner	Benedictine Military School (GA)	Auburn
Katin Houser	St. John Bosco (CA)	Boise State
Walker Howard	St. Thomas More Catholic (LA)	LSU
Tayven Jackson	Center Grove (IN)	Tennessee
Nate Johnson	Clovis (CA)	Uncommitted
Cade Klubnik	Westlake (TX)	Clemson
Maalik Murphy	Serra Gardena (CA)	Texas
Zach Pyron	Pinson Valley (AL)	Baylor
Luther Richesson	Lipscomb Academy (TN)	Uncommitted
Ty Simpson	Westview (TN)	Alabama
AJ Swann	Cherokee (GA)	Maryland
Conner Weigman	Bridgeland (TX)	Texas A&M
Gavin Wimsatt	Owensboro (KY)	Rutgers

The most interesting of the finalists is Lipscomb Academy’s Luther Richesson. He might be the only high school student in America with essentially no social media presence.