I can only assume the 2020 Elite 11 Finals took place in Murfreesboro, TN (just outside of Nashville) due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and Trent Dilfer coaching high school football in middle Tennessee now. Whatever the reason, the event took place right down the road from me so I was able to attend. Given the circumstances, the event had a much different feel than it normally does. The media was not allowed on the field and access to the players was restricted. Due to a new ordinance from Tennessee’s governor, 7 on 7 was not allowed Wednesday, so the Elite 11 staff replaced that with an accuracy gauntlet. None of the top WR prospects were there anyway so local kids and kids within driving distance caught passes from the QBs. With the way the year 2020 has unfolded, we’ll take whatever we can get.
Monday Night – Rail Shot Challenge
The Rail Shot Challenge is a test of arm talent. It’s that throw that QBs have to drive between the corner and the safety vs Cover 2. The 2020 winner was Maddox Kopp – a 3-star QB from Houston who just recently started playing QB. Kopp beat Caleb Williams and counselor Justin Fields in the event. Kopp is currently uncommitted – his best offer is from Houston – but his performance this week should attract a lot more attention. From what I can tell, and I asked around last night to verify, Kopp is a stud on the basketball court and 2019 was his first season as a varsity starting QB. He led his team to a state semifinal appearance in 2019 while throwing for 3,076 yards, 28 TDs, and 14 INTs. It shouldn’t be too much longer before the Power 5 offers start rolling in. Kopp’s reps in the Pro Day were some of the most fun to watch.
Tuesday Night – Pro Day
Tuesday night gave us the Pro Day workout. Each of the 20 QBs worked through a pro day script of 20 throws from several different stations spanning from end zone to end zone. Each throw is scored from zero to three. A zero is an uncatchable ball, a one is a ball that the WR has to work for, a two is a ball put inside the receiver’s frame, and a three is a ball on the receiver’s face.
I tweeted as many highlights as I could Tuesday night. Instead of embedding them all in this article, I’ll just link you to them here.
There’s no sense in burying the lede, so we’ll start with Kyle McCord. Nerves seemed to play a big part for a few guys this week, but McCord wasn’t fazed during his workout. He seems like the lead-by-example type, and he set the tone early. The Ohio State commit won the competition with 45 of 60 possible points. He looked smooth from start to finish. His feet were clean, and his throws was crisp, in rhythm, on time, and on target. Ohio State QBs tend to do well in the Pro Day. Buckeyes freshman QB CJ Stroud holds the record for the highest Pro Day score. He scored 50/60 last year.
The second-best performance came from Florida Gators commit Carlos Del Rio. His workout churned the most oohs and aahs Tuesday night. And rightfully so. According to SI All-American, Del Rio’s 12 money throws were the most of any QB. Even though Del Rio’s build would allow him to hold his own on a college field right now, he’s going to need some time to develop as a passer. That makes him a perfect fit with Dan Mullen at Florida. I don’t think anyone saw his Pro Day performance coming, so he clearly put in the work to prepare for this week, proving his worth ethic is a strength. I know I’m not the only one who felt this way about Del Rio’s big night. These two do this for a living:
Over the course of three days, Oregon commit Ty Thompson made a relentless push for the top spot. Thompson had the misfortune of throwing into the wind Tuesday night, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He settled in pretty quickly and got stronger and more confident with every scripted throw. He showed the ability to make every throw no matter the distance, direction, or platform.
There was a consensus that Drake Maye struggled Monday night, but the future Tar Heel QB bounced back Tuesday night. His 40 points earned him a second-place finish. He throws a catchable deep ball and drives his intermediate throws with good pace, but things took a turn when he was asked to throw on the move.
I’m not going to go through all 20 QBs, so here are my notes on the rest:
- Any time they needed a volunteer to go first, JJ McCarthy stepped up. No different during the Pro Day. He volunteered to go first even though it was windy and rainy at the time. He looked good from the pocket and on the run. He had one of the best throws of the night when he changed his arm angle and threw a dart around the pass rush instead of scrambling to get away from it.
- Brock Vandagriff started hot then fizzled out towards the end for some reason.
- Tennessee commit Kaidon Salter was the smallest QB at the event, but he’s not short on arm strength.
- Miller Moss seems like the next in the line of cerebral QBs out of Mater Dei. He was constantly talking approach and strategy.
- Kyron Drones (Baylor) is a bit of an unknown, but he throws a pretty ball thanks to a repetitive release.
- Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) was really impressive. You can tell he’s got some swagger. If LSU doesn’t win the Caleb Williams sweepstakes, they will be just fine.
Wednesday – Accuracy Gauntlet
With no 7 on 7 Wednesday, the staff had to come up with an alternative event. They decided on an 8-station competition that tests the QB’s conditioning as much as their accuracy. Depending on the station, the throw required a specific drop or rollout. A bullseye allowed the QB to move to the next station. If they hit the edge of the target, they received a 2-second deduction from their final time. You should be able to find some clips from this event on Elite11’s Instagram.
Brock Vandagriff might have faded toward the end of this workout Tuesday night, but he was in a league of his own during the accuracy gauntlet. He was the only QB to finish the course with a time under 2-minutes. He was the third QB to throw, and no one after him came close. Carlos Del Rio held the lead for a couple of minutes with a time of 2:11. Vandagriff went next and finished in 1:43.
- Drake Maye was rolling until the second half when he had to start throwing on the run. There’s a theme here. Maye looked much better in the pocket but struggled every time he was forced out of it.
- Grayson James (uncommitted) finished third with a time around 2:30. I think only 2 other QBs (Texas Tech commit Behren Morton was one) finished the gauntlet under 3 minutes.
- For the gauntlet, they flipped the order from the Pro Day, so JJ McCarthy went last. He knew the time he had to beat. He rushed too much and never got in a rhythm, but he oozes competitiveness.
Let Down
Tyler Buchner came into the event ranked first by the Elite 11 staff based on junior year film, intangibles, and traits. He looked uncomfortable the entire time. He missed the majority of his throws Tuesday and Wednesday wide left. It’s one thing to miss high or low, still giving your WR a chance to catch the ball, but missing wide as much as he did really stood out. It’s possible the camp setting just isn’t his jam, because he’s much more exciting on the field.
Most Impressive
Florida commit Carlos Del Rio’s flash and consistency made him the most impressive performer over the course of the event. He held his own Monday night before putting together one of the best performances during the Pro Day. He followed that up with the second-best time during the accuracy gauntlet. Pretty impressive for a young man who hasn’t yet set the field on fire as a passer. Kyle McCord was a close second, but he was expected to put together a great three days.
MVP
Based on the way the Elite 11 staff grades, Caleb Williams had a head start coming into this week. Over the course of three days, he didn’t do anything to hurt his stock even though he didn’t win an individual event. I didn’t see where they held the Longest Throw Challenge this year. If they did, I don’t see how he loses with his effortless deep ball. Williams took home the 2020 Elite 11 MVP award, and he should still be the QB1 in the next rankings update. The hype surrounding Williams this week was a bit out of control. There was no chance for him to live up to it. It seemed like he was expected to hit every throw, for the ball to never touch the ground. Trent Dilfer talked to 247sports about Caleb Williams’ performance. “There’s nothing this kid can’t do. I’ve been doing this a long time, he has very few limitations if any. He’s uber-competitive. Very focused when he walked in. He’s really clean, he’s consistent, clean usually means consistent. Every throw was good to great. I think he takes it that serious. I’m interpreting what his mind is telling him and it’s as if every throw is the most important throw of the day.”
Williams will commit to either Oklahoma, LSU, or Maryland on July 4th. Maryland pulled out all the stops last weekend, but Oklahoma is still the favorite to land the dual-threat weapon. I profiled him back in May. You can read that here.
