COLUMBUS, Ohio – Following the Elite 11 midwest regional, the Nike Elite 11 staff told the campers in attendance that as a whole, the group that competed on Friday afternoon was the best group they had seen this year. With several highly-touted prospects and major college commits in attendance, that was no surprise.
Shane Morris
Several of those highly-touted prospects lived up to their billing while a few less-heralded players demanded to steal some of their spotlight. We take a look at the top ten performers as selected by 247Sports.
1. Shane Morris, Warren (Mich.) De La Salle – Good luck trying to pin a fear of competing on Shane Morris. Despite his lofty ranking and his early commitment to Michigan, Morris is at seemingly every event he can get to, eager to prove himself. On Friday he did just. He can put loads of velocity on the ball without digging deep, he showed great accuracy throughout the day and he has a smooth and natural composure in the pocket. Morris’ performance earned him an invite to the Elite 11 finals this summer.
2. Danny Etling, Terre Haute (Ohio) South Vigo – A Purdue commit, Etling didn’t come into Friday’s event with the same high profile as some of the other prospects in attendance but he left with one. Heading into the final drill of the day – involving only the top six performers – Etling had a strong case for top overall performance. A couple missed throws in the spotlight is all that kept him from the top spot on this list. Etling has good size, spins the ball well and can throw equally as well inside the pocket and on the run. Purdue is getting a heck of a player.
3. Luke Del Rio, Littleton (Colo.) Valor Christian – The son of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, Luke came into Friday’s event with a recognizable name but it was his play that earned him a lofty spot alongside the day’s top performers. There really wasn’t much that Del Rio didn’t do well. He has sound mechanics, a good high delivery, good athleticism to make throws in and out of the pocket and when the whole camp was watching in the day’s final drills he made the throws when it counted.
4. Ryan Burns, Ashburn (Va.) Stone Bridge – Two things jumped out about Burns on Friday: his size and his arm. His size made him maybe the most imposing quarterback at the event and his arm saw the ball jump out of his hand more so than any other quarterback. On a few occasions the ball sailed on him which is something he’s going to have to address but he has obvious tools and much of the day coaches were referring to him as “Mr. Consistency”. As a Stanford commit, it’s hard not to notice a little bit of Andrew Luck in Burns’ delivery and stature.
5. Max Staver, Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy – Currently Staver is lightly recruited out of Brentwood, Tenn. with offers from Mississippi State, Louisville and Tennessee State but every time he attends a camp, he seems to stand out. Staver consistently improves at every outing. He has great size, really works the intermediate game effectively and threw some nice deep balls as well. Staver is proving himself one camp at a time.
6. Malik Zaire, Dayton (Ohio) Alter – Zaire is a Notre Dame commit with outstanding athleticism, listed as a dual-threat quarterback but the only threat he could display on Friday was his arm and he showed a lot of promise in that regard. Zaire has some of the best feet at the event and he really can throw a pretty ball when he doesn’t have time to think and he just lets his athleticism take over. At times he looked great, at times he had throws in the dirt but if Zaire can get more consistent he could become a big-time quarterback on the next level.
7. Matt Alviti, Park Ridge (Ill.) Maine South – Though he doesn’t have ideal size, Alviti really performs well in this sort of camp setting. He was on point throughout the day, spinning the ball well, showing good feet both into his drops and outside of the pocket. Alviti has plenty of arm but has the precision to be really effective. Alviti looks to be a great fit at Northwestern where he is currently committed.
8. Mitch Trubisky, Mentor (Ohio) – At Friday’s event, Trubisky was one of the most highly-sought-after uncommitted prospects and he gave plenty of indication as to why. He’s a well put-together, athletic quarterback that is comfortable outside of the pocket but quietly had one of the day’s better passing performances too. He doesn’t necessarily make a ton of ‘wow’ throws and he could stand to shorten his delivery but he didn’t miss on much and was as consistent as any quarterback in attendance.
9. Kyle Bolin, Lexington (Ky.) Catholic – A Louisville commit, Bolin was one of a several good passers out of the Bluegrass State in attendance on Friday and just as he did a year ago as a sophomore, Bolin had a strong day. Even at close to 6-3, Bolin plays taller than that because of his high delivery. He has functional athleticism and he was sharp all afternoon, making the throws he’s supposed to make as well as a few tough longer throws.
10. Shane McCarley, Manvel (Texas) – A grinder without ideal height, McCarley is the type of passer that thrives in a competitive setting. He was dealing on Friday afternoon, not only completing passes but putting the ball in places that allowed receivers to make plays after the catch. Though he currently holds one offer from Appalachian State, McCarley shows the kind of ability that could see him get some major college opportunities.
- Barton Simmons
- National Recruiting Analyst - 247Sports