Elite 11: Ranking the top 7 quarterbacks from the 2023 Finals
LOS ANGELES - The Elite 11 Finals, the nation's premier competition for rising high school senior quarterbacks, took place this week at Redondo Union High School from Wednesday to Friday.
Here are the top seven performers from the event.
WHY WE CHOSE SEVEN
Picking seven top performers instead of a number like five or ten looks a little weird. But after these seven QB's, it got a lot harder to make a case for one quarterback to be listed over another. So seven it is.
7. Hauss Hejny - TCU commit
Hauss Hejny
After the first night, we wrote of Hejny: "He has some real pizzaz to his game. Hejny excelled in the rail shot competition and just overall seems like a gamer. He's under 6-foot, but is strong and could develop into a very good Power Five QB."
Over the last two sessions, Hejny continued to play at a high level and deserves to be mentioned as a top performer.
6. Daniel Kaelin - Nebraska commit
Courtesy of Hayes Fawcett, On3
Kaelin came up clutch hitting two lengthy throws to win the accuracy challenge on day 3. He throws a great ball and stood out all week.
5. Will Hammond - Texas Tech commit
Hammond had an awesome pro day showing hitting 18 of 20 throws. He also performed well in the accuracy challenge and in the 7-on-7 period competing 10-of-13 throws, two of which went for TD's. Texas Tech fans should be excited.
4. CJ Carr - Notre Dame commit
Carr is very consistent. He performed really well during the pro day workout and accuracy challenge. During the 7-on-7 work, he went 9-of-13 with two touchdowns.
3. Air Noland - Ohio State commit
Langston Hughes quarterback Prentiss “Air” Noland looks for a receiver during the Panthers’ 31-24 win at Westlake during the 2022 season. (Photo by Macen Howells)
Noland is a gamer. He tied the two QB's below him with 19 "plus" throws during the pro day workout and he was dialed in during the accuracy challenge.
Sometimes lefties can struggle in camp settings, but every drill Noland went through, he really impressed. Noland's athleticism stands out, which is a part of a QB's game that doesn't always come through in camps. Ohio State is getting a good one.
2. Dylan Raiola - Georgia commit
Dylan Raiola
Photo by Steven Davis
Raiola struggled in the accuracy challenge, but he dominated during the rest of the Finals showing why he's the No. 1 ranked prospect nationally. Raiola was comfortably the best 7-on-7 QB and he tied Sayin as the top performer in the pro day workout. Raiola throws beautiful passes with a lot of zip. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he certainly looks the part.
1. Julian Sayin - Alabama commit
Julian Sayin
Photo by Steven Silva
Sayin was the MVP of the event and it was well deserved. He was by far the most consistent QB and attacked every drill, workout and live session the way an MVP should, with elite skill. Expect a recruiting rankings bump for Sayin after his performance. He won't jump Raiola, but he should be the consensus No. 2 QB prospect in the 2024 class.
