Tuesdays With Gorney: Breaking down the Elite 11 quarterbacks
The three-day Elite 11 starts today as 20 of the best quarterbacks in the 2025 class descend on Southern California. In today’s Tuesdays With Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney talks about what he’s looking for from each quarterback.
FACT OR FICTION: Julian Lewis will win Elite 11 Finals
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The North Carolina commit has a strong arm, he’s shown off great accuracy and he’s one of the best-looking quarterbacks on the hoof so there’s a chance with a strong showing at the Elite 11 that the Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth standout could move even higher than No. 155 nationally.
There are some times we want to see Baker get it out faster and get the ball to his receivers with more zip so we’ll see how that goes this week.
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The San Antonio (Texas) Johnson four-star quarterback made some unreal off-platform throws in his junior season and showed off dual-threat capabilities that translate so well into today’s game. Hawkins has been committed to TCU since last June but when Keelon Russell flipped to Alabama, SMU has come on strong, along with Oregon.
The four-star can sit in the pocket and deliver it all over the place. While it’s not his only strength, we’re interested to see this week how he does in that situation and then how he compares with others on the run.
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The four-star quarterback from Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin has been committed to Florida State for more than a year, but Florida keeps trying to flip him so we’ll see in the coming days what Jones says about where things stand in his recruitment.
Jones is not an elite athlete but he has great instincts to escape pressure, keep his eyes down the field and then find open receivers on every level. If there’s a steady quarterback in this class who could have the most solid if not spectacular week it could be Jones.
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When the best of Knight shows up, he has five-star capabilities. The Notre Dame commit from Lucedale (Miss.) George County has dynamic arm ability as a lefty, great athleticism, can throw on the run and when things are going well, it looks fantastic. In recent tournaments, Knight, who is still being heavily pursued by Ole Miss, has looked like one of the best in the class.
But there have been times where his accuracy has been questioned. The top-rated dual-threat in 2025 will be throwing a lot of passes and be tested in numerous ways this week so let’s see if he’s up to the challenge of staying in that five-star talk.
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There are times when Lacey is sitting in the pocket, dissecting defenses, firing the ball to every level and making plays with his feet, throwing from different arm angles and looking like a five-star prospect in the 2025 class.
But there have also been some infrequent occasions during 7on7 season where the Texas commit didn’t have his best performances and sometimes needs to throttle back to make the right throw.
Over the next few days, if the Saraland, Ala., standout can show that elite consistency then that will be a big statement.
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The new Nebraska commit from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran plays with a chip on his shoulder, always looking to prove himself, and that competitive nature has served him well so far and should be something that helps him at the Elite 11.
Lateef had a strong performance at the Steve Clarkson QB Retreat recently where he has lots of zip on his passes but sometimes he has to load up to get it there. This week will be important to see how the Orange Lutheran stands up to national competition.
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The No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class will be pushed by other high-level quarterbacks at the event but putting him through the gauntlet on and off the field will be important for the USC commit, who’s also very serious about Auburn.
There has been this feeling that Lewis could be a more physically developed Bryce Young at the same stage as both have phenomenal instincts and playmaking ability. The Elite 11 could be that statement event where Lewis could shine the most.
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If there is a fastball competition as part of the Elite 11 then my money is on Longstreet because the Corona (Calif.) Centennial standout can zip it with the best of them. Velocity is not a question and connecting on the deep ball is no problem for the Texas A&M commit.
During the drills where the quarterbacks throw the fastball, I feel bad for the receivers because their hands are going to hurt. What I want to see over these three days is his ability to layer his passes, throttle back a little bit and be able to put it over the linebackers head with touch and accuracy.
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At 6-foot-5, MacIntyre is tied as the tallest quarterback in the 2025 class but it’s been since the Steve Clarkson QB Retreat last spring that we’ve seen him in person. The Tennessee commit is a pocket passer but is surprisingly athletic as well (he’s also a basketball player).
What we want to see from MacIntyre is how strong his arm is compared with elite competition and how he places the ball on a line during drills on night one of the event.
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The Iowa State commit plays with toughness, competitiveness and fearlessness, and the feeling is that he wants to come out to the Elite 11 against all the best quarterbacks in the country and really show he belongs.
It will be interesting to see how the high three-star from Algona, Iowa, responds during the battery of drills that will be thrown at him in the coming days. It will for sure be the best competition he’s ever seen and if he responds really well then he could definitely see a bump in his ranking.
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What we love about Montgomery is also what we admired out of Georgia signee Ryan Puglisi in the last recruiting cycle – both have a major competitive edge and will show up anywhere to get after it.
Montgomery is also a fantastic passer, and we’ll see about his athleticism this week. But the Findlay, Ohio, four-star is someone who loves ball and that should show this week.
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The Milton, Ga., four-star quarterback, who’s committed to Miami, is not going to blow anyone away physically, especially on this stage. But Nickel does have some pop to his passes. He can throw off-platform and moves surprisingly well even though he doesn’t look like an elite athlete.
Some of his throws at the Elite 11 regional were a little high and that might just be from some extra energy but a QB never wants to miss high so it’s something we’ll watch this weekend.
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No quarterback has been hotter this offseason than Russell, who has performed really well at numerous events and has now flipped his commitment from SMU to Alabama. Can the Duncanville, Texas, four-star – who reminds me a lot of Jayden Daniels at the same stage – keep the upward momentum going against many of the other top quarterbacks in the class?
Russell pops the ball well, he has great accuracy and throwing to five-star Dakorien Moore doesn’t hurt. Should he be even more in the five-star discussion after this week?
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Oregon State, Cal, Boise State and Utah State have been the schools mainly involved with the high three-star lefty from Ewa Beach (Hawaii) Campbell and it’s surprising his recruitment hasn’t taken off more.
Sagapolutele has a strong arm and the ball pops. He’s most comfortable sitting in the pocket and delivering it on time. It will be interesting to see him against the other best QBs in this class to see if he’s severely under-recruited at this point.
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The player coming in with the richest pedigree is Smith, whose father was the third overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, as Oregon has also landed his recruitment as well. Smith has phenomenal size and his accuracy has improved over the years, plus he posted big numbers at San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln last season. At this level, I want to see Smith’s processing speed and how fast he can get the ball out.
Ranked No. 10 at pro-style quarterback, Smith could make an argument to move higher with a great week.
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Sperry makes all the right decisions, can sit in the pocket and destroy defenses, he can throw on the run and does almost everything right on the football field at all times. That’s why he was such a big target for Oklahoma early on, as he’s been committed to the Sooners since March 2023.
The question is: Does he have the same arm strength, zip and accuracy as the best of the best in the class? That’s what we’ll be looking for from him this week.
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The Ohio State quarterback has moved up to five-star status and he has all the physical tools and mental makeup to be a superstar in Columbus and beyond. He’ll undoubtedly be surrounded by elite playmakers in the Buckeyes’ offense as well.
This will be St. Clair’s biggest and highest-profile event to date and we want to see how he handles the national stage against nearly every elite quarterback in his class.
Is he truly one of the top three? Or, even higher than he’s ranked now?
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Taylor is one of the more intriguing quarterbacks in this entire class because he has all the physical tools to be one of the best. At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, the Mississippi State commit from Macon (Miss.) Noxubee County has thrown some fantastic balls this offseason at various events and has incredible arm strength, plus he can throw on the run and find receivers.
We want to see if he can time up every single time with his receivers and put the ball right on the money. That consistency will be key.
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There is no question about Washington’s size at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds or his playmaking ability with a lot of dual-threat capabilities at his size. But Washington’s footwork is a little loose on tape and we need to see if the Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding standout is a Rivals250 prospect or should be higher.
Maryland, UCF, Virginia Tech and others are involved.
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Out of anyone at the event, I’m most interested in seeing Zollers on the national stage. The four-star Missouri commit is currently ranked No. 70 overall but the Royersford (Pa.) Spring Ford standout has very impressive junior film and I want to see how it translates on the national stage.
He is really athletic (might even be considered a dual-threat quarterback) plus he has a live arm and is super comfortable escaping pressure and throwing on the run. A great week at the Elite 11 means Zollers could move even higher.