10 Quarterback Recruits to Know Following Elite 11 Orlando
DAVENPORT, Fla. -- The 24th year of the Elite 11 quarterback competition circuit kicked off in the Orlando area on Sunday for a variety of high school and middle school passers. At the highest level, underclassmen quarterbacks turned as many heads as the rising-senior recruits in attendance.
Sports Illustrated was on hand and notes 10 quarterbacks to know following the beginning of the prestigious camp's 2022 tour.
Class of 2023
Robert Long made the trip to central Florida from New Jersey and it appeared to have been plenty worth it. The Maryland commitment paced the 'A' group of rising-senior passers in the accuracy department and looked as mechanically sound as can be with a year of high school football still to be played. Long is well balanced, compact and sharp in his lower body movement and it carries into his quick and concise delivery of the football. He releases the ball at a classic, three-quarter point and follows through with a catchable spiral to all three levels. Long, who finished top five among competitors in athletic testing, capped his performance by winning the accuracy competition among class with day-high score of 20, according to event staff.
If there was a pure arm talent award handed out Sunday, it would have gone to Marcus Stokes. The Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease standout, who is originally from the Baltimore area, was the top off-platform performer to track all camp long. Beyond a Mac Jones-like confidence and energetic demeanor, the snap in Stokes' right arm made onlookers audibly react at several points -- often on the most difficult throws presented by the coaching staff. The rising-senior has enough torque to deliver a football to the target even without his feet being set, even while drifting away from the intended target at times. At the end of the event, many passers competed to hit a crossbar at the far end of the field and Stokes attempted it from further than all others, including a ball that traveled some 60 yards in the air. Also a strong athlete, finishing top 10 in athletic testing, it's easy to see why his name is drawing more recruiting interest of late. Miami hosted Stokes ahead of the camp.
Another out-of-state performer who impressed was Dylan Wittke, who had a weekend he won't soon forget. His first time in the area featured a Disney World Experience before competing as the only athlete to notch triple digits in athletic testing, including a 37-inch vertical jump and 4.55-second 40-yard dash at 6'3", 200 pounds or so. Wittke, who has double-digit offers and state championships to his name at Buford (Ga.) High School, more than held his own as a passer following the testing. He stands tall in the pocket with good balance in releasing the ball at near 90 degrees. He was strong in the intermediate game and worked an easy release inside the pocket and out.
Keyone Jenkins, one of the top dual-threats in the Sunshine State, displayed consistency as an accurate passer in the short to intermediate game all day Sunday. The state champion out of Miami (Fla.) Central has a smooth and consistent release to complement his lower-body strength and well above average movement skill. But inside the pocket and out, few were more consistent than Jenkins during the four-hour session. As a junior, he returned from a broken hand to lead Central to another state crown with 20 total touchdowns in seven games. The recruiting attention has yet to arrive but many in south Florida feel it's a matter of when and not if for the smooth lefty.
After helping Hawthorne (Fla.) High to a state title appearance as a junior, lefty Tyler Jefferson showed off his quick trigger as a passer Sunday. Big and physical, he was named by a fellow top performer as the quarterback who impressed the most within the top group of QBs. He moves well despite a 225-pound frame and it helps him to generate plenty of downfield power in the process. Troy, Georgia State, Central Michigan and others are on the offer list and Power Five programs are set to host Jefferson in the coming months.
Blake Murphy is coming off of an injury in 2021 but he appears to be rounding back into top form as an efficient passer. After notching a perfect accuracy score at the Under Armour Miami camp to kick off the camp season, Murphy again looked like one of the more accurate arms in attendance Sunday. During one drill in particular the group was asked to manipulate the pocket before firing towards a stationary target, led by noted quarterback trainer Quincy Avery. It became increasingly competitive as the station wore on and it was the Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage standout who knocked out most of the competition thereafter. Few had as much noticeable fun as Murphy on Sunday.
Class of 2024
There are several notable Jacksonville-area underclassmen quarterbacks to track as recruits and DJ Moore has become one of them. The Bolles School standout, who has amassed double-digit offers, oozes arm talent and athleticism whether stationary or on the move. Velocity on a quick release aren't issues for Moore, whose baseball background also shows up when dropping his arm angle depending on obstacles presented in the path of the football. Moore, who helped Bolles to a state semifinal run in 2021, visited Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Memphis earlier this month. Plenty of eyes will be on his game as a junior this fall.
Adrian Posse had perhaps the strongest offer list among competitors entering the event, coming in with reported offers from Georgia, Ohio State, Florida, Miami, Notre Dame, Arkansas and others dating back to last year. For coaching staffs coveting pure power out of a passer, it's easy to connect those dots. The rising-junior has a longer delivery but he makes up for it with the juice seemingly every ball is released with. As he rounds out his game in the touch department, the big passer should continue to remain on the radar of plenty of college football programs. Posse is now prepping at Miami (Fla.) Columbus High.
Class of 2025
If one is looking ahead at the game's most important position, Austin Simmons is a must-know name as far as quarterback tracking goes. The Pahokee (Fla.) High School star lefty, who is also an accomplished baseball player, dazzled in just about every situation the staff put him in on Sunday. The trigger is quick and the accuracy didn't waver much inside the pocket or out for the 6'2" freshman who plans on visiting Texas A&M and Ole Miss, holding offers from each, later this spring. Simmons says he can now touch 90 miles per hour on the mound and that it isn't easy bouncing back and forth between the sports, but it fooled those on hand anyway.
2025 two-sport star Austin Simmons
John Garcia, Jr.
Ryan Downes was thrust into the spotlight as a freshman starter at IMG Academy this season and held his own late in the 2021 season. A big New York native at 6'4" and over 200 pounds, there has long been a maturity within his game on display and Sunday was no different. Downes is mechanically sound and comfortable in most settings, showcasing a combination of power and touch throughout the workout. Indiana and Marshall have already jumped in with a scholarship offer and others will eventually follow.
Following the camp, no invites to the 2022 Elite 11 finals were presented by the event coaching staff. Last year's Orlando event eventually had multiple passers make the final in Los Angeles, something that may be duplicated this summer. It was also one of the bigger fields of competitors to take part in a regional event.
For the first time in Elite 11 history, a girls group competed including both high school quarterbacks and receivers, totaling about 28 competitors in total. Last year, the quarterback group was initially expanded to include female competition.
The next stop on the tour is Sunday in Baton Rouge.
