Gators Commit Nick Evers at Elite 11: 'I Can Spin the Ball the Best'
Photo: Nick Evers; Credit: Brooks Austin, Sports Illustrated All-American
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- One of 20 quarterbacks with something to prove, Florida Gators commit and Flower Mound (Texas) quarterback Nick Evers did just that on the first evening of the 2021 Elite 11 Finals.
The 6-foot-3, 188-pound gunslinger owned one of the numerous big arms among the group, but put adequate zip on his passes as consistently as any competitor, often with ideal placement. The passers rotated through four various drills with coaches and camp counselors before taking part in the rail shot challenge - a deep pass that requires immaculate power, accuracy, and touch combined - where Evers produced one of the best throws of the entire night.
"Honestly, I feel like I can spin the ball the best, consistently," Evers told AllGators following the first day of camp. "You know, when I'm fully locked in and in game mode, it's hard for me to stop. I feel like I throw the prettiest ball, and quite frankly, I have that mentality that I'm the best quarterback here."
RELATED: Getting to know the Elite 11 finalists
In preparation for the camp, Evers spent time training and perfecting his footwork. Evers operates from a fast-paced, shotgun-heavy high school offense, making the under-center reps at Elite 11 and the next level a transition for his game. There were moments where Evers needed some fine-tuning as such, but he improved his technique on each rep.
The quarterbacks were also tasked with learning 27 passing concepts ahead of the occasion, which kept Evers nose-deep in the playbook in recent weeks.
"I was really just trying to work on my craft in general," Evers said. "I'm looking forward to making every single throw, to getting the best score possible."
Florida has been well represented at the Elite 11 in recent memory, as four prospects-turned-Gators have attended the camp in the past five years - Evers being the latest. As such, head coach Dan Mullen and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee offered Evers some advice entering the event, as well as some reassurance.
"Coach McGee and coach Mullen told me to just have a clear head and have fun," said Evers. "Once you start letting unnecessary things go to your head, then that's when you start doing things wrong. And they said no matter the outcome of this Elite 11, you still have a roster spot with us. So they're just like, you know, just keep that clear head and have fun, and then just do your thing."
You can find Sports Illustrated All-American's review of Evers' performance from day one below. Evers finished fourth in SIAA's rankings among the group of 20 competitors.
There are a lot of powerful arms among the group of Elite 11 finalists, but the Florida Gators commit puts zip on his passes as consistently as anyone. Evers impressed onlookers in the rail shot competition with a perfect first throw and another solid pass to follow, although it wasn’t enough to push through the end of the challenge according to the coaches. There were some minor placement issues on throws rolling to his left side, but otherwise Evers put the ball in a catchable spot for his receiver far more often than not. We’ll want to see his footwork improve on under-center drops as he plays in a high school offense that operates solely out of the shotgun, but he grew more comfortable on each rep in that department.
Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.