Which QBs Should the Florida Gators Look At From the Elite 11 Finals?
One of the most common questions buzzing around the 2022 Elite 11 Finals had to do with a team on the opposite coast: What are the Florida Gators going to do about their need at quarterback in the recruiting class of 2023?
No one seemed to have an answer.
That being said, more than a handful of signal-callers with recruiting, family or high school ties to the Gators took part in the event. And even prospects without interest from Florida's new coaching staff, led by head coach Billy Napier, emerged as intriguing possibilities should UF expand its board of passers.
Therefore, All Gators has compiled a list of the seven quarterbacks from the event to keep an eye on moving forward as Florida assesses its options following priority target Jaden Rashada's commitment to Miami.
Quarterbacks are listed by their final Elite 11 ranking by SI's grading and in no preferential order regarding Gators recruiting. Each prospect's SI composite and daily rankings from the event are included, as well as descriptions of their performances when applicable.
Quarterbacks to keep an eye on
1. Dante Moore (uncommitted)
Composite: 4.3
Day 1 ranking - 1; Day 2 ranking - 1; Day 3 ranking - 11
Moore’s uncanny accuracy is the best we saw this week. He attacks the middle of the field better than the majority of Elite 11 participants as well. Moore shined as well, by way of consistently looking off defenders and using consistent footwork to complete passes time and time again.
Dante Moore was on the shortlist of favorites to be named MVP entering the Elite 11 Finals and immediately emerged as the frontrunner with the No. 1 ranking on days one and two.
Iowa State commit JJ Kohl finished at a very close second place after Moore had a solid but not perfect accuracy gauntlet outing, but no one was able to keep up with the pace Moore set in the first two contests. It's clear that Moore is a poised and intelligent passer in the pocket and off-script, with pristine accuracy and mechanics to go with a big arm that should thrive in most schemes.
Moore's recruitment has appeared to trend Oregon's way as of late following his most recent official visit, to Eugene, before the summer dead period. However, his commitment date remains undetermined and schools such as Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU and Texas A&M remain in the mix for his services.
That being said, Moore was the first quarterback Florida's new coaching staff hosted for a visit in the class of 2023. It appears as though communication fell off between the parties when UF began to focus its efforts on Rashada, but there is a connection here worth monitoring.
At this point, considering the Gators' need at QB and Moore remaining on the recruiting market, it would be silly for Florida not to give the King (Mich.) star another call.
2. JJ Kohl (Iowa State)
Composite: 4.7
Day 1 - 4; Day 2 - 1; Day 3 - 9
The biggest competitor in the field, listed at 6-foot-6, was the surprise of the event based on where the industry views him and his actual three-day performance. Tying for first in the pro day script setting with SI MVP Dante Moore was the best night for Kohl, who also put together one of the best individual throws on the run onlookers saw all week long.
One of the biggest risers on the national scene after the Elite 11 Finals, Kohl consistently showed off one of the biggest arms at the camp and made his money with elite throws on day two's pro script. He tied with Moore for first place in SI's evaluation of that workout.
Kohl's recruitment has been a silent one since he pledged to Iowa State in April, as he hasn't taken any visits elsewhere since. But he had prior interest from several Big 10 schools as well as out-of-region programs like Florida State and Penn State, so it's impossible to rule out other Power 5 programs with a newfound interest in his skill-set contacting him.
Could that include Florida? That may not seem likely as Kohl hails from Ankeny (Iowa), but he's talented enough to play in the SEC, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility.
3. Emory Williams (Miami commit)
Composite: 5.7
Day 1 - 13; Day 2 - 3; Day 3 - 1
Another surprise in our top 10 who recently emerged on the recruiting landscape by committing to Miami, Williams made all of the throws he needed to—as well as the occasional difficult toss—in the pro day and accuracy gauntlet settings to skyrocket into the top three by the end of Day 3. As he became more comfortable around more established arms, Williams’ mechanics improved drastically, allowing him to go on several ball-placement hot streaks across Days 2 and 3, including finishing above his 19 peers Thursday.
One of if not the biggest storyline at the Elite 11 Finals, Emory Williams actually outperformed his fellow Miami quarterback commit, Rashada, each day. Rashada admitted to All Gators that he was flustered entering the event after the circus ending to his recruitment and the NIL hearsay that followed, but he responded with strong performances across days two and three.
Not to be distracted from Williams' performance, however, the Canes' widely-heralded QB2 in the 2023 class also got better each time he took the field — dramatically. He finished around the middle of the pack in the stationary camp but soared to No. 3 in the pro day circuit and topped SI's accuracy gauntlet rankings.
This should give Canes fans a lot of confidence in the two-man quarterback haul head coach Mario Cristobal has compiled in his first recruiting class at Miami. But, now that he has shined on a national stage after just breaking onto the recruiting scene in June, could Williams emerge as a QB1-caliber prospect and be tempted by those offers?
"I’m hoping to be done," Williams shared with All Hurricanes about taking school visits, before claiming the recruiting process as "the most day-to-day thing I’ve ever been a part of.”
Keep in mind that Williams' primary pass-catcher at Milton (Fla.) is 2023 wide receiver Raymond Cottrell — a former Gators commit who flipped to Georgia when it became clear that former UF head coach Dan Mullen wouldn't be around much longer. It's worth wondering if Napier would pursue the Panhandle standouts as a package deal if Florida was to enter the mix for the rising signal-caller.
6. Malachi Singleton (Arkansas commit)
Composite: 7.7
Day 1 - 15; Day 2 - 6; Day 3 - 2
Singleton brought a composed swagger into the event and ultimately climbed the rankings each day. Eyes began to notice the stocky future Razorback when he made seven consecutive money throws and a catchable end zone slant to conclude his pro day circuit, only for Singleton to pace the gauntlet with three money throws in a row right out of the gate. When the gauntlet multipliers were in effect, Singleton capitalized with six catchable or better passes out of seven attempts—he was streaky when it mattered most.
Malachi Singleton was viewed as a bit of a sleeper entering the finals, a dominant dual-threat whose playing style is a bit unorthodox but leads to elite production against some of Georgia's toughest prep competition.
Like Williams, Rashada and some other passer, Singleton got more and more comfortable as the event went on, making a surge up the ranks with fantastic showings in the pro day and accuracy gauntlet. He displayed the "it-factor" coaches look for in quarterbacks, consistently making clutch passes in crunch time during these two workouts.
A first cousin of Florida wide receiver Trent Whittemore and Gators 2023 receiver commit Creed Whittemore, whose mother Missy (Aggert) Whittemore played volleyball at UF in the 1990s, Singleton has strong ties to the program through his family tree, one featuring numerous orange and blue branches. He grew up in a Gator household himself.
Still, Singleton is firm in his pledge to the Hogs, as he and his family are impressed by the culture that head coach Sam Pittman has built over the last two years in Fayetteville. The early success Pittman has achieved is highly intriguing to the North Cobb (Ga.) gunslinger, too.
"I'm Woo Pig, 100 percent," Singleton told All Gators in Redondo Beach.
But if he were to earn an offer from Florida before things are all said and done — especially considering the potential to throw passes to his cousin(s) in college, as Creed is in his signing class — it'd be hard to imagine Singleton not at least thoroughly thinking it over.
9. Brock Glenn (uncommitted)
Composite: 8.3
Day 1 - 8; Day 2 - 15; Day 3 - 2
Saving his best for last, Glenn worked incredibly well on the run over the last two days of the event. The first time he separated himself from others was on a roll to his left with a sideline pass during the pro day workout, a completion he hit that most QBs missed by wide margins. Glenn was among the most comfortable on the move with the stationary targets, too, and was singled out by the Elite 11 staff for working the movement boldly during third-level attempts Thursday.
Brock Glenn had an up-and-down-and-up three-day stretch in Los Angeles, looking solid in the stationary camp before struggling on the pro day circuit only to finish tied for second in the accuracy gauntlet with Singleton.
When he was on his game, Glenn made big-time throws to different levels of the field. His four money throws in the gantlet were tied for the most in the workout, and even in the pro day circuit, he connected on a corner route that most passers could not as noted above.
Glenn told Sports Illustrated at Elite 11 that Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Florida State and TCU are his current finalists, and that he had intended to finalize his commitment before the event but ultimately had to push things back as LSU just offered on June 25.
With some time remaining to sneak into Glenn's recruitment now, it wouldn't be a total shock to see Florida kick the tires on the Lausanne Collegiate School (Tenn.) product.
16. Chris Parson (Florida State commit)
Composite: 14.3
Day 1 - 10; Day 2 - 16; Day 3 - 17
Chris Parson immediately stood out at the Elite 11 Finals with a victory in day one's rail shot competition, where each quarterback (as well as counselors) was tasked with dropping a high-velocity deep ball into a tight window down the sideline against modeled Cover 2 coverage.
Parson accurately placed each of his four attempts (although the receiver failed to reach his first throw), with three beautiful passes in a row to close out the challenge.
The Ravenwood (Tenn.) signal-caller has been committed to Florida State for almost a year now, but has recently taken official visits to Mississippi State and SMU in addition to FSU after living in Mississippi and Texas earlier in his life. Florida State has respected his wishes to take these visits.
He has two officials remaining, and it isn't a sure thing that Parson won't utilize them as other schools have reached out since he's begun to access non-FSU options. Florida is one of the schools that have checked in, as Parson spoke with Napier over the phone just in the last week, a source told All Gators.
18. Marcus Stokes (Penn State commit)
Composite: 15
Day 1 - 7; Day 2 - 19; Day 3 - 19
Marcus Stokes looked his best on the first day of the finals, where mobility, off-platform throws and general arm strength were the primary focus of the workout. He struggled in the pro day and accuracy gauntlet where mechanics and technique are tested, but even then, his natural passing strength seeped through the performance.
Stokes isn't the type of prospect to step into a program and play immediately as his pocket presence and mechanics are a work in progress — his prep offense allows him to play quite freely. But with proper development, he can turn into a dynamic college gunslinger, as he possesses all of the traits coaches look for in a high-ceiling quarterback.
Florida fans have been aware of Stokes' recruitment since he visited campus unofficially in March, although he left Gainesville without an offer at the time. He plays high school ball at Nease (Fla.), the same program that produced Gator Great and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
An offer from the Gators has yet to come Stokes' way, but he's heard the pleading from some Florida fans about potentially flipping from Penn State to UF if one were to end up in his inbox.
"Obviously I've been seeing it on social media," he divulged to All Gators, "You know, 'Just try to flip Marcus Stokes, that's the only hope for the Gators.'
"But I'm locked in [with Penn State]."
Although the Elite 11 may not have helped his case much to earn an offer, a strong showing at Florida's 7-in-7 tournament the week prior impressed members of the Gators' coaching staff. Should Stokes have another productive season as a senior, UF could very well make a move to obtain his services.
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.