Georgia Football QB Ties Everywhere at Elite 11
Of the twenty quarterbacks and four camp counselors here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for the Elite 11, the University of Georgia football program has an inordinate amount of connections to the event.
Justin Fields is one of three Georgia football quarterbacks to have won the Elite 11 MVP, along with Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray. Jamie Newman is shaping up to be Georgia's starter in 2020. Brock Vandagriff is committed to play his college ball for the Bulldogs and prior to his commitment, there was a chance that Caleb Williams could have landed in Athens.
So, I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast each of their individual performances from the first evening of competition.
Justin Fields
You expect to see a player like Justin Fields arrive here and blow you away with his ability to throw the football. What I didn't expect to see is just how athletic he is and the kind of shape that he's in. They threw upwards of 65 to 70 footballs on Monday, and not only did the arm strength remain the same throughout the workout he was out running routes when the wide receivers got tired.
He was certainly the best thrower of the football on Monday.
Jamie Newman
Raw power. Those are the two words that come to mind when I see Jamie Newman throw the football. He's around 6'4, and all of 230 pounds and looks like he could play linebacker in the SEC. I'm excited to see what he's going to look like as the camp progresses because Monday's workout was more about shorter, more timing-based routes and throws. Those are things that Newman isn't exactly known for up to this point in his career. He's known for being able to drive the ball into tight windows and throw the deep ball with precision and accuracy.
All in all, he had a good day but didn't exactly blow anyone away in terms of his performance.
Caleb Williams
If there was one player, counselors included, that threw the ball on the level in which Justin Fields did last night, it was Caleb Williams. Not KJ Costello, not Jamie Newman, not Trey Lance. It was Caleb Williams. I spoke to one of the Elite 11 coaches following the workout and when I mentioned Caleb Williams, he simply looked at me and said "That kid is different." The arm strength, the spin rate, the ball placement, it was all off the charts.
I would be shocked if Caleb Williams doesn't come off with the MVP in this event.
Brock Vandagriff
Apart from Oregon commit, Ty Thompson, Brock Vandagriff was the only player that displayed the type of arm strength that Caleb Williams has. He didn't fade off throughout the workout, and he's the same guy every throw. Even the few times he missed on Monday, he never showed emotion, never hung his head, and just moved on to the next rep. I spoke with his father, Greg Vandagriff while the workout was underway and he said it best.
"Brock is a football player that plays quarterback. Not a quarterback that plays football."
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