Previewing a stacked group of quarterbacks at the 2025 Elite 11
Nick Lucero/Rivals.com
The Elite 11 starts Tuesday night and goes through Thursday in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney gives the latest on each of the 20 quarterbacks and offers a thought on what he wants to see during the event.
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No quarterback has been busier or presented with more options in the last few weeks than Beaver. The three-star from Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta landed a new offer from Oregon, perceived to be the leader now, and he visited Alabama and Ole Miss over the weekend.
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He looked very good at the Rivals Camp Series in Los Angeles so how will he look making plenty of tough throws through the gauntlet Wednesday night.
The Texas commit missed time during his junior season with a lower leg injury and so we want to see how he's bounced back from that at an event where he'll have to throw on the run, throw the ball a lot, use his legs often and his endurance will get tested.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian knows quarterbacks and he prioritized Bell early.
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Bentley runs all kinds of sets – from under center to empty – at Celina, Texas, and his film is really impressive. Maybe he didn't have his best performance at the regional so we'll be looking for consistency and whether he can get in a rhythm in this setting.
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Some guys are just gamers as Oklahoma and LSU are battling it out until the end. Some believe the Tigers might have the slightest edge, but he's also a top priority of Oklahoma OC Ben Arbuckle.
In the best-case scenario, Brandon proves he's the No. 1 quarterback in the class without question although the other five-stars (except Keisean Henderson) no-showed at the regional so won't be at the finals.
Worst case is that he's a Nico Iamaleava clone on the field with bright spots but also low points. There's no question Brandon has a gun and is super impressive by every measure so the pressure is on this week to back it up.
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The new North Carolina commit who chose to play for coach Bill Belichick over Auburn and others was bumped up to four-star status recently because he has all the physical tools but does need to work on his consistency, especially throwing deep.
This week will test him in that way for sure and if he answers the call with those measurables then that will be really intriguing.
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There have been hits and misses at Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon as the offense operates to put up huge numbers but that's why rankings cannot be based only on statistics.
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The Texas A&M commit missed time with a foot injury last year but when he's in rhythm he can deliver it all over the field. With volume throws at the Elite 11, we'll see if Casuga can be consistent over the three-day event.
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One 7-on-7 coach told me that Cherry was the best quarterback they faced all offseason – and this coach had seen them all.
That was big praise for the four-star Louisville commit who has excellent size and a big arm and should be a perfect fit both stylistically and personality-wise for coach Jeff Brohm.
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Is Miami coach Mario Cristobal trying to find his next Cam Ward? Coleman has some of the same qualities and style of play and the ball really pops off his hand.
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At times, Coleman steps too much into his throw during 7-on-7 and in-game settings that could be dangerous with a collapsing pocket. In terms of dynamic arm ability, the four-star Miami commit has it all.
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Duckworth is a multi-sport athlete and a multi-sport big-time winner – and that cannot be taught. The four-star from Jackson, Ala., is not a completely finished product but that might mean he has the most upside among the group (or he struggles putting it together as the game gets bigger and faster at the next level).
Auburn and South Carolina (where he was once committed) are battling hard for him.
I've argued for some time that Fette – ranked as the No. 12 quarterback in the 2026 class – might be one of the more underrated QBs in the class. The Elite 11 will be a major determining factor for the Arizona State commit, who turned down a bevy of SEC offers to stick with coach Kenny Dillingham.
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He has a dynamic arm, he can throw on the run and his RPO game might be something he can't exploit in this setting but he's really great there, too.
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We haven't seen the Florida quarterback commit in a minute but he's always been a physical presence. Now let's see on the biggest stage if he can throw timing routes, layer throws over linebackers and hit receivers in-stride on deep balls where only they can catch it.
There's no question the Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit standout has all the physical tools possible.
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The other five-star quarterback at the event, Henderson is a phenomenal talent who has refined his game so much over the last two years. There was a time when we thought Henderson might have to move positions but he was excellent at the Navy All-American Bowl and might actually be underrated at No. 7 nationally.
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A big week at the Elite 11 could push the Houston commit higher.
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Huhn is a big-bodied pocket passer who works off play-action, can throw on the run and dissect defenses with time to find receivers. Let's see how he does layering the ball, throwing on time to speedy receivers and how he gets through the 20-throw gauntlet on Wednesday night.
He was very impressive at the Under Armour Camp in Los Angeles and can build on that from here.
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The four-star from Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller is one of the most interesting QBs at the Elite 11. Mainly because he's a star baseball player as well so we really want to examine his throwing motion and how fast the ball comes out.
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His recruitment is interesting, too, since Alabama and Oregon have emerged as contenders but both are going after other Elite 11 QBs as well – mainly Iowa State commit Jett Thomalla for the Crimson Tide and Beaver for the Ducks.
Also a two-sport star who plans to play baseball at Clemson, Reynolds looked good at the Los Angeles regional and is also headed to the Rivals Five-Star along with doing the Elite 11 so he's not ducking competition.
The word I've gotten is that his high school team isn't stacked on offense and that's why his stats haven't been off the charts. He'll have plenty of time to prove himself over three days at the Elite 11.
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Rios has been one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the West this recruiting cycle. He's long and lean so it's surprising how quickly and effortlessly he gets the ball out but he's just wiry strong.
The Downey, Calif., four-star has seen UCLA surge in his recruitment but he likes Arizona, Kentucky and others as well. Rios has outplayed his earlier rankings and could move even higher if he shows that accuracy we've seen at many other events.
Thomalla has a lot on his mind as the Iowa State commit is being worked hard to flip to Alabama and it wouldn't be a surprise if he picks the Crimson Tide soon. On the field, Thomalla is a phenomenal athlete and playmaker (just watch some of his basketball dunks) but he might not be a finished product yet.
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He wouldn't have to be at Alabama, ahem, Keelon Russell is next in line, but Thomalla is competitive and savvy.
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I like Walker a little more than his high three-star ranking indicates and it will be interesting to see how he performs at the Elite 11. He's a little bit of a gunslinger and risk-taker on film which won't translate to the programmed throws at this event, but we'll still get to see how he performs and what chances he takes.
Duke landed his commitment and he could shine there as he has the moxie and the talent to see the field early.
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There is some five-star buzz around Williams as USC flipped him from Oregon and chose him as its top quarterback in the class even when Ryder Lyons was still very interested in the Trojans. There is some major intrigue here: Williams is young but he also has hands slightly on the smaller side. We'll see if that matters at the Elite 11 but it might be something to watch down the line during the NFL pre-draft process.
Either way, the USC pledge might be better than any QB in this group when he throws his receivers open and puts it only where they can catch it.
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The Washington commit is a low three-star but we could be proven very wrong with a strong performance at the Elite 11. He plays with toughness and a competitive drive. He has confidence in his arm talent and he can escape pressure at the high school level. There's a chance Zammit shines in this setting.
Washington coach Jedd Fisch and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer certainly saw something as they battled to the end for him.
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