Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals is in the books, featuring a schedule jam-packed to the gills.
Let’s recap.
Carwash
Immediately upon arrival, the event staff put the quarterbacks through a carwash that included photoshoots, video interviews, and various activations.
Athletes like Quinn Ewers with 20k+ followers on Twitter feel commonplace at the Elite 11 Finals.
Panini America set up a shoot, where the finalists got to take a ‘Hero Shot.’ It feels like I’m looking at a live version of a trading card:
Pictured: Lipscomb Academy quarterback and Elite 11 Finalist Luther Richesson at the Panini America ‘Hero Shot’ Activation.
Gatorade sent representatives to talk about the Gx Sweat Patch and speak with the athletes about proper hydration.
Gatorade is releasing their first wearable device, the Gx Sweat Patch.
Athletes can scan it after exercising to determine how much body fluid was lost and how much sodium must be replenished.
It's $25 for 2 patches. pic.twitter.com/zMXhiaBzPP
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 1, 2021
I really enjoyed speaking with Elite 11 Coach Ben Barnett, who proctored a series of visual cognition tests for all the finalists on behalf of Bodhi Sport.
Pictured: Coach Barnett (farthest figure dressed in black) helped put the quarterbacks through a number of exercises that gauge their ability to process and retain information.
Barnett told me the tests from Bodhi Sport may not only measure the cognitive ability of quarterbacks but of point guards in basketball or goalies in ice hockey or lacrosse. Any position where the amount of visual information in front of their eyes is incredibly dense, Barnett says knowing how an athlete takes in information will be incredibly important to a coaching staff.
To use football lexicon, whether operating out of the triple-option or a ‘West Coast’ style offense, the mind of the quarterback operates differently from scheme to scheme. So a coach might appreciate knowing how much autonomy his quarterback can handle at the line of scrimmage or what their capacity is to learn and to visualize concepts, play designs, etc.
College Counselors
Brian Stumpf and the Elite 11 staff ideally want pre-season Heisman Trophy favorites, former finalists to serve as college counselors and work out alongside the high-schoolers.
The number of counselors changes annually. But this year’s cohort includes:
- Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
- Sam Howell, North Carolina
- Malik Willis, Liberty
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Rattler and Howell went through the Elite 11 Finals together in 2018. DTR’s a 2017 alumnus.
It’s always fun comparing the throwing abilities of the counselors with the current finalists. It’s amazing what a college strength training program and high-level nutrition do to elevate physical ability.
I watched Howell and Rattler throw as 17 and 18-year-olds at the 2018 finals. Their arms looked so much more powerful yesterday in person compared to what I remembered from three years ago.
Day 1 Observations
Many members of the media descended upon Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach to stand around the track that wrapped around the turf field and watch the finalists be put through a series of drills by the coaching staff.
Drills on the first day emphasized short, quick passing concepts, making throws off-platform, and proper footwork.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II dazzles fans with spectacular throws on the run, and Elite 11 Coach Jerrod Johnson told me all the finalists have the arm talent to make throws that are Mahomes-esque.
But Johnson also said he wants the finalists to attempt those plays like selecting a golf club, only for particular situations.
He wanted his drill, requiring athletes to sprint out to their right and hit the pass-catcher almost like a shortstop throwing a runner out at first base, to teach the finalists to focus on proper biomechanics:
George Whitfield worked with Andrew Luck during his pre-draft process and also serves as an on-field coach with the Elite 11. He told me the talent level of this year’s finalist crop looks tremendous.
And Ewers feels like the main attraction of the week. It amused me to see most of the media follow him up and down the field like a crowd watching Tiger Woods.
I spent a lot of time watching Luther Richesson, who is the lowest-rated finalist among the cohort at No. 71 in the eyes of 247 Sports.
Richesson plays for Trent Dilfer at Lipscomb Academy, requiring Dilfer to step away from serving as the head coach of the Elite 11 for 2021.
It boggles my mind what’s not to like about Richessson. In shorts and tees, he looked much bigger, especially in his lower half, than the others. It’s not difficult to see why he generates so much force from the ground up to deliver the ball with such pace.
So between his arm, frame, and size, Richesson compares favorably in my opinion to the other campers. The ranking feels like a misnomer.
In fact, I asked Richesson for his assessment of how the first workout went for him and he told me he felt like he belonged here.
University of Southern California commit Devin Brown worked out in the same group alongside Richesson, showing an ability to move smoothly on the run and throw in a way I can only describe as crisp.
I loved Brown’s energy too and his sense of urgency throughout every drill from start to finish.
‘Railshot’
The marquee event to wrap up the first day is the ‘Railshot Challenge,’ which features the finalists completing a deep pass down the sideline to their target 15 to 20 yards downfield.
The ball needs to finish with pace, energy and on the facemask of the pass-catcher, so Elite 11 Coaches Quincy Avery and Craig Nall judged whether or not finalists progressed to the next round until a victor remained.
And that winner is Texas A&M commit Conner Weigman:
I’ll file superlatives later in the week, but so far, as the ‘Railshot Challenge’ champ, the title of best deep ball belongs to Weigman.
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Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals is in the books, featuring a schedule jam-packed to the gills.
Let’s recap.
Carwash
Immediately upon arrival, the event staff put the quarterbacks through a carwash that included photoshoots, video interviews, and various activations.
Athletes like Quinn Ewers with 20k+ followers on Twitter feel commonplace at the Elite 11 Finals.
Panini America set up a shoot, where the finalists got to take a ‘Hero Shot.’ It feels like I’m looking at a live version of a trading card:
Pictured: Lipscomb Academy quarterback and Elite 11 Finalist Luther Richesson at the Panini America ‘Hero Shot’ Activation.
Gatorade sent representatives to talk about the Gx Sweat Patch and speak with the athletes about proper hydration.
Gatorade is releasing their first wearable device, the Gx Sweat Patch.
Athletes can scan it after exercising to determine how much body fluid was lost and how much sodium must be replenished.
It's $25 for 2 patches. pic.twitter.com/zMXhiaBzPP
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 1, 2021
I really enjoyed speaking with Elite 11 Coach Ben Barnett, who proctored a series of visual cognition tests for all the finalists on behalf of Bodhi Sport.
Pictured: Coach Barnett (farthest figure dressed in black) helped put the quarterbacks through a number of exercises that gauge their ability to process and retain information.
Barnett told me the tests from Bodhi Sport may not only measure the cognitive ability of quarterbacks but of point guards in basketball or goalies in ice hockey or lacrosse. Any position where the amount of visual information in front of their eyes is incredibly dense, Barnett says knowing how an athlete takes in information will be incredibly important to a coaching staff.
To use football lexicon, whether operating out of the triple-option or a ‘West Coast’ style offense, the mind of the quarterback operates differently from scheme to scheme. So a coach might appreciate knowing how much autonomy his quarterback can handle at the line of scrimmage or what their capacity is to learn and to visualize concepts, play designs, etc.
College Counselors
Brian Stumpf and the Elite 11 staff ideally want pre-season Heisman Trophy favorites, former finalists to serve as college counselors and work out alongside the high-schoolers.
The number of counselors changes annually. But this year’s cohort includes:
- Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
- Sam Howell, North Carolina
- Malik Willis, Liberty
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Rattler and Howell went through the Elite 11 Finals together in 2018. DTR’s a 2017 alumnus.
It’s always fun comparing the throwing abilities of the counselors with the current finalists. It’s amazing what a college strength training program and high-level nutrition do to elevate physical ability.
I watched Howell and Rattler throw as 17 and 18-year-olds at the 2018 finals. Their arms looked so much more powerful yesterday in person compared to what I remembered from three years ago.
Day 1 Observations
Many members of the media descended upon Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach to stand around the track that wrapped around the turf field and watch the finalists be put through a series of drills by the coaching staff.
Drills on the first day emphasized short, quick passing concepts, making throws off-platform, and proper footwork.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II dazzles fans with spectacular throws on the run, and Elite 11 Coach Jerrod Johnson told me all the finalists have the arm talent to make throws that are Mahomes-esque.
But Johnson also said he wants the finalists to attempt those plays like selecting a golf club, only for particular situations.
He wanted his drill, requiring athletes to sprint out to their right and hit the pass-catcher almost like a shortstop throwing a runner out at first base, to teach the finalists to focus on proper biomechanics:
George Whitfield worked with Andrew Luck during his pre-draft process and also serves as an on-field coach with the Elite 11. He told me the talent level of this year’s finalist crop looks tremendous.
And Ewers feels like the main attraction of the week. It amused me to see most of the media follow him up and down the field like a crowd watching Tiger Woods.
I spent a lot of time watching Luther Richesson, who is the lowest-rated finalist among the cohort at No. 71 in the eyes of 247 Sports.
Richesson plays for Trent Dilfer at Lipscomb Academy, requiring Dilfer to step away from serving as the head coach of the Elite 11 for 2021.
It boggles my mind what’s not to like about Richessson. In shorts and tees, he looked much bigger, especially in his lower half, than the others. It’s not difficult to see why he generates so much force from the ground up to deliver the ball with such pace.
So between his arm, frame, and size, Richesson compares favorably in my opinion to the other campers. The ranking feels like a misnomer.
In fact, I asked Richesson for his assessment of how the first workout went for him and he told me he felt like he belonged here.
University of Southern California commit Devin Brown worked out in the same group alongside Richesson, showing an ability to move smoothly on the run and throw in a way I can only describe as crisp.
I loved Brown’s energy too and his sense of urgency throughout every drill from start to finish.
‘Railshot’
The marquee event to wrap up the first day is the ‘Railshot Challenge,’ which features the finalists completing a deep pass down the sideline to their target 15 to 20 yards downfield.
The ball needs to finish with pace, energy and on the facemask of the pass-catcher, so Elite 11 Coaches Quincy Avery and Craig Nall judged whether or not finalists progressed to the next round until a victor remained.
And that winner is Texas A&M commit Conner Weigman:
I’ll file superlatives later in the week, but so far, as the ‘Railshot Challenge’ champ, the title of best deep ball belongs to Weigman.