MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After three days of action, the Elite 11 quarterback competition officially wrapped up in the Nashville area, with uncommitted five-star quarterback Caleb Williams taking home the event's top prize. After taking in all three days, albeit some of it through livestreams and post event videos, Rivals.com's Woody Wommack gives his final ranking of the Top 11, as well as his thoughts on each competitor from the event.
ELITE 11: Woody's World from Day 1 | Woody's World from Day 2
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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FINAL RANKINGS
This is the toughest part of the week and let me provide a couple of disclaimers before I get into the rankings. First of all, these rankings are subjective and based solely on this week's evaluation. It doesn't include their current standing as recruits and doesn't mean that the players will make big jumps up or down in the rankings, especially because the camp was limited in scope compared to past years. When Williams was announced as the camp's top quarterback, event director Trent Dilfer said film accounted for 75 percent of the evaluation and 25 percent was related to the week's performance at the event.
1. Ty Thompson (Oregon commit) -- This was really a tough call and could have gone a couple of different ways, but the bottom line is that Thompson was the most consistent quarterback through all three days. I would have liked to have seen him finish things off a little better in the "Mega Target Challenge" on Wednesday, but Thompson's week earned him the top spot.
2. Caleb Williams (Undecided) -- Williams didn't win any of the individual competitions and he wasn't quite as sharp as I expected from wire-to-wire, but there's just no doubting his abilities. He has star potential and an excellent skillset and made some 'wow' throws that really impressed me. Oklahoma and Maryland are vying for his commitment ahead of his July 4 announcement.
3. Brock Vandagriff (Georgia commit) -- I've always been a big fan of Vandagriff's game, even dating back to before he got his first offer. After struggling to close strong on Tuesday night, he came into Wednesday and dominated the Mega Target Challenge, showing that his skillset is meant to be fully displayed and not just confined to the pocket. He made a nice move up my list on the last day and he played up to his five-star billing.
4. Carlos Del Rio (Florida commit) -- I came away stunned that Del Rio didn't rank higher after Tuesday night's pro day and I think he did, too, after seeing his reaction to the scores. Watching Del Rio command the field really caught my eye and stuck with me. He then came into Wednesday's action and impressed again, finishing second in the Mega Target Challenge, further solidifying his spot in my top five.
5. Kyle McCord (Ohio State commit) -- McCord won the Pro Day event and while I may have quibbled with a few of the scores for other prospects, there was no denying how impressive he was moving the ball down the field. He has a quiet confidence and an excellent arm and the difference between him and spots 2-5 this week wasn't much. Ryan Day has shown to be an excellent developer of quarterbacks and he will enjoy coaching McCord.
6. J.J. McCarthy (Michigan commit) -- I really liked what I saw from McCarthy during the pro day portion on Tuesday as well. The aspect of his game that is underrated and can't really shine in this type of setting is his ability to improvise. I would have loved to have seen some 7-on-7 or throws against defenses, but nevertheless he had a solid week.
7.Tyler Macon (Missouri commit) -- I've seen Macon before in a camp setting and I came away impressed with what he was able to do over the three days. After a little bit of nerves on the first night, he settled in nicely and had a good pro day workout and finished in the top half of the accuracy competition as well. Macon plays with a chip on his shoulder and he came in ready to prove he belongs with the nation's top quarterbacks. He did a pretty good job of making his point.
8. Miller Moss (USC commit) -- Moss is another prospect who deserves to be lauded for his consistency, even if it meant he didn't have some of the "wow" moments that his competitors did throughout the week. He was very accurate and threw a catchable ball during the pro day competition and wrapped things up with a strong finish on Wednesday.
9. Behren Morton (Texas Tech commit) -- Morton throws one of the prettiest balls I've seen in this year's class and his ability to do so was on display throughout the week. The fact that he had no problem turning it loose and letting it rip impressed me, even if it led to some inaccurate passes at times. He can also move pretty well and he's a great fit for modern college football offenses.
10. Maddox Kopp (Undecided) -- Kopp might be one of the best-kept secrets in the class at the position and he impressed from the first throw on Monday night. Kopp has great size and the frame to bulk up even more. He is still pretty raw, due in part to the fact that he was also a notable basketball prospect who has split time between both sports. Several schools, including Houston, are still in the mix and whoever lands him is likely getting a steal.
11. Kyron Drones (Baylor commit) -- I have to admit that I kind of slept on Drones as things were happening live but after going back and watching the film again, I underrated him a little bit. He was very good on the final day and with his big frame and arm strength combined with nice athleticism, he has a chance to develop into an excellent college quarterback.
THOUGHTS ON THE OTHER COMPETITORS
Jay Allen (undecided) -- Coming into the event unranked and without a Power Five offer, Allen was taking a major step up in competition. He was inconsistent throughout the week but did flash some talent, while also making some throws that left a lot to be desired. A Florida baseball commit who is also getting interest from Miami on the football side, it will be interesting to see which path he chooses.
Luke Altmyer (Florida State commit) -- Atlmyer had a pretty steady week but I would have loved to see more highs, especially because of how his stock is rising among college coaches. But I like the way the ball comes off his hand. If it weren't for a tough showing on the final day he might have finished higher.
Tyler Buchner (Notre Dame commit) -- Nobody had a more puzzling week than Buchner, who came in ranked as one of the nation's top quarterbacks but just never really seemed to find his rhythm. His throwing motion looked to have changed a little and it had an adverse effect on his accuracy.
Dematrius Davis (Auburn commit) -- Davis is an exciting player and a guy who has shown the ability to get the ball down the field, but he struggled with accuracy for most of the week. He improved a bit on Wednesday, but not enough to land him a spot in the Top 11 overall. His game isn't exactly suited for this type of format, so that might excuse some of his struggles.
Grayson James (Uncommitted) -- After struggling quite a bit over the first two days, James finished strong, showing an accurate arm while throwing on the run and finishing second only to Vandagriff in Wednesday's competition. It's clear that he has some impressive skills, but needs to work on consistency and accuracy from the pocket.
Drake Maye (North Carolina commit) -- I sort of struggled what to do with Maye because I know what he's capable of but I also didn't see the type of mobility that I expected based on my previous evaluations. He struggled to throw on the move and that really hurt him in a lot of the competitions. Maye obviously has a lot of arm talent, but he needs to work on his footwork and athleticism.
Garrett Nussmeier (LSU commit) -- I'm a fan of Nussmeier's game and he had a solid week, he just didn't quite have the highs that I expected and he didn't finish well enough on Wednesday to make my final 11. He does seem to have an electric personality and was a favorite among his peers, which should bode well for when he's called upon to lead a team at the next level. He just didn't quite flash as much as I might have expected coming into the week.
Kaidon Salter (Tennessee commit) -- Salter had a lot of ups and downs during the week, including on the final day of the competition, when he finished among the bottom in the mega target challenge, despite it being a format that I thought he would excel in. I still think Salfter will need some time to develop at the next level but if he has time to grow, both as a quarterback and physically, he can have a good college career.
Christian Veilleux (Penn State commit) -- It was a week of struggles for Veilleux, who just never seemed to find his groove or really look comfortable, especially over the back half of the competition. He finished near the bottom in Wednesday's accuracy competition and his arm strength was also lacking at times. After an extended time off during the spring, perhaps rust was a factor in his performance.