Elite 11 hype factory not a combine for quarterback excellence

What do Travis Jonsen, Morgan Mahalak, Jake Rodrigues and Robby Ashford all have in common? They're all graduates of the Elite 11 program. So are Hudson Card and Blake Barnett.

Elite 11 makes for good summer football television, before conference media days and NFL preseason games. It's a hype factory, breathless commentary over reps against air, athletic young men running around in shorts and football shoes, punctuating touchdowns with backflips.

Like The Opening and the Rivals Camp Series and all the other scouting and evaluation tools that have evolved in college football's big-money talent chase, it has to be consumed with caution.

This season Oregon has two targets at Elite 11, Vista Murrieta quarterback Bryson Beaver of Murrieta, California, Moeller High Cincinnati, Ohio baseball pitcher and quarterback Matt Ponatoski. Both are four-stars. Beaver is visiting the Ducks this weekend.

The Ducks have a good shot at Beaver. He visited Alabama last weekend but Tuesday the Tide accepted a commitment from Jett Thomalia, a 6-5 pocket passer from Omaha, Nebraska. That puts Oregon in front for Beaver.

There's nothing wrong with Elite 11, but in terms of evaluating quarterbacks it's an artificial environment. Like the NFL combine it's no pads, no pass rush and an empty arena. Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson looked great in the combine environment. It's limited as a test of real quarterback skill.

In 2022 Nico Iamaleava passed up Elite 11 and both Jared Curtis and Ryder Lyons did so this year. Akili Smith Jr. went last season, competing even though he had a sore arm.

As a measure of competitive ability 7-on-7 tournaments are probably better, at least offering reps against a live secondary with multiple targets. But the greatest indicators of quarterback's future success remain intelligence, accuracy, poise and leadership, how he performs in practice and in games.

Mahalak, Burmeister, Ashford, Jonsen, Finley and Rodrigues were all fine prospects and good athletes. A leg injury wrecked Rodrigues' college career. Burmeister, a shoulder. In the oughts Oregon had a touted four-star named Johnny Durocher who never quite panned out, losing out to a kid from Burns named Kellen Clemens.

Succeeding as a college quarterback takes toughness, poise, timing and persistence. The prospect needs a staff who believes in him and makes the right moves in his development. Three days in Los Angeles aren't the beginning or the end of anyone's career, although it's an accomplishment to get there.

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