What to Watch for at 2015 Elite 11 Semifinals Competition
The road to crowning the Elite 11 for the 2016 class will see 30 of the nation's top quarterbacks compete in Los Angeles this weekend in the camp's first-ever semifinal competition.
This group of passers earned the trip to Southern California after excelling in the Nike Opening Regional camps held in the previous three months.
After the two-day event, the Elite 11 staff—led by ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer—will then whittle down the crop of quarterbacks that will move on to compete in the Elite 11 finals at the The Opening held at Nike headquarters next month.
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What should fans be looking to learn from this weekend’s competition?
Let’s take a look in this primer for the first ever Elite 11 semifinals.
The Field
The who's who of 2016 signal-callers features 26 quarterbacks who have already committed to Power Five schools.
| ACC | 6 |
| Big Ten | 6 |
| Big 12 | 6 |
| Pac 12 | 3 |
| SEC | 5 |
Six schools each from the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 have commitments represented in the field—which ties for the lead among conferences.
Also, 12 of the top 15 pro-style passers will be in attendance—including the 5-star trio of Georgia pledge Jacob Eason, Ole Miss commit Shea Patterson and Florida State pledge Malik Henry.
Seven of the top 10 dual-threat quarterbacks will also be accounted for—with 4-star LSU commit Feleipe Franks and uncommitted standout Jawon Pass anchoring that group.
This group possesses everything from NFL prototype quarterbacks to undervalued field generals who have been dominant on the prep level.
What's at Stake
The quarterbacks will go through on-field drills and classroom instruction before a final evaluation in the form of a seven-on-seven competition will help the Elite 11 counselors select the group of finalists.
While all of the passers in attendance have established themselves as major college prospects, making it to the Elite 11 finals is often one of the main goals for young quarterbacks across the nation.
After this weekend, the field of 30 will be cut to 18 lucky passers who will earn a chance to compete in the Elite 11 finals at The Opening from July 5-11, per Student Sports.
With all of the talent on hand, expect the competition to be fierce.
Favorites and Sleepers
All eyes will be guys such as Eason, Henry, Pass and Patterson.
The 6'5", 205-pound Eason is the nation's top-rated passer, so it will be interesting to monitor whether he becomes the measuring stick for the group.
Henry—who will head back home to California after his offseason transfer to IMG Academy in Florida—is another gifted passer who put on a show at the Atlanta Opening Regional in March and took home MVP honors for the quarterback segment.
While those guys are household names in recruiting circles, others such as 3-star Texas Tech pledge Jett Duffey and 3-star Boston College pledge Anthony Brown are not.
The 6'0", 171-pound Duffey, who earned MVP honors in New Orleans and Charlotte, according to Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles, has emerged as a star over the last couple of months. If he can carry over his performances from the regional camps, he should make a strong case to make the finals.
Brown is another player who burst onto the scene following a dominant showing at the Columbus regional last week.
According to Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue, Brown took home the MVP award out of a loaded field after showcasing his accuracy and consistency.
Regardless, the weekend's festivities should be a good barometer for establishing the cream of the crop in the 2016 quarterback class.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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