Elite 11 2015: Biggest Takeaways from Day 1

BEAVERTON, Oregon — The beautiful campus at Nike World Headquarters saw 18 of the nation's best quarterbacks grinding in hot temperatures Monday.

It was the first day of official throwing sessions in a week of Elite 11 competition expected to be long but memorable.

Here are five key takeaways from the first day in Oregon.

Football only for focused UGA commit Eason

Georgia 5-star commit Jacob Eason is the nation's top-ranked quarterback and the No. 3 overall player. On Monday, he showed that the ranking isn't a fluke. Eason completed passes from all angles and distances, and his throws came with velocity and accuracy.

In short, Eason looked as poised and focused as he has throughout the Elite 11 camp circuit. This heightened level of concentration may be in part because he's no longer a multi-sport high school athlete. Eason recently announced on social media that he played his last high school baseball game, going out in style by hitting a home run. 

Eason looked the part with each throw. At 6'5" and 205 pounds, he physically looked like he was in football shape, and he completed passes that received approval from a few of the Elite 11 coaches.

With all of Eason's focus now on football, this could be great news for Georgia fans if Monday's showing was any indication of the future.

"Baseball's over," he said. "It's football time."

Credit: 247Sports

Big Ten (East) the majority of the bunch

The Big Ten is well-represented with six of the 18 quarterbacks committed. Of those six, five are committed to play for teams in the Big Ten's East Division.

Michigan pledge Brandon Peters, Michigan State commit Messiah deWeaver, Maryland-bound Dwayne Haskins, Rutgers pledge Anthony Russo and Penn State commit Jake Zembiec all had their share of shining moments during both of Monday's sessions.

A sixth Big Ten commit—Nebraska pledge Patrick O'Brien—also impressed coaches and evaluators with a consistent performance. Nebraska plays in the conference's West Division.

Decision days coming for uncommitted QBs

The committed players are always a nice conversation piece at events like the Elite 11, but when there are uncommitted players on the verge of announcing, all attention seems to turn in that direction.

For 4-stars Jawon Pass and Dillon Sterling-Cole, decisions aren't far off. Pass said that his verbal commitment will come late next week, and one of three schools will be chosen.

"Auburn, Alabama or Louisville," Pass said, "and it'll be on the 16th [July 16]."

Pass will be a nice get for one of those schools, as he's a 6'5", 220-pound dual-threat option who improves with every lesson learned through Elite 11 tutelage.

For Sterling-Cole, a decision may not come as soon. The 6'2½", 183-pound quarterback said he still has his top eight, but Arizona State and Florida are two schools that are currently separating themselves from the rest of the pack.

"I'm coming to a close," he said. "The schools I'm evaluating are showing that they actually want me to play for them. I'll post a top five real soon, probably in a week or so."

Credit: 247Sports

Lone Star State representation

Of the 18 quarterbacks in attendance, the state of Texas represented nearly one-quarter of the group: Texas 4-star commit Shane Buechele, Oklahoma State 3-star pledge Nick Starkel, Texas Tech 3-star commit Jett Duffey and uncommitted 4-star Dillon Sterling-Cole.

All four had their moments throughout Monday. A strong-armed Starkel regularly showed his ability to put zip on the ball. Duffey made the kind of adjustments that won him two Elite 11 regional MVP awards. Sterling-Cole made every throw with poise and appeared calm in every drill.

Buechele demonstrated accuracy and the ability to throw in and outside the pocket. At the end of Monday's sessions, Elite 11 head coach Trent Dilfer told the athletes that the Longhorns commit is putting himself in position to compete for the overall top spot.

Starkel said each Texan wants to win the Elite 11 competition, but they're all rooting for each other.

"It's a great experience. We're all out competing, but the Texas guys are together more than the others," he said. "We're kind of sticking together and fighting as a team out there."

Once participants, now counselors

Before they were college quarterbacks, they were prep stars aspiring to be considered Elite 11-worthy.

The Elite 11 camp counselors are integral to the competition, as they not only can offer advice and assist in drills but also share their Elite 11 experiences of the past. The counselor team features a few members of the 2012 Elite 11 class.

Penn State's Christian Hackenberg, Ohio State's J.T. Barrett, Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs and Notre Dame's Malik Zaire all are from the 2012 class. Clemson's Deshaun Watson, a 2013 Elite 11 participant, is also in Oregon as a camp counselor.

"We're learning a lot right now from them," South Carolina 4-star commit Brandon McIlwain said. "We're learning about mental toughness and being able to work together in extremely challenging situations. It's been a grind, but being able to push through anything, it's really helping a lot."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles