MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – The Elite 11 is now in the books after three days of competition between 20 of the best quarterbacks in the Class of 2025. Now it’s time to hand out some Gorney Awards from the event.
STABLE AS IT GOES – Julian Lewis
The No. 1 player in the 2025 class may not have had the highlights every time or shocked us with his performance, but the USC commit was like a fine wine — subtle and refined and certainly worthy of praise.
Especially at the Elite 11 pro day, the star player from Carrollton, Ga., didn’t need to make every ball go 100 miles per hour, but Lewis performed every drill, only missing one pass and continued to throw his receivers in stride. There will be debate over who will finish No. 1 in the class, but there is a clear argument that could be made in favor of Lewis.
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FIVE STAR WATCH AWARD – Keelon Russell
Russell has climbed the rankings to No. 47 nationally, but that might not be enough. New Alabama commit (after leaving SMU) throws the ball so easily. It stood out to him, his accuracy was elite and he launched his race extraordinarily well.
I made the comparison to Jayden Daniels and he is not as long as Daniels but he is further along at the same stage. Russell will definitely be part of the five-star discussion soon.
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FIVE STAR AWARD – Tramell Jones
Jones’ rise in the rankings followed the same path as Nvidia stock – straight up – going from 157 to 90 in recent cycles. The Florida State commit made a huge statement during the Elite 11: He should be considered in the five-star discussion.
No one threw better over three days than the Mandarin from Jacksonville (Florida). Maybe there are bigger, more athletic quarterbacks in the class, but maybe no one more consistent.
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FLIP WATCH PRIZE – Ty Hawkins
There was a lot of recruiting talk during the Elite 11, but one of the biggest buzz was about Hawkins, who has been committed to TCU for almost a year. However, SMU has become a very serious contender.
Hawkins is visiting the Horned Frogs this weekend and things should be sorted out soon, one way or another.
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HUGE REVERSE PRICE – Kamario Taylor
Taylor has great size at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds. He has all the physical tools and a fantastic arm. If Macon County (Miss.) Noxubee puts all the pieces together, Mississippi State’s commitment could be truly special in the future.
There were times when Taylor totally flashed during the Elite 11 and looked like an elite quarterback. But there were also a few throws the four-star would like to get back. There’s a lot to like about his game and if Taylor fills out those rough edges, he has great potential.
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MICHAEL PENIX CLONE PRICE – Deuce Knight
Knight is taller than Penix by about two inches and is much fuller than Penix was at the same stage, but the way they throw the ball and play the position is almost uncanny. Penix is a left-hander; Knight is a lefty. Both have a very similar throwing motion.
Penix was a first-round pick (although it was a major surprise) and Knight is the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the class.
Where they differ, however, is that Penix was not a great passer outside the pocket. Knight can sit in there and deliver, but at the Elite 11 he was also excellent rolling right and left and hitting receivers in stride.
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UNDER-RECRUITED AND UNDERCLASSIFIED – Jaron Sagapolutele
Maybe it’s because he’s from Hawaii and doesn’t have as much national exposure as other quarterbacks. Maybe some programs make a pass for a left-handed person. Maybe it’s because Sagapolutele hasn’t played the camp and 7on7 scene in years.
But the three-star Campbell from Ewa Beach (Hawaii) can not only rub shoulders with the best quarterbacks in the class, he could be one of them. Sagapolutele was great on the first night and had a good performance during the professional part.
If Cal, Wooded StateOregon State and Utah State are the favorites, one team gets a steal.
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RICKY VAUGHN PRIZE – Husan Longstreet
This award is given to the quarterback who shot the ball the fastest, as Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn in the famous film Major League and Longstreet is the clear winner. If ball speed and spin were measured in this event, it would be interesting to see what the Texas A&M commit clocked as this ball eluded him.
The question was whether the four-star from Corona (Calif.) Centennial would be able to slow down the touch throws a little at pro day and he certainly did that too. Longstreet had a great performance at the Elite 11.
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SURPRISE, SURPRISE PRICE – Robert McDaniel
The only reason McDaniel even made it to the Elite 11 was because Tennessee commit George MacIntyre suffered a late injury that sidelined him, but Hughson’s three-star quarterback, in California, not only made the most of his opportunity, but proved he belonged at the event. .
After a somewhat anonymous first night, McDaniel absolutely shined during the professional portion of the event (the most important part of Wednesday night), was in rhythm with all of his throws and found himself among the top performers.
Arizona has a competitor after its commitment to Cal didn’t work out.
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LOOKS LIKE AN NFL PLAYER AWARD – Tavien St. Clair
Already 6-foot-4 and 228 pounds, the five-star quarterback is about the same size as Drake Maye or Jameis Winston and he looks like a grown man on the field. Not only is St. Clair truly impressive physically, but he was one of the best quarterbacks in the entire event, throwing with great accuracy, throwing to receivers in stride, and repeatedly showing in multiple ways that he could be an elite quarterback at Ohio State. .
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PRICE CLIMBING THE LADDER – Ryan Montgomery
When rankings for the 2025 class began more than a year ago, Montgomery was among the top 100 players. Over the past 12 months, Georgia’s four-star commit has declined a bit as others have moved up, as he sits at No. 163 overall.
But after Findlay, Ohio, he impressed on the first night with a ton of pop in his passing and accuracy, then followed it up with a solid performance at pro day. Now, Montgomery could move up. A dozen pro-style quarterbacks better than him in this class? Certainly not.
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