Gorney's takeaways: Opening of the Elite 11
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. - The opening night of Elite 11 is in the books and while the action ramps up over the next couple days there were still plenty of observations from the first workout:
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*** Jackson Arnold was phenomenal throughout the entire workout and really showed why he was so coveted by Oklahoma and so many other schools. The Sooners commit threw tight spirals on every pass, had phenomenal accuracy all night, could fire it in there when needed or put air under it. During drills where he had to roll out and throw to the corner of the end zone, nearly every pass was perfect. The Denton (Texas) Guyer had arguably the best night of any quarterback at the Elite 11.
*** If Dante Moore is the fourth-best five-star in this class then it must be a really excellent group of quarterbacks because it’s going to be hard not to have him higher. The Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King standout just does everything well and it looks so effortless. He almost never throws a bad ball, he goes through the drills like a pro and nearly every pass is right on the money. It feels like Oregon or Michigan right now in his recruitment but Moore was coy about maybe some other teams getting involved as the quarterback dominoes fall.
*** Austin Novosad has a lot on his mind - whether to stick with his longstanding Baylor commitment or flip to Texas A&M or Ohio State and now Georgia is showing more interest. But that didn’t negatively affect him on Tuesday night. The four-star from Dripping Springs, Texas, throws one of the nicest balls in this class, he was on-point all night and it’s easy to see why so many elite programs are trying to flip him.
*** This was the first time I’ve seen JJ Kohl in person and I absolutely loved his style. First, he’s the biggest quarterback at the event by far, physically filled out but not lumbering at all. For being 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, the Iowa State commit gets quickly into his drop and was surprisingly nimble throwing during rollout drills and on the run. Plus, Kohl doesn’t have to load up to get zip on the ball as it comes out cleanly and very nice. The Ankeny, Iowa, standout had a fantastic first night and looks like a steal for the Cyclones.
*** Clemson commit Christopher Vizzina had an impressive night and has this quiet consistency about his game that really stands out. He’s not going to make the ‘wow’ throw every time or mess with different arm angles or try to make the highlight throw but everything that comes off his right hand is spinning and dead-on accurate. The Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian four-star has been excellent this offseason and had another great performance on Day 1 at the Elite 11.
*** Marcus Stokes is a really interesting player to watch at the Elite 11 and to consider in the rankings because he has unique abilities. The Penn State commit from Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease almost feels most comfortable throwing off-platform, throwing on the run, whipping it out there with a little side-arm action. He is athletic, moves well, shows confidence and it feels like a mid-level three-star ranking is too low after what he showed on Tuesday night.
*** Five-star Malachi Nelson was impressive throughout the entire workout and had some flash moments where he looked like arguably the best quarterback in the entire class. The ball just pops off his hand, he’s amazingly comfortable getting out of the pocket and dishing the ball to receivers and making tough throws look easy. For long portions of the workout, Nelson was in the same group as current USC quarterback Caleb Williams and while Nelson is skinnier, the arm talent was similar between the two. (Williams later hit the crossbar twice on 50-yard throws, though, and that was impressive to see).
*** As the night went on, Avery Johnson seemed to get stronger. Early on, there were hot and cold moments. But as the four-star quarterback from Maize, Kan., got more comfortable with the drills and the rhythm of the event, Johnson started making some flash throws and looked good especially while moving outside the pocket. Kansas State, Oregon and Washington are his finalists with a commitment coming on July 5.
*** No Nico Iamaleava. The five-star quarterback who was expected at the Elite 11 opted to play in a volleyball tournament this week so he’s not in Southern California.