Five-Star Plus+ QB Malachi Nelson invited to Elite 11 Finals

Los Alamitos (Calif.) Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson has cemented himself as one of the country’s best quarterbacks for the better part of two years now. He and 2023 No. 1 overall prospect Arch Manning have been the top two signal-callers since On3 released its first rankings last fall, and that hasn’t changed.

This weekend, he headed to Las Vegas for the Elite 11 Regionals for a chance to showcase why he was the top quarterback on head coach Lincoln Riley’s board at both Oklahoma and USC. He proved that and then some, earning an invitation to the Elite 11 Finals later this summer.

Few invitations mean as much as the Elite 11 Finals do to high school quarterbacks. The event, which will celebrate its 23rd year in 2022, brings together the country’s elite signal-callers for four days of competition and training from former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer and a host of others.

Elite 11 alumni include Carson Palmer, Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford, Tim Tebow, and more recently Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and more. Last year’s Elite 11 Finals featured 13 of the top 20 quarterbacks in the final 2022 On3 Consensus Rankings, including each of the top six players at the position.

As invites go out over the next few months after Elite 11 Regionals across the country, we’re tracking the prospects who — barring injury or schedule conflict — will head to Los Angeles in late June and compete for the title of the country’s top quarterback in the 2023 class.

Malachi Nelson Scouting Summary

“Quick-armed, accurate passer with strong functional movement skills. Considered one of the more talented quarterback prospects in high school football dating back to his early high school career. A natural, nuanced passer with a quick release. Shows some aggressive tendencies in throwing downfield. Has touch with the ability to layer his throws. Accurate with good ball placement dating back to his sophomore spring season which was shortened due to COVID-19. Good arm strength, which could improve with overall strength progression. Adept at running the quick game out of spread looks, flipping the ball out quick to the boundary. Loose and fluid in his movements. Plays with bouncy footwork and lower body twitch. Looks to pass first, but has good burst as a runner with the ability to run zone read or pick up yards when the play breaks down. Plays at a relaxed pace and typically seems unbothered in the pocket. Has a lean, streamline frame and will need to continue adding mass.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings