Elite 11 Finals: Day 1 Top Performers

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – Twenty of the 2024 cycle’s top signal callers are in Southern California this week for the Elite 11 Finals, which kicked off on Wednesday night. As has been the case in past years, the first day of the three day event featured drill work, with the quarterbacks separated into four groups and working through different stations.

The setting allows for a direct side-by-side comparison of the majority of the cycle’s top passers. We’re able to get a sense for some of the physical tools, passing ability and level of development of the participants. This order is based solely on the performances from Wednesday night. We place an emphasis on the ability to make high-level throws and consistency on a pass to pass basis along with the overall physical skill set in this setting.

Complete Elite 11 Finals Roster | Day 1 Live Updates

On3 MVP: Ethan Grunkemeyer – Penn State commit

Penn State commit Ethan Grunkemeyer made his presence felt very early on at Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. His arm jumped out from the first drill. The football came out of his hand with noticeable velocity. We thought he consistently had the most juice on his throws of any Elite 11 Finalist on Wednesday evening.

The Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy product was a standout at every station. He showed the ability to drive the ball to all levels with ease. We saw him make a number of impressive throws on flag and deep-in routes.

Grunkemeyer capped off the day by finishing second in the Elite 11’s annual rail shot competition, which calls for the quarterbacks to make a high difficulty throw to a streaking wide receiver down the left sideline – one that calls for arm strength and the ability to layer the football into a tight window. He was last in line for the competition and delivered big-time throw after big-time throw in a setting with everyone watching. The arm talent and overall performance from start to finish made the Nittany Lion pledge the consensus top choice for On3 MVP on Wednesday. – Charles Power

2. Julian Sayin – Alabama

Julian Sayin entered the Elite 11 with the reputation as one of the most polished passers in the 2024 cycle. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder lived up to that billing on Wednesday. Sayin was the most consistent passer on a throw-to-throw basis. He showed arguably the quickest release on hand. The ball comes out very quickly. While some others were inconsistent with their mechanics, the Alabama pledge was able to easily replicate his throwing motion over and over. His true arm strength looked to be in the middle of the pack, but the ability to consistently throw tight spirals with a high level accuracy stood out. While the pure physical tools are not overwhelming, Sayin’s ability to hit receivers in stride afforded for a handful of “wow” throws on Wednesday. – Charles Power

3. Luke Kromenhoek – Florida State

Luke Kromenhoek flashed one of the higher physical upsides at on Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. For starters, the 6-foot-3.5, 190-pounder is one of the bigger quarterbacks on hand. He showed high-end arm strength over the course of Wednesday’s workout and appeared to get stronger and stronger as the night wore on. The Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine product was particularly strong on intermediate throws that tested his arm strength. Kromenhoek is a light-footed, bouncy athlete with some twitch and explosion in his footwork. He can continue to add polish and consistency, but the ability and upside as a one-year varsity starter was readily evident. – Charles Power

4. Trever Jackson – Uncommitted

Trever Jackson is one of just two uncommitted quarterbacks at the Elite 11 Finals. After Wednesday’s workout, we wouldn’t be surprised if a more schools came calling. The Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange signal caller easily has one of the livest arms at the event. The football detonates out of his hand. His ability to generate power with such little use of his lower half is extremely impressive in this setting. From a mechanical standpoint, he has room to improve. The footwork is unrefined and he struggles at times to tie his lower half to his upper body. But from a true arm talent perspective, Jackson could have the most raw talent of any player in Redondo Beach. He steadily progressed throughout the workout and ended Day 1 on the ultimate high as the winner of the rail shot challenge, making high level throws on demand. Jackson showed that he has all the physical ability to stand out at an event among the nation’s best. As a one-year starter with a later birthday, there’s considerable developmental upside with the On300 prospect. – Cody Bellaire

5. Air Noland – Ohio State

Air Noland was right there with Julian Sayin as the most steady passers on Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. For starters, the lefty signal-caller looked the best we’ve seen him from a physical perspective, continuing to add good weight to his frame. Noland was consistently accurate throughout the evening. He’s an instinctual passer and did a nice job hitting receivers in stride. While some others would lead pass catchers out of bounds, we saw Noland effectively throw to the right spot, over and over. There were not many truly eye-popping throws from the Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes, product, but his overall consistency lands him in the top five. Noland did lift and swing his back leg at times and saw a jump in velocity when he kept both feet firmly planted. The Ohio State pledge is the most productive passer on Friday nights among this group and figures to do well in the 7-on-7 portion later in the week, given his track record of picking apart defenses at the high school level. – Charles Power

6. Ryan Puglisi – Georgia

Ryan Puglisi proved that he has the juice during Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. He showed excellent zip and velocity on throws over the course of the workout. There were times where you could hear the laces hiss through the air. Puglisi’s arm action is loose and he has a compact release. We could see the natural whip in his elbow that allows the ball to jump out of his hand. During the routes-on-air portions of the workout, he showed tremendous ball placement to multiple levels of the field, while throwing a very catchable football. When working off-platform, the accuracy dipped a little bit and his mechanics got a bit lost. However, the arm talent was still very apparent and he showed that he didn’t lose much, if any, zip on the football when his feet aren’t set. There were a few occaisons where the ball got away from him, but overall it was a strong showing for the Georgia commit on Wednesday. – Cody Bellaire

7. Hauss Hejny – TCU

Hauss Hejny came into Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals with a noticeable chip on his shoulder. One of the least-experienced signal callers at the event, Hejny came out firing to start the workout, firing fastballs in the warmups. As a 1,000 yard rusher and gifted sprinter, the Aledo (Texas) High standout is the top athlete on hand. Hejny showed he’s more than just an athlete, though. He generated very good velocity on the football. As a torqued-up passer, Hejny truly uses his entire body in order to get the most out of his throws. For as gifted of an athlete as he is, he struggled some when making off-platform throws while rolling outside the pocket. Hejny could improve using his lower half in order to generate the necessary power to deliver a catchable ball. This forced a few balls to sail on him and miss throws high during the later portion of routes-on-air. However, Hejny ended on a high note finishing third in the rail shot challenge. The TCU legacy made a handful of high-level throws and showed some competitive fire in proving he belongs among the best in this setting. – Cody Bellaire

8. Dylan Raiola – Georgia

Eyes were on Five-Star Plus+ prospect Dylan Raiola from the onset of Wednesday’s workout. The 6-foot-2.5, 220-pounder showed easy arm strength, consistently generating power on his throws without strain. He easily grips the ball and has no issues spinning his throws. The tight rotation allows for a second live to his throws. Others would see their throws flutter, but we rarely saw that from the Georgia pledge. He also put forth a strong showing at the station where the quarterbacks were asked to throw from off-platform. Raiola’s accuracy was up and down at times in the workout. Some others were more consistent and got the ball out quicker on Day 1. With that said, it was still a solid day for the five-star signal caller. – Charles Power

9. DJ Lagway – Florida

DJ Lagway showcased his high-end package of physical attributes on Day 1. At around 6-foot-3, 230-pounds, he is one of the more physically-developed and gifted quarterbacks on hand. Lagway has major RPM’s on his throws. His peak velocity looks to be among the best of the group. The Willis (Texas) High product was also among the best off-platform throwers, showing rare ability to flick passes from multiple arm angles while on the move. Right now, the physical ability outpaces his overall consistency. There were times where throws got away from him and the mechanics could stand to be more polished and steady. As is the case with a few others, we’re interested to see if Lagway settles in and improves over the course of the week. There’s no doubt he has some of the more high-end ability on hand. – Charles Power

10. CJ Carr – Notre Dame

CJ Carr has a long-standing reputation as a strong performer in the neutral camp setting. He came out to Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals looking crisp and clean as a passer. Carr is one of the most mechanically sound passers at the event. Everything from his footwork to his arm action is polished. as they come. He showed the ability to layer touch throws and drive the football down the seam. Carr was more comfortable working in the rhythm as an in-structure passer than when asked to throw off-platform. He struggled to tie everything together and was a bit thrown off when working on the move. Carr could be set to impress later on, as his skill set is tailored to the type of structured Pro Day environment in Thursday’s workout. – Cody Bellaire

11. Colin Hurley – LSU

Colin Hurley looked to have one of the stronger arms at the Elite 11 Finals on Day 1. The LSU pledge has a compact build, with a developed, powerful base. He has a loose, fluid throwing motion and has no trouble spinning and generating pace on his throws. The Jacksonville Trinity Christian product made some high-level throws down the sideline and showed the ability to drive the ball downfield with ease. His accuracy fluctuated at times. The footwork will need to quicken and he’ll need to continue improving his functional movement skills as he looked a little uncomfortable on the move and off-platform. Hurley is the youngest prospect on hand, reclassifying from the 2025 cycle. – Charles Power

Additional notes on Elite 11 Finalists

+ Along with Hejny, Ole Miss pledge Demond Williams Jr. is among the best athletes of the Elite 11 Finalists. The Arizona native just missed making the Top Performers and turned in a solid first day. Williams showed some encouraging polish as a passer. The ball came out of his hand cleanly and he made accurate throws both on and off-platform. Williams does have to strain some to drive the ball downfield as a smaller quarterback. With that said, he turned in a good first day. – Charles Power

+ Texas Tech commit Will Hammond was polished and precise throughout Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. He was consistent with his ball placement and accuracy the entire afternoon. He may lack ideal arm strength and the ability to truly drive the football downfield, but is consistently on time and has one of the cleanest releases of the entire group. – Cody Bellaire

+ Utah commit Isaac Wilson has a clean and concise delivery. His ability to get the football up and out is among the quickest at the Elite 11 Finals. He makes up for his lack of arm strength with a speedy release and he was one of the more consistently accurate passers on Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. – Cody Bellaire

+ Oklahoma commit Michael Hawkins has the ability to make the ball jump out of his hand despite his lack of mechanically sound footwork and arm action. He showed the to ability to drive the football downfield. I’m looking forward to seeing his journey with his mechanics improve as he continues to work throughout the week. – Cody Bellaire

+ Michigan commit Jadyn Davis showed some improvement over the course of the workout, looking more comfortable as he settled in. Davis spun the ball well and had some nice passes over the course of the evening. He looks to have the longest release on hand with an pronounced backstroke within his throwing motion. – Charles Power

+ Elijah Brown is one of the more battle-tested quarterbacks on Friday nights. He does not appear to be overly comfortable in this camp setting, but did make some nice throws on Wednesday. Brown’s velocity wavered at times and he has room to improve with his body composition and movement skills. South Carolina commit Dante Reno and Colorado commit Danny O’Neil had a tough time spinning the football on Wednesday evening. – Charles Power

+ A number of blue-chip skill players caught passes from the Elite 11 finalists on Wednesday. Top 20 2025 wide receiver Jaime Ffrench was the star of the group. The Jacksonville Mandarin pass-catcher wowed on-lookers with several impressive one-handed grabs. He caught everything and showed some wiggle as a route runner. Recent USC tight end commitment Walter Matthews is easily the biggest prospect on the field, looking at legitimate 6-foot-7. Matthews impressed with his movement skills at that size. Penn State commit Luke Reynolds was another tight end who flashed, showing some twitchy athleticism. 2025 wide receiver Andrew Marsh also elevated to make some impressive grabs, showing a wide catch radius. – Charles Power