Elite 11 Finals: Day 2 Top Performers

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – Twenty of the nation’s top 2024 quarterbacks are in Southern California this week for the Elite 11 Finals. Thursday night, the second day of the finals, featured pro day workouts from the finalists and college counselors. Each quarterback worked through the same 20 throw script, throwing to receivers on air and On3 has named top performers from the night. 

We charted each session live, grading each throw as an on or off target. We do not penalize for wide receiver drops if the ball is well-thrown. Conversely, a receiver considerably slowing down to catch the ball is deemed as off target. It is not strictly a tally of completions. 

For the purposes of this Top Performers, we’re mostly sticking with our pro day charting scores as a guide. 

Complete Elite 11 Finals Roster | Day 1 Top Performers

On3 MVP: QB Dylan Raiola – Georgia commit

Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Dylan Raiola, a Georgia commit, edged out Alabama five-star quarterback commit Julian Sayin of Carlsbad (Calif.) with our highest charting score for the Elite 11 Finals Pro Day. Raiola, the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, was at ease through his entire script. He looked very comfortable on nearly every throw. For starters, Raiola threw the deep ball really well. There was no strain or struggle in generating velocity and driving the ball downfield. His ball did not flutter at all, especially relative to some of the other finalists.

Raiola was accurate to all levels and he looked comfortable in this structured, scripted setting. The footwork and timing were balanced and in rhythm, as well.

With Raiola and Sayin — the No. 2 quarterback in the On3 Industry Ranking — you’re probably splitting hairs between the two, but we had Raiola one point higher in charting. With the total throws limited to 20, the margin for error is slim. An errant throw here or there can decide the order and that’s what happened here. However, it was a very strong day for Raiola in his session. Aside of missing his last throw, it probably would have been a near flawless session in this highly structured, on-air setting.

2. Julian Sayin – Alabama

Julian Sayin stacked another strong day at the Elite 11 Finals. The Carlsbad (Calif.) High product made things look easy during his pro day script. Sayin showed excellent rhythm and timing over the course of his 20 throws. The technical polish and confidence in his skills was evident. The assertiveness and speed in his drops and release stood out. While others took their time, he looked to be playing close to game speed. Sayin has very strong footwork, effectively tying his upper body and feet. Early on, attempted a jump pass on a vertical route that is one of the hardest throws in the script. Had he thrown that pass with his feet grounded and completed it, he could’ve pushed Raiola for the On3 MVP. Sayin caught fire in the back half of his session, hitting close to 10 passes in a row.

3. Ethan Grunkemeyer – Penn State

Ethan Grunkemeyer backed up his On3 MVP showing from Day 1 with another strong evening. The Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy signal caller continued to flash the natural, loose arm and plus velocity. Grunkemeyer had a handful of highlight throws and drove the ball to the boundary with ease. There’s a pop to his arm and second life on his throws that is noticeable in this setting. He paired the arm talent with coordinated and functional footwork and strong accuracy. We charted the Penn State pledge as accurate on 17 of the 20 passes. He got stronger as the script moved on, which is another positive takeaway.

4. Air Noland – Ohio State

Air Noland lived up to his billing as one of the more natural, accurate passers on hand. The Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes star showed urgency in his drops and throws. Noland delivered his deep passes with nice timing and touch. The overall accuracy and confidence were readily apparent. We charted the Ohio State pledge as accurate on 17 of his 20 passes. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as he’s arguably the cycle’s most accurate passer on Friday nights. Noland did so while working on a script with fewer throws to his strong side. As a lefty, he had to make more cross-body throws than his right-handed peers due to the script’s nature.

5. CJ Carr – Notre Dame

CJ Carr‘s high level of technical polish was apparent in the pro day setting. The Notre Dame commit was very steady over the course of his script, with us charting him as accurate on 17 of 20 passes. Carr showed nice, clean footwork and was comfortable in his drops. His release and throwing motion are easily replicable, allowing for little variance on his throws. While some others had wild variance in velocity and location, Carr was steady across the board. His arm registers as middle of the pack in this setting, but his reliable mechanics made for a consistent showing in this structured setting – one that plays to Carr’s strengths as a prospect.

6. Danny O’Neil – Colorado

Danny O’Neil rode a hot start to a strong overall showing on Day 2. The Colorado pledge is very accurate in the short and intermediate areas and made his hay by not missing any layups. We charted O’Neil as accurate on 16 of 20 passes. The Pro Day script was more favorable to his skill set than the open camp and stations from Day 1. O’Neil’s pure physical tools do not stand out in this setting and his deep ball fluttered at times. But the accuracy and consistency throughout his session lands him as a Top Performer.

7. Isaac Wilson – Utah

Isaac Wilson was the last Elite 11 Finalist to go through his pro day script on Thursday night. The Utah pledge had a very good showing, particularly considering the less than favorable circumstances. With several hours of action in the books, most of the wide receivers had tapped out by the time Wilson was up. Despite that, Wilson showed good rhythm and timing. We charted him as accurate on 16 of 20 passes with a few more that could’ve arguably gone in positive column.

8. DJ Lagway – Florida

DJ Lagway had the strongest showing among the first group to go on Thursday evening. The ball jumped out of his hand with considerable zip. As has been the case through two days, Lagway’s highlight throws are as good as anyone’s in attendance. He had one of the best throws we saw all day on a vertical route early on in his script. Lagway got a little cute on an off-platform throw while rolling to his left – an incompletion that would’ve put him higher in our charting had he thrown with more conventional form. Regardless, the Florida pledge continued to show his high-end arm talent that could shine with continued polish and consistency.

9. Colin Hurley – LSU

Colin Hurley continued to show off his natural arm strength. Similar to Raiola and a few others, Hurley does not have to strain to drive the ball downfield. We also saw Hurley flash some nice touch and change speeds on his passes. His footwork and overall movement skills could stand to improve and a few others ahead of him went through their pro day drops and throws with more urgency. Still, it was a nice showing for the one-time 2025 prospect.

10. Demond Williams Jr. – Ole Miss

Demond Williams Jr. had good timing and accuracy for the second straight day. The Ole Miss commit got the ball out of his hand quickly and was accurate in the short and intermediate areas of the field. Williams is more at home in that area as opposed to a deep passer at this time. He threw a nice, tight spiral. Williams is one of the top athletes on hand, as evidenced by his light-footed, bouncy movements.

11. Trever Jackson

Trever Jackson gets the nod for the final spot, as he continued to show one of the strongest arms in attendance. It took Jackson a few throws to settle in, but he gained confidence throughout the script and finished strong. Jackson delivered a few darts at the end to put an exclamation point on his session. His footwork and timing are not to the level of some others, but he’s compensating with his pure arm talent at this point.

Additional notes on Elite 11 Finalists

+ Georgia pledge Ryan Puglisi would’ve been the next man up. He continued to put a bunch of juice on his passes. Puglisi is a bouncy mover in the pocket and was clearly amped up for his session. He had a few get away from him that he’d want back, but the highlights were impressive for the second straight day.

+Texas Tech commit Will Hammond had the unenviable task of being the first high school prospect up on Thursday night. Overall, Hammond showed solid timing and accuracy. He had a few deep balls flutter, but he had a good session considering the cirucmstances.

+ Elijah Brown had a solid outing. He was on time and accurate. Brown’s arm and physical traits are not overwhelming in this setting, but he was able to hit receivers in stride throughout his session.

+ The pro day setting can be unforgiving. Florida State Luke Kromenhoek got of to a hot start, showing some very impressive velocity on his first few throws. He missed a throw with the ball not coming out of his hand cleanly and was not able to recover, with his confidence appearing to dip some. Michigan commit Jadyn Davis had an up and down session. His longer release led to some misses on both short and deep routes. He was at his best on intermediate routes over the middle of the field, where he could allow his arm strength to shine though when everything was on time. TCU commit Hauss Hejny had a rough patch in his session, but rebounded to finish strong.

+ Penn State tight end commit Luke Reynolds, deserves a tip of the cap for his work on Thursday night. the 6-foot-4.5, 220-pounder ran a seemingly endless number of routes for the quarterbacks. Reynolds is a top athlete in the combine setting, but showed that twitch can transfer over to the field. The burst, change of direction and ability to finish catches stood out. Touted 2026 wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. also caught our eye.