North Carolina QB commit Travis Burgess excited to showcase talent at Elite 11 Finals

Twenty of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks are headed to Los Angeles this week to compete in the annual Elite 11 Finals. North Carolina quarterback commit Travis Burgess is excited to head out West and prove he is one of the nation’s top signal-callers.

The Grayson (Ga.) four-star quarterback earned his invite to the Elite 11 Final last month. And after committing to North Carolina in late May, he’s ready to show why he is a top quarterback recruit in the 2026 cycle.

“When I first moved to Atlanta, because originally I’m from Statesboro, that was all I heard about — just Elite 11,” Burgess said. “That’s the biggest quarterback camp. I’m certainly excited and can’t wait to compete. This is honestly a chance for me to showcase to everyone on a national level who I am, because I feel like I’ve been making a name for myself, slowly, here in Georgia. I want people to see me nationally.”

The 6-foot-5, 195-pounder garnered more than 20 offers, but ultimately came down to North Carolina, NC State and Auburn. The Tar Heels pursued him hard as soon as new head coach Bill Belichick took over. Since committing to North Carolina, Burgess told On3 that he hasn’t been contacted by any other schools.

The chance to play for Bill Belichick played a key role in his commitment to the Tar Heels.

“Just being able to be recruited by the greatest coach of all time, and being his first guy he actually recruited, was really nice,” Burgess said. “But not alone him, but guys like quarterback coach Matt Lombardi, offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens. The whole coaching staff has great experience in the NFL. So just the path will be a lot smoother than other schools, I would say, and just having this support system will definitely help me a lot.”

Committing before official visit season reached full swing was a goal for the four-star quarterback. Burgess was back in Chapel Hill over the weekend, helping Belichick and the staff put together the rest of the 2026 class. The Tar Heels have 18 commits and sit at No. 29 in the On3 2026 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Carnell Warren, who recently backed off his pledge to Virginia Tech, was at North Carolina for an official visit, too, and is Burgess’ top target.

“Committing early was a big part of this,” Burgess said. “I’m going to be a big part of this recruiting class. A lot of guys typically wait to see who the quarterback is, in order for them to make the decision, not all the time, but I would say most of the time. Being able to come in early lets guys know who their quarterback will be so they can see me in person and make a personal connection.”

Playing against some of the best competition in the country as a junior, Burgess completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,225 yards and 23 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He added another 596 yards rushing and four more scores.

Burgess said he has let his father handle all the NIL aspects of his recruitment, but he’s negotiated a deal with North Carolina. The quarterback declined to go into the specifics of the deal.

“I let my dad deal with that stuff, but it’s negotiated,” Burgess said. “Nothing is, of course, signed until December, but everything is verbally confirmed on our end and theirs.”

The 2025 Elite 11 Finals will bring together top performers to receive advanced one-on-one quarterback instruction in a highly competitive setting. A three-day event, the finals will include on-field drills, competition, classroom instruction and off-field development. 

The 2025 Elite 11, and 2025 Elite 11 MVP, will be named at the conclusion of the Elite 11 Finals.