REDONDO BEACH, CA – Rivals charted all 400 throws at Thursday’s Elite 11 Pro Day with a simple grading scale for each based on a number system, ranging from 3 down to 1. Three represented “money” throws, on time and accurate. Two represented catchable balls on target. One represented an off-target attempt.
Here is our ranked order of QBs.
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UPDATED 2024 RANKINGS: Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB
1. Dylan Raiola
That Georgia commitment had the same score as Alabama lifts Julian Sayin on Thursday but gets the advantage for us due to the success of his long wins. Raiola connected on all three throws beyond 40 yards (Sayin went 1-for-3 on the same), and he impressed in the process. Not only was the powerful arm on full display, even more so than we saw to open the contest on Wednesday, but Raiola was on time and working at a great pace as well. Some of the longer shots generated the most oohs and aahs of the entire event.
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*****
2. Julian Sayin
Once again fantastic and almost perfect with every throw, five stars Alabama commit was as good as any quarterback at the event, but he missed a deep ball where he added a highlight aspect by trying to skip past a bomb down the right side. It went right out of bounds, but he came right back on a dime on a deep ball to the opposite side of the field, and the rest of his throws, whether comebacks, crossing routes or anything else, were precision.
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*****
3. CJ Carr
Another strong campaign for Our Lady commitment that just gets the job done. Nineteen of his 20 attempts could be caught and 16 of them were of the “money” variety, just one behind Raiola and Sayin’s mark. We thought the Michigan native worked the intermediate routes as well as any competitor, and his attempts at the third level were also cleaner than his opening night performance. Carr is a true ball distributor.
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*****
4. Air Noland
Fairburn (Ga.) four-star Langston Hughes really makes a case for a five-star bump in the next round of the rankings. Noland, a Ohio State commit, was the best QB the first night and came back with a great showing at Pro Day. Both of his early deep balls were right on the money, he threw a great pass across his body and went right, and his rail shot down the sideline was also perfectly placed. The left wing has spoken correctly over the course of two days.
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*****
5. Elijah Brown
The Mater Dei star, down to UCLA and Stanford, became red-hot in the back half of the script, pitching on time and comfortably to all three levels. Especially while working on his front, the anticipation and release point was near ideal more times than not for Brown. A smooth spiral helped him get a strong arc on some of the deeper attempts, including while on the move.
*****
6. Danny O’Neil
After struggling the first night and finishing last in our top 20 quarterback rankings, Colorado commit returned in a big way at Pro Day as he especially finished strong with nice throws on the run (where he seems most comfortable), a nice rail shot, good RPO slants and then O’Neil showed great touch by placing the ball over pads that was held up and matched it to his receiver in the back of the end zone. The Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral product also threw two nice deep balls, one rolling to his right and then one across the field to his left, though the ball hung some.
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*****
7. Isaac Wilson
The last of 20 passers to work his way through the script, Wilson probably had the least cooperation at wide receiver after a long nearly four-hour practice, but he still flashed along the way. That Utah commitment missed his first two deep balls before settling in and working well both in the pocket and even working against the grain to his left. There’s just an energy when Wilson spins it.
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*****
8. DJ Lagway
The top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2024 had the best pass of the night, eluding pressure, running to his right, then hitting the receiver on the deep ball in perfect timing right down the sideline. Lagway’s throw drew oohs and aahs from all the quarterbacks and counselors watching, and it really was an accurate pass. That Florida commit’s deep ball was very impressive despite a slight tumble, he was solid on crossing routes and comebacks, and looked better when rolling right than left.
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*****
9. Trevor Jackson
The uncommitted Floridian followed up his breakout debut with another strong effort Thursday, despite a bump in the road midway through the performance, missing an overroute to the right and another backhand. After that, however, Jackson showed his smooth release and owned the intermediate routes with timing and strong touch.
*****
10. Ethan Grunkemeyer
That Penn State commit started off a bit too excited the first night as a lot of throws were high but he eventually settled down and finished strong. Rated as a high three-star prospect, Lewis Center (Ohio) Olentangy has a strong arm and the ball jumps as he especially threw some nice crosses and was great at throwing it down the seam. He struggled with two pitches going to his left, and the deep ball that way didn’t spin well.
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*****
11. Will Hammond
That Texas Tech commitment set a strong tone as the first prep artist to compete, recording the Elite 11 coaching staff’s second-highest mark of the night behind Sayin. Hammond was consistent in the pocket and worked well to the right at all three levels, including an ideal connection at the front pylon on the second-longest throw in the script, a 7-cut (or corner route) late in the progression.
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*****
12. Dante Reno
The four-star quarterback has had two solid performances — not spectacular, but he hasn’t struggled much at all either — and his Pro Day showing was on par with his opening night performance. That South Carolina commit had some exceptional deep throws that really stood out both throwing to the right and left side of the field and Reno also put it on the money down the seam. He was a little inconsistent crossing routes.
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*****
13. Daniel Kaelin
That Nebraska pledge worked with strong tempo and rhythm throughout the training, at his best on conventional dropbacks. He was accurate on all but two throws that came from five-step drops, with even more efficiency while working the front.
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*****
14. Colin Hurley
Former coach at Washington Chris Peterson watched from the field and was apparently very impressed with Hurley’s performance – and it certainly had several highlights. That LSU Pledge was spinning it very well, he was throwing on the run particularly well both left and right, he was pacing his passes nicely and not trying to loft it in there for accuracy. His rail shots and nail balls were really nice. He had a touch of inaccuracy on his deep throws, but that could have been an issue from the wide receiver, so Hurley had a solid performance.
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*****
15. Demond Williams
Despite the small stature it is Be Miss commitment was among the most accurate deep-ball passers during the pro day. He was also strong on breakout routes and while on the move, though second-level dig and cover routes proved to be an inconsistent reach for him tonight. Williams has some streaks in him.
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*****
16. Haus Hejny
The four-star quarterback from Aledo, Texas, went through throws and looked really impressive, especially on the crossing routes, where he could throw on the run, and on RPO slants, where he’s probably most comfortable. A couple of his deep balls were bowled and that TCU commit has to be loaded sometimes because he is undersized to get it that deep. Still, there’s something about his level of competition that has stood out over two days.
*****
17. Ryan Puglisi
The future Georgia The quarterback was more inconsistent Thursday compared to Wednesday, though he was fairly comfortable working the short-to-intermediate windows during the pro day. It was third-level shots, throws of 40 yards or more in this setting where he was a bit off the mark. Puglisi showed good pace and touch as he finished his script with five coin flips in a row.
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*****
18. Michael Hawkins
That Oklahoma commit threw an accurate deep ball as he rolled to his right as he opened up a little more and unloaded, but on some other way down the field, Hawkins came up short. His compact delivery is excellent on short and intermediate throws and the ball comes out quickly. But on deeper things, the four-star must open up and unload a little more. His crossing stuff was very good but there were some misses throughout the round.
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*****
19. Jadyn Davis
When the Michigan commit was on, it drew an audible reaction, but when he wasn’t, the misses were just as glaring. The arm strength shows in short windows, but the long ball was more 50/50 on this night. Davis was best in the midrange.
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*****
20. Luke Kromenhoek
There’s no other honest way to put it than Kromenoek struggled more than the other quarterbacks in this event. That State of Florida commit was much better the first night but things spiraled a bit when his deep ball hung and then his next throw he didn’t get much spin on it. There were some really impressive throws that showed his ability, but if he could get this back, Kromenhoek would try again because he has proven himself to be better.
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*****