SoCal Quarterbacks impress at Elite 11 Regional

Over 50 quarterbacks participated in the final Elite 11 Regional Camp at El Camino College Sunday. The players took part in a 2.5 hour workout and some of the state’s top recruits were there. Los Alamitos class of 2023 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="25419" first="Malachi" last="Nelson"] was named the Alpha Dog (top performer) by 247Sports and several other Southern California quarterbacks had big days as well. According to Greg Biggins and Blair Angulo of 247Sports, Nelson had great touch on his passes and there is not a throw that he can’t make. He throws from different arm angles and can throw on the run. He currently holds 19 offers and is in regular contact with Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and USC among others. Three of Biggins’ "Next Five" are Southern California quarterbacks. [player_tooltip player_id="25232" first="AJ" last="Duffy"] from Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) has improved his size and has a quick release. The class of 2022 signal caller has 37 offers and according to analysts, Arizona State, Miami, Oregon and USC are early favorites. [player_tooltip player_id="25228" first="Maalik" last="Murphy"] from Serra (Gardena) had a big day and holds offers from many of the nation’s top programs. He is the total package with size, athleticism, arm talent and accuracy. Murphy may have the highest ceiling of anyone in the 2022 class. [player_tooltip player_id="25273" first="Katin" last="Houser"] is the answer when people ask who will replace Clemson QB <strong>DJ Uiagalelei</strong> at St. John Bosco. He was hitting receivers in stride and was comfortable making difficult throws to the far side of the field. He has seven offers including one from Colorado, but he will rack up some Power 5 offers after a successful season as St. John Bosco’s QB. [player_tooltip player_id="25258" first="Brandon" last="Rose"] (Murrieta Valley) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25328" first="Tyler" last="Voss"]</strong> (Valencia) have seen their stocks rise this offseason and had impressive showings Saturday as well. Rose has five offers, three of which are from Power 5 schools and Voss has no offers yet but has interest from FBS schools. An intriguing prospect at the camp was [player_tooltip player_id="25326" first="Emmett" last="Brown"] from Mater Dei (Santa Ana). Brown was expected to be the starter at Mater Dei when it was determined that [player_tooltip player_id="25028" first="Miller" last="Moss"] would enroll at USC early and return to Alemany, but [player_tooltip player_id="25287" first="Beau" last="Green"] transferred from Turlock. Brown and Green will compete for the job at Mater Dei and Brown was the most accurate quarterback at the camp on Saturday. We could have an interesting quarterback battle at one of the top programs in the country this winter. <strong>Jayden Denega</strong>l of Apple Valley is a big prospect and showcased his arm talent on Sunday. He throws one of the best deep balls in the state. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound QB has seven offers but is expected to commit to Michigan State. Two intriguing quarterbacks who will likely be backups this season but performed well at the Elite 11 are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25367" first="Pierce" last="Clarkson"]</strong> of St. John Bosco and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="25441" first="Kadin" last="Semonza"]</strong> of Mission Viejo. Clarkson (2023) has six offers, including from SEC and PAC 12 schools. He has grown to about 6-feet tall and is throwing better than he ever has. It will be interesting to see if he waits until his senior year to play at St. John Bosco or if he ends up getting playing time early there. Semonza (2023) is behind [player_tooltip player_id="25053" first="Peter" last="Costelli"] at Mission Viejo but has a natural feel for the position according to Biggins and Angulo. He looked comfortable making all throws Sunday and had good timing. Semonza played JV as a freshman for the Diablos last season and is very mobile in the pocket and loves making deep throws. I expect him to be the starter at Mission Viejo as a junior and slide right into Chad Johnson’s offense nicely.