Elite 11 Dallas Regional Camp Standouts

This past Sunday I made my way out to Trinity High School, which was the site of the Elite 11 Dallas Regional Camp this year. It was a solid turnout with over 100 kids in attendance. These were my standouts on the day. The top performing QB at the event was <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="121942" first="Austin" last="Novosad"]</strong>, the 2023 Dripping Springs prospect, who is committed to Baylor at this time. Right from the jump, you could see the quick release, the ball jumping out of his hand, the velocity and tight spiral he showed that remained throughout the rest of the day. Standing around 6’3" &amp; 180-pounds he is a bit thin at this point but the room is there to get him up to 200-pounds, no problem. The accuracy he displayed drill after drill was impressive to watch as I don’t think I saw him have a bad or erratic throw the entire afternoon. On top of the arm talent, liked the quick feet and solid movement he displayed in drills showcasing the ability to quickly reset his base and pull the trigger when rolling out to his left as well. Even as the event was coming to a close, after four long hours, Novosad was still showcasing his arm strength showing he could still rip it after the load of reps he had taken. He won the Golden Gun Accuracy Challenge for his class at the event and was the highest scorer as a whole on the day.  On top of that, he walked away as 1 of 2 to earn an Elite 11 Finals invite that was well deserved. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Early on here at the <a href="https://twitter.com/Elite11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Elite11</a> regional at Trinity HS. An attention grabber already is 2023 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Baylor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Baylor</a> commit, <a href="https://twitter.com/Austin2novosad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Austin2novosad</a>. Throws a great ball showing strong velocity. Ball explodes out of his hand.</p> — Alex King (@AKing_Evals) <a href="https://twitter.com/AKing_Evals/status/1508127463246909451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> &nbsp; Next in line for me as a top performer was 2023 Northwest QB and Texas Tech commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60842" first="Jake" last="Strong"]</strong>. Like Novosad, watching Strong work through drills, he just looked a cut above the competition on the day with his fluid movement and easy arm talent he brings. Bringing that quick wrist flick, twitchy release, Strong can get the ball out in a hurry and also show cases plenty of arm strength. Really polished in foot work drills showing a solid, strong base underneath him and smooth, athletic movement making it obvious he’s a dual threat at the position. On top of his solid throwing performance on the day, he also finished as a top 4 performer during the testing portion of the camp finishing with a 91.47 overall score. While nothing major, he did deal with some accuracy woes from time to time along with some wobbly releases on occasion. However, while he didn’t receive an Elite 11 Finals invite Sunday, he is one I fully expect will receive one before its all said and done. &nbsp; Denton Guyer 2023 QB and Oklahoma commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="131814" first="Jackson" last="Arnold"] </strong>had a solid day that saw him earn an Elite 11 Finals invite as well. First thing that comes to mind when you watch 6’1"/200-pound Arnold throw, is just how effortless it looks for him when going through his delivery and the impressive ball placement he brings. In that regard, he was maybe the most impressive to watch on the day with just how smooth and easy he is in his release. He was consistent in his delivery throughout the day throwing an easy, catchable ball.  Did see some aspects of his game that will need to be developed when it comes to his movement and footwork that just didn't look as natural for him as some others in attendance in certain drills. Part of that could also be that he's just not used to the drill itself. Be that as it may, with what he already brings to the table, there looks to be plenty of potential to be tapped into with this one, which is scary to think about considering how talented he is. &nbsp; It’s no secret that I am a big fan of 2024 Hutto, TX QB <strong>William Hammond</strong>, who was in attendance on Sunday and put on a really strong performance at the event. Standing 6’2"/185 with an already solid build to his frame, one of the parts of his game that stood out to me at a previous event showed up again in his ability to drive the football. Kid can put some serious zip on the ball, especially on throws he made up the seams that grabbed my attention at the event with great ball placement. The arm strength needed to make all the throws is very apparent with the accuracy to go with it. His game will only continue to progress as he continues to shore up some of the footwork inconsistencies that did show from time to time. All in all, he was one of the stronger performers I saw on the day and is someone I expect will see his recruitment take off this spring. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/HuttoHS_Fball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HuttoHS_Fball</a> QB <a href="https://twitter.com/Will_Hammond13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Will_Hammond13</a> has been out here slinging it so far today! <a href="https://t.co/KHqnpISxbs">pic.twitter.com/KHqnpISxbs</a></p> — Alex King (@AKing_Evals) <a href="https://twitter.com/AKing_Evals/status/1508137161681473542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here is another from yesterday of 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/HuttoHS_Fball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HuttoHS_Fball</a> QB <a href="https://twitter.com/Will_Hammond13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Will_Hammond13</a> with the 5-Step drop and letting it loose. Had an impressive showing on the day! <a href="https://twitter.com/Elite11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Elite11</a> <a href="https://t.co/V1DiPVoa00">pic.twitter.com/V1DiPVoa00</a></p> — Alex King (@AKing_Evals) <a href="https://twitter.com/AKing_Evals/status/1508471729022189576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Another 2024 QB I really enjoyed watching on the day was <strong>DJ Bailey</strong> out of Desoto High School, who brings a thickly built lower half on his frame. And man is he able to generate some power with that strong base of his. You want to talk about the ball looking like a missile coming out of someone’s hand, that’s what you saw with Bailey. The kid has a rocket for an arm with a really smooth delivery to go with it. The big thing with Bailey will be how much taller will he get as he is currently around 5’11"/175 or so but still has a few more years to keep growing. Either way, the arm talent is very obvious with this one. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/FootballDesoto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FootballDesoto</a> QB <a href="https://twitter.com/DJBailey5_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DJBailey5_</a> has a smooth, easy stroke. While the ball does drop in his release, still gets it out in a hurry and throws a pretty ball. <a href="https://t.co/jNhPH3bauZ">pic.twitter.com/jNhPH3bauZ</a></p> — Alex King (@AKing_Evals) <a href="https://twitter.com/AKing_Evals/status/1508140913603792899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 2024 QB out of Cypress Creek High School, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119241" first="Brad" last="Jackson"] </strong>had himself a really solid day as well in the reps I saw of him. An extremely quick trigger with the tight compact release he brings. Loved the accuracy he displayed all day long, especially in a drill where you work a number of throws from right to left across the field. Not one throw was delivered off track including while on his move rolling to his left. Every time I looked up and saw him, the accuracy was a stand out part of his game. Also liked the the extremely quick feet, twitchy body quicks and loose hips he brings to the position as well that was on display along with the surprising arm strength for his size. Like Bailey, Jackson is around the same size at around 5’11"/170 or so and will be interesting to see how much bigger he gets. Will be fun to watch him as a JR with the skillset he brings to the position. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/Elite11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Elite11</a> for giving me the opportunity to compete with the best this weekend in Dallas! Learned a lot, but have to get back in the lab! <a href="https://twitter.com/CYCREEKFBALL17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CYCREEKFBALL17</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stumpf_Brian?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stumpf_Brian</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/txhsfb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#txhsfb</a> <a href="https://t.co/ldKUi0SiQ3">pic.twitter.com/ldKUi0SiQ3</a></p> — [player_tooltip player_id="119241" first="Brad" last="Jackson"] QB ‘24 #7 (@BradJacksonUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradJacksonUS/status/1508460100930859008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> &nbsp; Last but not least, 2023 Henderson QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="121946" first="Jacobe" last="Robinson"]</strong> was one that jumped out at quite a few in attendance with the great size he brings to the position standing around 6’4" &amp; 220-pounds. Jacobe is actually the younger brother of Shawn Robinson, the former TCU quarterback that is now at Kansas State, who was highly coveted coming out of high school. Robinson brings a 3/4 type almost side arm release and man does he have some pop in the ball as he was another stand out on the day arm strength wise. We are talking serious, but easy power. Watching the Boston College commit go through drills it’s apparent he is still learning and developing as he is raw in his lower half but man the potential looks to be through the roof with this one. Be interested to see how much his recruitment takes off this spring when college coaches get to come see him up close and see the untapped potential he brings with the size he has.