We have our top performers.
That's a wrap. I'll have more to come on SB Nation.
They pick 12 for The Opening and I don't think the decision will be that hard. I had 14 in mind and 10 who were clearly no.
Kentucky commit Jarren Williams had one of the strongest days out of them all. He showed command, made quick decisions, and was accurate at all three levels. Very impressive outing for him.
Clemson commit Trevor Lawrence had a strong outing today. He threw some nice deep balls, and did nothing to hurt his stock as the nation's No. 1 recruit.
My seven on seven top 11 rankings no order, DTR, Bradley, Williams, Patterson/Sirmon (tie), Corral, Lawrence, Mitchell, Fields, Leary, Cooper
Ohio State commit Emory Jones had a good day, making sound decisions and distributing the ball well.
Penn State commit Justin Fields threw the ball well to the outside, displaying a strong arm.
NC State commit Devin Leary showed a strong arm and had a good performance, but also showed some touch on the ball, too.
For UCLA commit Dorian Thompson-Robinson today was his best day overall, edging out Carter Bradley. He threw eight touchdowns, and he was surgically accurate with the ball. He also made quick decisions, and was dominant.
USC commit Matt Corral started hot from the beginning, showing great arm strength and an ability to drive the ball deep. He may have had the best throw of the day.
TCU commit Justin Rogers had really rough start, but he came back to throw several deep touchdown passes. He showed good touch in red zone, as well.
My seven on seven top 11 rankings through 14 passers: Bradley, Patterson/Sirmon (tie), Mitchell, Cooper, Gatewood, Shough, Joyner, Mayden, Stenstrom, Tuttle.
Colorado commit Blake Stenstrom threw a couple nice balls, but he didn't quite stand out among the group that has gone so far.
Utah commit Jack Tuttle surprisingly struggled compared to his excellent first two days. He threw a lot of check downs, and he didn't really drive the ball deep very often, despite having the wind at his back.
Tyler Shough found the right guy to throw to generally, but sometimes he was late in doing so. Overall, he threw some nice passes, but he wasn't as good as he was yesterday.
Missouri commit James Foster had a pretty rough start, two of his first four passes were interceptions, and his third pass should have been picked. But he bounced back and threw two deep touchdown passes.
Dakereon Joyner showed some good deep ball accuracy, and he hit his underneath receivers in stride frequently.
My seven on seven rankings through passers: Bradley, Patterson/Sirmon (tie), Mitchell, Cooper, Gatewood, Joyner Mayden, Milton, West
Washington State commit Cammon Cooper did a nice job managing the wind in his face, despite not having the strongest arm. He showed good accuracy and anticipation too, leading his team to multiple touchdown drives.
Washington commit Jacob Sirmon showed great ability to drive the ball in the deep middle of the field, and he led his receivers well.
Virginia Tech commit Quincy Patterson had his second or third best day so far. He showed great anticipation and accuracy on intermediate throws, and he had no interceptions. He had some great ball placement, as well.
My seven on seven rankings through eight passers: Bradley, Patterson/Sirmon (tie), Mitchell, Gatewood, Mayden, Milton, West
Mississippi State commit Jalen Mayden showed great touch and ball placement, leading some touchdown drives and having two touchdowns dropped.
Iowa State commit Re-al Mitchell showed quick decision-making, and a quick release. He led several touchdown drives, and he had a nice couple of option passes.
My seven on seven rankings through six passers: Bradley, Mitchell, Gatewood, Mayden, Milton, West
Stanford commit Jack West had two touchdown drives, but four picks on the day.
Carter Bradley easily looks like one of the best quarterbacks out here. He threw five bombs and six touchdowns on seven drives. He's also the only quarterback to be able to consistently manage the windy conditions.
Auburn commit Joey Gatewood has led two touchdown drives on the day, and he led another good one, as well.
Michigan commit Joe Milton team scored a touchdown on two of his four drives, and he was 10-of-18. He only completed two passes that were over 10 yards in the air, but he certainly finished better than how he started.
Today's drill set-up is 7-on-7. The first prospect to go today was Auburn commit Joey Gatewood, and he looked the best he's looked all weekend. He was accurate and on-time for the most part, and he led a touchdown drive. He's a great runner, too. One thing he could continue to work on is getting the ball down on his seam.
Live updates start today at 130 ET, but my top group from yesterday consisted of (no real order to this, just who impressed me):
Devin Leary, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Carter Bradley, Trevor Lawrence, Tyler McKee, Matt Corral, Emory Jones, Justin Rogers, Quincy Patterson, Justin Fields, Tyler Shough, Jarren Williams, Blake Stenstrom, Joey Gatewood, Jack Tuttle, and Jacob Sirmon.
Most improved from Day 1 to Day 2 goes to Dakereon Joyner.
Here is the workout of Devin Leary, who had the top Pro Day score according to the Elite 11 staff. Some of the incompletions were graded as being the fault of the receiver, either via a bad route or a drop (you'll see they did him no favors).
Devin Leary is having one hell of a session. One of the best so far.
Hey guys my phone is malfunctioning bad. I'll do more updates when I get back to the car and computer.
Missouri commit James Foster couldn't continue on his positive momentum from a good performance on Friday, making only 10 out of his 20 throws. He'll look to rebound tomorrow.
Kentucky commit Jarren Williams had four incompletions that were on him. But he looked like he was throwing the ball harder from yesterday, perhaps showing more confidence tonight. Overall, he had some nice throws and he's probably one of the best six or seven guys we've seen tonight.
USC commit Matt Corral with some extremely impressive throws, and he showed off a big arm. He definitely showed why USC likes him for the Trojans' pro style scheme. He had three incompletions that were his fault, but he's definitely had one of better performances on the night.
Penn State commit Justin Fields also has had some of the strongest throws of the night. He had four misses that were his fault. He had some more misses than the players in his group, but he's definitely had some of the night's best throws.
Tanner McKee clearly had the best set of throws of the night so far. He showed excellent arm strength and touch, and he only had one bad throw out of his 20.
Carter Bradley had three missed throws that were his fault, but he showed a variety of touch and quick release. He easily had the first or second-best performance out of the first six guys to go. It was a strong showing, and the coaches were excited.
Dakereon Joyner rebounded after a rough start yesterday. He had four incompletions that were his fault out of 20 throws, but he looked much more comfortable on Day 2. After his throws he told Bud that he was quite nervous, and he knew he didn't throw well. But he had a meeting with Trent Dilfer, who told him to relax and play his game, and to let it rip.
Washington State commit Cammon Cooper showed good accuracy, and all but three of his throws were on-target. His arm strength isn't quite up there with the rest of the players here, but he'll play well in Mike Leach's air-raid system.
Virginia Tech commit Quincy Patterson completed 15 or 16 out of 20 throws, and he was under control and accurate with the ball. He showed a pretty quick release, too.
Mississippi State commit Jalen Mayden threw 20 throws, four of them that were incompletions, and three of them were dropped by receivers. But he had a number of nice completions. One thing he can work on is making sure to drive the ball through and not let it sail too much on him.
Michigan commit Joe Milton has the strongest arm at the event. He had a couple nice throws today. He had some slight issues with touch and accuracy, as expected, since he's continuing to revise his technique.
Clemson commit Trevor Lawrence had a couple misses, but he made up for it with a number of excellent throws. Trent Dilfer also praised him for starting strong.
Before each drill, college quarterbacks demonstrate the throw. UCLA's Josh Rosen is on-hand, and he looks really sharp. He had shoulder surgery last November.
Group one is starting their workout. That group includes Dakereon Joyner, Jalen Mayden, Quincy Patterson, Cammon Cooper, Joe Milton, and Trevor Lawrence.
Today's drills are getting underway, and it's a Pro Day set up for drills. Each player will get 30 throws.
Coverage resumes at 6ish (Pacific) Saturday.
This was my first time seeing Arizona QB Tyler Shough in person, and he looked good. Shough is 6'5 with room to add probably 20 pounds in a college strength program. He has easy velocity and a clean stroke. Michigan, North Carolina are among his top offers.
I compared Clemson QB commit Trevor Lawrence to Mike Trout yesterday. Trout is the best player in baseball, and has been for six years running. Yet every year, perhaps out of boredom with Trout being the best, folks try to suggest someone else is better. Lawrence is the best quarterback in the 2018 class, has been so ever since he broke out in 2014, and has shown nothing to suggest otherwise. It's boring, but it's the truth. In my mind, the debate right now is over who is No. 2. The Atlanta product is 6'6 with a big arm, and puts the ball wherever he wants it. He's polished in his mechanics, and refined in breaking down defenses. And he can make defenses pay if they ignore his legs.
Everything about Tanner McKee is big. Big arm, big body, big delivery. The ball jumps off his hand, but like most 6'6 quarterbacks, the challenge will be control. Can he take the short, quick steps that great quarterbacks make in the pocket? Can the delivery be compact and quick enough? I'm sure the Elite 11 staff will challenge the California product in these areas on Saturday and Sunday.
You don't see many 5'10 quarterbacks succeed, but if anyone can overcome that height to be a college success, it's Re-al Mitchell. He throws the ball with better velocity than you'd expect given his size, and yet does not need a huge windup to do so. Oh, and he's run an 11.03 100-meter time and a 21.87 200-meter. He could make some noise at Iowa State.
This was my first time seeing QB Quincy Patterson, the Virginia Tech commit from Chicago. And I came away impressed by a player with a strong arm, paired with a smooth release. He's a shotmaker and will get better as his footwork becomes more consistent. He could be dangerous in Justin Fuente's offense.
USC QB commit Matt Corral has a big arm, but like Milton, he has to dial in the right amount of tough, arc and speed for each throw. I didn't think Corral was great in the early part of the camp, but he responded late when challenged in some final drills.
Michigan QB Joe Milton has the strongest arm at the event. It's one of the biggest I've seen in covering this event since 2012. The next step for him is shortening his delivery, and dialing up the appropriate amount of touch and speed on each throw. Not every pitch is a fastball. Not dropping the ball so low will allow him to become more consistent.
Justin Rogers was late after some flight issues, so I'll focus more on him Saturday and Sunday. But in the limited action I saw, I was encouraged by his continued improvement throwing the football. The TCU commit from Louisiana just keeps getting better.
I might be the president of the Justin Fields fan club, having proclaimed in March that his upside was that of a "tall Russell Wilson." What's not to like? A sharp guy, big arm, mechanics that are better than you'd expect from someone who also plays a lot of baseball, and elite athleticism in a 6'3, 221-pound package. It's easy to see why programs like Auburn, Alabama, Florida, and Florida State are not giving up on recruiting the Penn State commit from Atlanta.
Joey Gatewood seems to be coming into his own. The enormous Auburn commit has been faced with questions about what position he'll play in college (tight end or defensive end are also options), but he's made significant strides throwing the football in the last year. It can be hard to manage 6'5 and 235 pounds, but Gatewood was better on Friday than I've ever seen him.
Kentucky QB commit Jarren Williams, from Atlanta, just keeps getting better. He looks to have tightened up his motion a bit and put on some muscle. Premier programs are still coming after him, but he told me he is solid to Kentucky after recommitting in May. I look for Williams to continue to rise in the recruiting rankings if he can carry his Friday performance into the weekend.
I'm excited about Missouri QB commit James Foster. You probably already know about his athleticism, but Foster has the chance to be a very good passer. He threw a couple nice balls over linebackers for Touchdowns Friday.
Lefty Texas QB Jalen Mayden recently committed to Mississippi State, which I think is a great match for his skills. When his feet are under control, he delivers a good ball -- both with RPMs and arc. The key will be increasing the frequency with which he sets up with good footwork.
Washington QB commit Jacob Sirmon was more muscled than I realized. At 6'4 and 225 pounds, he's a load to bring down. Sirmon threw some dimes Friday, but also some misses that made me scratch my head. His upside is intriguing.
I... don't have anything written down for Stanford QB commit Jack West? I'll watch the Alabama native more Saturday.
Utah QB commit Jack Tuttle showed why he has continued to climb the rankings since a breakout performance at the Los Angeles Nike Opening Regional a few months ago. Tuttle has good arm, consistent motion, and puts the ball on the money. I think he has one of the highest floors in the 2018 class.
Some folks have said that Ohio State QB commit Emory Jones has struggled throwing the ball offseason, but I must have missed those events. He was good at the Under Armour Atlanta event a few months ago, and very strong Friday. The Georgia native has a strong arm, smooth stroke, and stood tall in the pocket. I'm higher on him than most, and comfortable with that position.
This was the first time I had seen New Jersey QB Devin Leary, an N.C. State commitment. He's not the tallest player at the event, but has a quick release and a much bigger arm than I realized. I'll be looking to see if he can add more touch to his throws, putting them over linebackers and in front of safeties.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson impresses me every time I see him. Do you remember when football video games were in their infancy, and you could run at full speed and then release the joystick and the player would come to an immediate stop, ready to fire a ball accurately? That's DTR. He's the best athlete at the event, but also the most under control, which allows him to use a strong arm and clean, compact release to deliver strikes. And he knows where he is going with the ball, which is impressive given he has yet to start a game in high school, having backed up Ohio State signee Tate Martel last year. Thompson-Robinson is a bright kid, and UCLA is getting a really promising QB.
Dakereon Joyner is one heck of an athlete, but on day one, it was clear why many schools want him to play receiver, running back or defensive back. The Elite 11 is more about throwing the ball than running it, and when you take his legs away, he has a bunch of work to do as a passer. The ball coming out of his hand just looks different than those of most of the QBs at the event.
But it was just one day. He kept his energy high and was enthusiastic about taking the coaching. On Day 2, I look for him to improve and implement the coaching from Day 1 to the extent that can be done (a delivery won't change overnight). And he is likely to put on a show in many of the pro-day drills Saturday, where some less athletic QBs will struggle.
The key for him will be to pick a school where he can sit for a bit and develop, as opposed to being thrown into the fire on Day 1. He can be a weapon at the QB position if his throwing comes along.
Washington QB commit Colson Yankoff, from Idaho was not participating due to recent surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He should be back by the start of football season.
Utah QB Cammon Cooper, a Washington State commit, is a perfect fit for that offense. He doesn't have the biggest arm, but is quick and compact with his delivery. His delivery reminds me some of former Boise State QB Kellen Moore.
Blake Stenstrom, son of former Stanford and NFL QB Steve Stenstrom looked pretty good. He has a quick release and while you'd expect someone with an NFL pedigree to be polished, it is interesting that he is this comfortable despite not yet being a starter (last year he sat behind Michigan signee Dylan McCaffrey).
This was the first time I had seen Carter Bradley throw live. And while the Jacksonville (Fla.) QB did not blow me away, he also didn't look like someone who didn't belong. I'll be watching him more today.
Going to post a few thoughts on each kid from my notes here, starting with Gerry Bohanon. He's thickly built and it's easy top see why teams that run their QBs like him a lot. I can't imagine high schoolers trying to tackle him. The throwing part of playing QB has a ways to go, but he's got a chance. Interestingly, other recruiting analysts were wondering if all of the schools in his recently released top six would accept a commitment.
That's it for tonight. Thanks for following. I'll resume tomorrow at 6 pm PT, and stay tuned for my standout thoughts on each QB tomorrow on SB Nation Recruiting.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is so quick but so under control. Great combination.
Tyler Shough from Arizona is the real deal. Tall but stays compact.
Justin Rogers is here and working out. So much word of missing flight.
Matt Corral left the field, not sure what's up. Maybe a bathroom break, not sure.
Missouri commit James Foster has looked good. He's a good athlete and has thrown well.
Blake Stenstrom threw it well in the drills so far. Colorado commit, NFL legacy.
Cammon Cooper has a motion that reminds me of Kellen Moore.
Emory Jones is throwing it well. Some of the other guys who are more runners than throwers are struggling when being asked to pass from the pocket.
Devin Leary is committed to NC State and has a huge arm for such a quick release.
New group up. Looking forward to see Leary and Stenstrom. Emory Jones also. This is a footwork dropback drill.
Tanner McKee is a huge kid. Watching to see if he can keep his feet coordinated out here. So far it's OK.
I've already spotted a few Qbs who stand out in a lacking way. But I'll hold off on the names because it's still early in the competition.
Trevor Lawrence is just so smooth and compact for a 6'6 passer.
Long break in the action for yet another pep talk from someone. Can't tell who it is, not a celebrity. It's cold here, going to buy a jacket tonight
Jordan Palmer, brother of Carson, told the campers his brother is playing just one more year, and then showed them a technique to avoid elbow issues.
The group ready to go.
Elite 11 source told me Justin Rogers, TCU commit from Louisiana missed his flight but is still coming.
Washington QB commit Colson Yankoff is not participating due to a recent knee surgery. He's on crutches but in good spirits.
Ok now stretching begins. Running maybe 20 minutes behind.
Nike is running behind with the check-in so I'm waiting to get on the field.
The bus just pulled up. We'll commence some enthusiastic stretching in a minute.
Recent Mississippi State commit Jalen Mayden, from Texas, is the third of his brothers to play major college football.
Emory Jones is a top QB from Georgia, and committed to Ohio State. We'll see how he throws this week, and whether he'll stick with Ohio State.
Justin Fields might be the No. 2 QB in the country. I've been a fan of this Penn State commit from Georgia for a while.
But will he stick with Penn State? Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Auburn, and others are hard charging.
Is Trevor Lawrence the best player in the country? I think so, though a couple QBs will push him. The last time Clemson pulled a five-star QB out of Georgia, Deshaun Watson took the Tigers to the National Championship.
Orlando QB Joe Milton was Michigan's next move after missing out on Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He has the biggest arm I've seen so far this year, and I'll be looking to see if this giant can be accurate and consistent this week.
Most schools like Dakereon Joyner as an athlete, but South Carolina is giving him a shot to play QB, which is why I think he'll pick the Gamecocks in a couple weeks.
I'm interested to see Gerry Bohanon, from Arkansas throw this week. My colleague Alex Kirshner said he was good at a recent Nike camp.
His final six is Georgia, Baylor, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Louisville, and Arkansas.
UCLA commit Dorian Thompson-Robinson is one of the most interesting prospects here. He's never been a high school starter, having backed up Tate Martel at Vegas Bishop Gorman HS. But he is extremely quick, both with his feet and his release, and throws a good ball.
Our preview of the event can be found here.
Coverage will begin Friday at 3:30 PT, but I may drop some news and notes earlier than that.
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