The Elite 11 competition is a yearly competition where the nation’s top 20 high school Quarterbacks compete to be named the Elite 11 MVP. Elite 11 started in 1999 and is set to begin its 24th finals on June 14th, with Quarterbacks like Julian Sayin, Dylan Raiola, and Jadyn Davis gunning for the MVP title. Before the finals start let’s look back on the last ten winners and rank them based on their MVP win, college stats, and NFL play.
10. Jackson Arnold (2022) (Oklahoma Commit)
The most recent winner of the Elite 11 competition slots in at tenth in our countdown. Coming out of High School, Arnold ranked 10th in the nation and 4th in the Quarterback position. The 6-1 signal caller hailed from Guyer, Texas, and attended Denton High School. During his recruitment, Arnold received 25 offers from schools like Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, and other Power 5 schools. After a lengthy recruitment, Arnold committed to Jeff Lebby and Oklahoma, becoming new coach Brent Venables‘ first QB land of his head coaching career. During the Elite 11 finals, Arnold dominated, showing one of the liveliest arms and excelling in drill work. Most Elite 11 coaches believed his quick release and juice on the football consistently stood out. During 7-on-7 play, Arnold struggled with a 10-16 stat line with one touchdown and an interception. He dominated the rest of the week, taking home the 2022 Elite 11 MVP. Arnold is at #10 since we have not seen him in college and only have his high school career and Elite 11 to base him on. If this list was made in a few years, I believe Arnold would be higher, however; for now, he is at the bottom as an unproven signal caller.
True freshman 5⭐️ QB Jackson Arnold with a perfect pass to Gavin Freeman for a touchdown in Oklahoma's spring game ?pic.twitter.com/b8qgrqGmdI
— 247Sports (@247Sports) April 22, 2023
9. Sean White (2013) (Auburn Commit)
In 2013 Auburn signee Sean White took home the Elite 11 MVP honors. Coming out of High School, White ranked 91st in the nation and 6th at the Quarterback position. The 6-2 signal caller hailed from Hollywood, Florida, and attended University City High School. During his junior season, he tossed 30 touchdowns and over two thousand yards, helping to become selected as an Elite 11 finalist. During his recruitment, White garnered offers from 14 schools, with Auburn being the most notable. White later committed to Auburn, where he played only two seasons of college football, posting a stat line of 2,845 yards, ten touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 18 games. Despite his disappointing college career, White beat out many notable Quarterbacks during the finals. Deshaun Watson, Will Grier, and Kyle Allen are a few of the 2013 Elite 11 finalists who made the NFL. Sean White dominated the Elite 11 competition, but his lackluster college career places him in the bottom half of this list.
Auburn quarterbacks, including Sean White, going through throwing drills at Tuesday's practice: pic.twitter.com/l7xwPv39FU
— AUBlog (@AUBlog) March 7, 2017
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8. Blake Barnett (2014) (Alabama Commit)
Barnett hoisted the Elite 11 trophy a year after Sean White. Coming out of High School, Barnett ranked 23rd in the nation and 2nd at the Quarterback position. The 6-4 signal caller hailed from Corona, California, and attended Santiago High School. During his junior season, he tossed 23 touchdowns and over three thousand yards, helping to become selected as an Elite 11 finalist. During his recruitment, Barnett garnered twelve offers from schools like Alabama, Michigan, and Notre Dame. Barnett later chose the Tide and Lane Kiffin, which started an interesting college career. After two seasons at Alabama, Barnett transferred to the JUCO college Palomar where he played one season. After the season, Barnett ranked as the 8th best JUCO player and chose Arizona State as his next home. Blake entered the portal again after the year selecting USF as his final college destination. USF brought the best out of Barnett, where in 15 games, he tossed 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The 2014 Elite 11 finalists consisted of some impressive signal callers like Kyler Murray, Drew Lock, Deondre Francois, Josh Rosen, and Jarrett Stidham. Like Sean White, Barnett dominated the Elite 11 competition but had a disappointing college career placing him eighth on this list.
Alabama Quarterbacks, Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett going through drills pic.twitter.com/ogBDioRORI
— Ryan C. Fowler (@RyanCFowler) August 5, 2016
7. Cade Klubnik (2021) (Clemson Commit)
Two years ago, Cade Klubnik took home the Elite 11 MVP. Coming out of High School, Cade ranked as the 13th-best prospect in the nation and 2nd-best Quarterback behind Elite 11 finalist Quinn Ewers. The 6-2 signal caller hailed from Austin, Texas, and attended Westlake High School. During his junior season, he eclipsed 50 touchdowns and over three thousand yards, helping to become selected as an Elite 11 finalist. During his recruitment, Cade garnered offers from 31 schools, with numerous high-ranking colleges pushing for the Westlake signal caller. After a lengthy recruitment, Cade chose to head to South Carolina to play for the Clemson Tigers. The 2021 Elite 11 class was extremely impressive, with Quarterbacks like Quinn Ewers, Drew Allar, Ty Simpson, Devin Brown, and Maalik Murphy competing for the MVP. Cade has played one season in college, accumulating 700 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Despite a disappointing season, Cade has upside and has gained a new offensive coordinator, which should help him pick up his play in year two this fall.
Cade Klubnik is going to have a SEASON ?
— TPL Clemson (@TPLClemson) June 11, 2023
6. Shea Patterson (2015) (Ole Miss Commit)
Shea Patterson had the best college career of anyone in part one. Coming out of High School, Patterson ranked 3rd in the nation and 1st at the Quarterback position. The 6-1 signal caller hailed from Bradenton, Florida, and attended IMG Academy. During his recruitment, Patterson garnered 25 offers from the nation’s top colleges. Shea ultimately chose Ole Miss. The 2015 Elite 11 class is interesting, as every QB but one played for two or more college teams. Patterson won the MVP over Jalen Hurts, Dwayne Haskins, and other notable signal-callers. After starting ten games in two years for the Rebels, Patterson transferred to Michigan, where he would start all 26 games, he played in. Patterson tossed 68 touchdowns in his college career, with his best years coming with the Wolverines. Patterson was selected 1st overall in the USFL draft by the Michigan Panthers but was later benched due to his performance. The combination of the Elite 11 dominance and the solid college career puts Shea at sixth.
SHEA PATTERSON HAS WHEELS! ??
The QB ran 81 yards to set up a Michigan TD! pic.twitter.com/qrYEIF8ndG
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 14, 2018
In part two we will look at the top five Elite 11 MVPs since 2013.
