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Sean White leads Elite 11

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- The Elite 11 quarterback recruits for 2013 have been chosen.

For the first time, the Elite 11 and The Opening were combined into one event this year. The Elite 11 started with 18 quarterbacks vying for a spot in the final 11 at the end of competition. The top signal-callers were put through the ringer in various events that tested their mental and physical strength.

Once the events were over, coach Trent Dilfer, an ESPN NFL analyst, and his staff came to a final list of quarterbacks to make up the 2013 Elite 11.

Sean White (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./University School of Nova South), who has yet to decide which college he will play for, was named MVP.

The nation's top two pocket-passers -- new Stanford commit Keller Chryst (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) and Alabama pledge David Cornwell (Norman, Okla./Norman North) -- had a tough week. Both missed the top 11 cut, as did Manny Wilkins (Novato, Calif./San Marin), DeShone Kizer (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic), Morgan Mahalak (Kentfield, Calif./Marin Catholic), Andrew Ford (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff) and Stephen Collier (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County).


Sean White (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./University School of Nova South)

Uncommitted
ESPN Rank:
No. 16 Pocket-passing quarterback

White felt as though he was a little under the radar coming into the event and he happens to be the only uncommitted quarterback in the group. The 6-foot-1, 199-pounder also might have had a chip on his shoulder because he was gunning for the top 11. White impressed throughout the week and is hoping to add a few more offers to his list. After this performance, it's safe to say there is a good chance that happens.

Dilfer: "His accurate isn't just accurate. It's exact. It's an NFL type of ball. I'm stealing this from Steve Young, but he has an artistic ball. He paints a picture with his ball."


Kyle Allen (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain)

Committed to: Texas A&M
ESPN Rank: No. 3 pocket-passing quarterback

Allen earned an invite to the Elite 11 after an excellent performance at the Chicago NFTC. He never looked back after that, and got even better once arriving in Oregon. He has a smooth throwing motion and should give Aggies fans a lot to be excited about.

Dilfer: "Everything he does is better than good. He's 'Mr. Consistency.' "


Drew Barker (Hebron, Ky./Conner Senior)

Committed to: Kentucky
ESPN Rank: No. 6 Pocket-passing quarterback

Barker is a big kid with a strong arm and that was on display throughout the Elite 11. The Kentucky native showed off his accuracy in drills and was a prospect that drew the attention of the coaches early on.


David Blough (Carrollton, Texas/Creekview)

Committed to: Purdue
ESPN Rank: No. 42 Pocket-passing quarterback

At 6 feet 1, 187 pounds, the Purdue commit has drawn all the comparisons to former Boilermakers quarterback Drew Brees. Blough is one of the lower-ranked passers in the competition, but was right in the mix to make the final 11 all week. He took a lot of people by surprise with his command for his team and passes.

Dilfer: "David is so fiercely competitive. He's so determined to be the best he possibly can be. He doesn't let the pressure of that weigh him down."


KJ Carta-Samuels (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine College Prep)

Committed to: Vanderbilt
ESPN Rank: No. 14 Pocket-passing quarterback

Coming into the event there wasn't much hype surrounding Carta-Samuels. His first day on the field was an eye opener for many prospects and he continued to impress throughout the week. The Vanderbilt commit scored well above average on some of the off-the-field tests given to the quarterbacks and he looked excellent on the field as well.


Will Grier (Davidson, N.C./Davidson Day)

Committed to: Florida
ESPN Rank: No. 3 Dual-threat quarterback

Grier started the week strong, but then had a rough day when the 7-on-7 tournament started. Dilfer felt the quarterbacks performed poorly that day and Grier was in that group. He bounced back unbelievably strong, however, in the next day and threw some outstanding touchdown passes.

Dilfer: "Immensely talented and he gets stuff."


Jerrod Heard (Denton, Texas/John H. Guyer)

Committed to: Texas
ESPN Rank: No. 5 Dual-threat quarterback

Heard said he was most looking forward to improving his game at this event and he came away feeling as though he accomplished his goal. He noted that the coaches were trying to make the players better people and he couldn't explain the experience he had. Heard displayed good zip on his passes and took to the coaching very well.

Dilfer: "I was concerned about Jerrod coming in. I didn't know how he would handle this and the pressure he would be [facing] throwing the ball as much as we ask guys to do. But he was the biggest surprise through the first two days."


Brad Kaaya (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade College Prep)

Committed to: Miami
ESPN Rank: No. 12 Pocket-passing quarterback

Despite being an ESPN 300 prospect, Kaaya wasn't talked about much leading into the event. The Miami commit definitely started a buzz once he stepped on the field, though. He stood out on the first day in drills and never looked back.

Dilfer: "He makes the extremely difficult look really easy. When you're looking for greatness in any walk of life, you want to find somebody that makes extremely difficult look easy. And he makes everything look incredibly easy."


Jacob Park (Goose Cree, S.C./Stratford)

Committed to: Georgia
ESPN Rank: No. 6 Dual-threat quarterback

Park made a strong case for himself throughout the week and even had a good day on Tuesday, when most of the other quarterbacks didn't. The Georgia commit had good presence in 7-on-7 play and made some outstanding throws in the Elite 11 drills.


Luke Rubenzer (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro)

Committed to: Cal
ESPN Rank: No. 31 Dual-threat quarterback

Rubenzer turned on his play in the second day of 7-on-7 play. He connected with receiver Braxton Berrios for a few touchdowns and started to really hit his stride. He isn't the biggest prospect on the field, but he never let his limitations get in the way.


Deshaun Watson (Gainesville, Ga./Gainesville)

Committed to: Clemson
ESPN Rank: No. 1 Dual-threat quarterback

A lot of eyes were on Watson coming into the event. With rumors swirling about his recruitment and the fact he's the No. 1 ranked dual-threat quarterback, he had a lot of pressure on him. His performance didn't show any signs of nerves and he proved he belongs near the top of the rankings.