Wednesday, July 20, 2011

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Elite-11 Day 2: It's all in the playbook…

Coach Dilfer tests players' preparedness; Mangum goes for Golden Gun No. 2

The Elite 11 quarterback competition is a five-day event at Pepperdine University. Twenty-four of the nation's top signal callers will learn from coaches, run drills and compete for the title of Elite 11 Quarterback. ESPN RISE is featuring daily recaps from the event. Two one-hour features on the Elite 11 will air Aug. 12 and 19 on ESPN as part of its “Year of the Quarterback” programming.

MALIBU, Calif. – A new wrinkle to this year’s

Elite 11 finals is the addition of a playbook,

created by the event’s head coach, Trent Dilfer.

The 24 quarterbacks received their playbooks two

weeks before the start of the camp, and on Monday

night it was time to prove how much they’d learned.

In the first chalkboard session of the week,

Austin Appleby of Hoover (North Canton, Ohio)

stood out with his knowledge and understanding of

Dilfer’s offense.

As a reward, Appleby was awarded a red jersey to

wear at Tuesday’s on-field workout. “I had to go in

front of the class and draw up some things on the

board,” said Appleby. “I take pride in being the

most prepared quarterback in the country, so I put

in hours upon hours of studying this playbook

before I got here. I started studying it the second

I got it, all the way through the plane ride here.”

Dilfer, a 13-year NFL veteran who quarterbacked

the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in

2001, believes the playbook study is an important

part of evaluating QBs.

“One thing we have to find out is if they have functional football knowledge,”

said Dilfer. “It’s something they hadn’t done here in the past, but I think it adds

an interesting dynamic.”

Along with Appleby, Dilfer praised Tanner Mangum of Eagle (Eagle, Idaho) and

Bart Houston of De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) for their work with the playbook.

Burcham expecting more offers

Most of the QBs at Elite 11 have already committed to prolific college programs,

but it’s still possible for talented players to slip under the radar. Neal Burcham, a

long-limbed passer from Greenbrier (Greenbrier, Ark.), is one quarterback who could

see his stock skyrocket at Elite 11.

Burcham has thrown more than 60 touchdown passes in his high school career, but

he finished the 2011 season with just one Division I offer (Central Arkansas).

Burcham says his lack of participation in offseason events may have led to a

slowed-down recruiting process, but after impressing at the Dallas-Fort Worth

Elite 11 regional camp, he’s starting to attract major attention.

“The top schools I’m looking at are Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri and Oklahoma,”

said Burcham. “I’m fully expecting to get offers from those schools. That’s why I’m

here, just trying to prove myself and show what I can do.”

Coaches at Elite 11 like Burcham’s size (6-foot-2), saying he could add arm

strength as he grows into his frame.

Boise State connection

Boise State has established itself as a college football power, and no one has done

more for the program than senior quarterback Kellen Moore. The Heisman contender

was on hand as a coach during Tuesday’s workout, and it was hard not to notice the

resemblance between Moore and future Boise State quarterback Nick Patti.

Patti, a 5-foot-10 passer from Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.),

has committed to

Boise State. Undersized like Moore, Patti relies on accuracy

to move the ball.

“You can tell he’s been doing this for a while," said one coach.

"He’s confident, but he knows he’s not the tallest guy and he

knows how to get the job done anyway.”

Gunshow redux

For the second straight day, Tanner Mangum claimed the gold

jersey by winning the Golden Gun accuracy challenge at the

end of practice. Patton Robinette of Maryville (Maryville, Tenn.)

finished second while Jameis Winston of Hueytown

(Hueytown, Ala.) tied Jake Rodrigues of Whitney

(Rocklin, Calif.) for third.

“A lot of guys said they were going to take [the jersey] from

me today,” said Mangum. “But I’m determined to keep it all

week. I don’t want anyone to think I’m a fluke or a one-hit

wonder. I intend on wearing this jersey all week.”

Hoover Vikings Football

Hoover Vikings Football

NETWORK

Appleby competes in Sunny California

Highlight Video - Day 2

Trent Dilfer with Austin Appleby