Saturday, July 23, 2011

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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. – It took five days of intense workouts, grueling film sessions and sleepless nights, but 11 quarterbacks have earned the right to be named the Elite 11.

Twenty-four finalists came to the Elite 11 competition on Monday,

and on Friday morning the coaching staff, led by NFL vet

Trent Dilfer, announced the 11.

Leading the way were Tanner Mangum of Eagle (Eagle, Idaho),

Neal Burcham of Greenbrier (Greenbrier, Ark.) and Jameis Winston

of Hueytown (Hueytown, Ala.), as the trio shared MVP honors.

“This feels so good,” said Mangum after learning he had been

named an MVP. “I’ve been dreaming of being an Elite 11 quarterback

since I was a kid. It’s just exciting to be here now.”

Also named Elite 11 quarterbacks were Austin Appleby of Hoover

(North Canton, Ohio), Shane Dillon of El Cajon Christian

(El Cajon, Calif.), Bart Houston of De La Salle (Concord, Calif.),

Chad Kelly of St. Joseph’s (Buffalo, N.Y.), Zach Kline of

San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.), Jeff Lindquist of

Mercer Island (Mercer Island, Wash.), Zeke Pike of Dixie Heights

(Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) and Chad Voytik of Cleveland (Cleveland, Tenn.).

There were surprises all across the board. Burcham was the dark

horse throughout the week. One of the least heralded at the

competition (he currently holds just one Division I scholarship offer,

from Central Arkansas), Burcham had to earn his invitation to

Malibu by playing well in a regional camp.

But once he got to the finals, Burcham turned it on. His mechanics

and delivery were among the best at the event, and he picked up

Dilfer’s playbook as well as anyone. On Friday, Burcham was the

last quarterback to participate in the camp’s final drill, running

the 2-minute offense in 7-on-7 play.

Facing a 4th-and-10 on the 35 yard line, Burcham threw the final

pass of the Elite 11 camp and hit his receiver streaking into the

end zone for a touchdown.

“I wasn’t really nervous at all,” said Burcham. “I’ve been confident

in myself all week, and I felt really comfortable on the last play.

I just ran the play and made the throw.”

Just as Burcham surprised by coming from outside the spotlight

to win MVP honors, Gunner Kiel’s absence from the final 11 was

equally shocking.

Rated the No. 1 quarterback in the ESPNU 150, Kiel was thought

to be near the top of the leaderboard during the week. He played

reasonably well, but failed to distinguish himself for any significant

stretch of play. And with the fierce competition on hand, that wasn’t enough to make the cut.

Shane Dillon was one of the most visibly happy to be named an Elite 11 quarterback.

At 6-foot-5 and with an unusual delivery, he’s faced criticism that his style of play won’t

translate to the next level. But he was a top performer at the Elite 11 finals.

“A lot of people think I’m too long and too skinny and that I sling the ball too much,”

said Dillon. “I wanted to come here and show I can be precise and run an offense and

I totally feel like I did that. This is like a dream. It’s awesome.”

Auburn recruit Zeke Pike also heard his name called at the end of Friday’s workout.

After going 5-for-5 in the 2-minute drill, the big Kentuckian finished the week a perfect

18-for-18 during 7-on-7 play.

“All week I’ve been putting in the work,” said Pike. “All 24 guys here busted it, and they’re

all great quarterbacks. It’s just good to know that the hard work pays off.”

The 2011 Elite 11 quarterbacks are, in alphabetical order:

Austin Appleby, Hoover (North Canton, Ohio)

Neal Burcham, Greenbrier Greenbrier, Ark.) -- MVP

Shane Dillon, El Cajon Christian (El Cajon, Calif.)

Bart Houston, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)

Chad Kelly, St. Joseph’s (Buffalo. N.Y.)

Zach Kline, San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.)

Jeff Lindquist, Mercer Island (Mercer Island, Wash.)

Tanner Mangum, Eagle (Eagle, Idaho) -- MVP*

Zeke Pike, Dixie Heights (Fort Mitchell, Ky.)

Chad Voytik, Cleveland (Cleveland, Tenn.)

Jameis Winston, Hueytown (Hueytown, Ala.) -- MVP

* Tanner Mangum also named MVP by the college counselors.

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Elite 11 QB's Named

Austin is congratulated by Trent Dilfer upon making the 2011 Elite 11.