Elite 11: Ranking the top 11 QBs from the week
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – Over three days at the Elite 11, no quarterback absolutely, clearly, 100-percent established himself as the best one at the event.
But through a battery of stations on Tuesday night, the all-important Pro Day on Wednesday night and a 7on7 session on Thursday, here is our ranking of the top 11 for the week.
MORE ELITE 11: Bentley is best of pro day performances | Ten takeaways from opening night | Tough decision ahead for Bentley
RIVALS FIVE-STAR EVENT: Roster | ACC programs in the spotlight | Big Ten programs in the spotlight | SEC programs in the spotlight | Key QB storylines | Key RB storylines | Key WR storylines | Key TE storylines | Key OL storylines | Key DL storylines | Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
1. DIA BELL
The four-star quarterback from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage was the best of the best on the first night, not so great during the Pro Day and then came back with a vengeance and had a good 7on7 session.
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Does that make him the top QB? We think so, as when he was good, he was really good.
The Texas commit can spin it, the ball comes out beautifully and he can throw accurately to every level. Nothing looked forced when Bell is in the pocket.
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2. HELAMAN CASUGA
Casuga has dealt with an injury that sidelined him for a portion of his junior season (after beating IMG Academy, of course) so what his performance was going to be like was uncertain.
The Texas A&M commit delivered in a big way during the Pro Day, where his timing with receivers was impeccable, and he spun it with pace as well as anyone at the event.
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3. KEISEAN HENDERSON
The Houston commit is a top-10 prospect and a five-star quarterback but one cannot help but feel he's only tapping his potential and he could have the most upside in the class.
His athleticism is off the charts and so is his arm talent as it's burned in my memory the nicest throw of the Pro Day when he ducked pressure, moved right and zipped it on a rope 40 yards downfield to a receiver.
Henderson has special qualities that Houston needs badly.
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4. BOWE BENTLEY
Bentley really flashed during the Pro Day portion of the Elite 11 as he graded out the highest on our point system and we loved that the Celina, Texas, standout fired each ball and didn't try to place it with zero pace on it just to score points.
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Down to Oklahoma and LSU, Bentley was great throwing from the pocket, escaping pressure and keeping zip on his passes, and hitting receivers in stride. He wasn't exceptional the other two days so he's fourth overall on our list.
5. TAIT REYNOLDS
Reynolds was skilled, reliable and consistent. The Clemson commit has a little elongated motion (probably from his baseball background) but he's a big, steady presence in the pocket who was exceptional on deep throws and the seam routes during the Pro Day.
He was solid the other two days, if not spectacular. He will head to play for the Tigers and have weapons around him.
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6. BRYSON BEAVER
Beaver was one of the biggest surprises of the Elite 11. The Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta three-star definitely outplayed his ranking and came in with a ton of confidence. He was another one who zipped the ball and played to win instead of trying to game the system for points.
Other than Henderson's dime down the right side of the field, Beaver had the best throw of the night on the same route. He's at Oregon this weekend and the Ducks look strong but his recruitment has been wild in recent weeks.
7. TRAVIS BURGESS
There is a tendency to look at the North Carolina commit at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds and think he's going to be too lanky, too gangly and have a really long motion but that wasn't the case at all with the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout.
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Burgess was more than solid throughout the entire event and after missing on a deep throw early during the Pro Day was basically perfect on all his deep shots after that.
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8. TERRY WALKER
Beaver and Walker were the biggest surprises for us at the Elite 11. The Duke commit is so smooth, the ball pops off his hand and other than just a couple poor throws during the Pro Day, he was really impressive.
Walker was exceptional on night one as his tight spirals just looked different than a lot of other quarterbacks and then he backed it up again at the pro day. Most impressive is that he's best at being creative so this structure didn't necessarily suit all his gifts.
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The Blue Devils got a steal.
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9. FAIZON BRANDON
Did Brandon sign, seal and deliver the No. 1 quarterback spot in the 2026 class with his three-day performance at the Elite 11? No. But the Tennessee commit was also very good in numerous spots with the biggest spotlight on him over the event.
There's no questioning his arm talent and playmaking ability. But he didn't separate himself like an undoubted No. 1 quarterback has done at this event before.
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10. JETT THOMALLA
Thomalla had a lot on his mind even flying to the Elite 11 and waking up that first morning because that's when he flipped from Iowa State to Alabama. He was a tick slow that first night but really stepped it up during the pro day and beyond as he was exceptionally good throwing receivers open and putting it where only they could catch it.
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One of the toughest throws is to go across the field and throw to the pylon in the front of the end zone and Thomalla aced that one.
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11. OSCAR RIOS
The more we see Rios – in camp settings, 7on7 settings and now at the Elite 11 – we like his game and how it translates to the next level. The Downey, Calif., four-star QB is down to Arizona and UCLA and Rios plays with a quiet confidence and competitiveness that should carry over well to the college game.
Even though he's on the leaner side, Rios is dynamic, the ball pops and he has no problem throttling back and getting it deep.
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