5 takes from The Opening Day 1: Little quarterbacks step up big

Mitch Stephens is live on the scene at The Opening in Beaverton, Ore. Here are his thoughts on the major trends and noteworthy items from Tuesday, July 7.

1. Little QBs Step Up Big

Jett Duffey, flashing a big smile, held his index finger and thumb about three inches apart. He then got very serious.

"From here to here is the difference between 40 offers and no offers," said the 6-foot, 175-pound rising senior quarterback from Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas). "To me it's crazy, but at the same time it's changing. Russell Wilson, Johnny Manziel, Drew Brees. They're out there changing things and I'm thankful for that."



Duffey, a Texas Tech commit, is also part of the change.

He is a finalist in the Elite 11 quarterback competition which is showcased at The Opening, Nike's ultimate showcase/combine for top high school football players.

The Opening proclaims to bring 166 of the best incoming seniors — and a handful of incoming juniors — together at pristine Nike Headquarters in Oregon, with 18 quarterbacks flashing their strong arms, footwork and ability to read defenses.

Tuesday, in fact, was nothing but an Elite 11 (more like 18, actually) workout as the other 148 trickled into the facility to prepare for the final three days of camp.

Duffey, Lamar (Arlington, Texas) standout Shane Buechele (6-1, 183) and Council Rock North (Newtown, Pa.) rising senior Brandon Mcilwain (6-0, 187) are the only three of the 18 under 6-foot-2.

The others in the group are giants by comparison — one of the tallest Elite 11 finals groups in recent memory — with seven at least 6-4, headed by 6-6 Feleipe Franks of Wakulla (Crawfordville, Fla.), 6-5 1/2 Jacob Eason of Lake Stevens (Wash.) and 6-4 1/2 Jawon Pass of Carver (Columbus, Ga.)



"Honestly, if you can throw the ball, go through your progressions, get first downs and score touchdowns, then you're a quarterback," Duffey said.

Duffey, not listed among the nation's top 1,000 senior recruits by 247Sports, showed plenty of zip and great footwork in the first two days of workouts.

Buechele, a Texas commit, actually graded out highest after the first day according to the Elite 11 staff, which is headed by Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer and a half-dozen current college quarterbacks.

He won the accuracy competition Monday and backed it up with another strong showing Tuesday. McIlwain, ranked 10th after the first day, also looked good Tuesday.

"My concern has never been my height," McIlwain said. "If I throw the ball as well as anyone else, it's not going to make a difference. … I identify with Russell Wilson. As long as I listen to my coaches and do what I'm supposed to do, I don't worry about it much."

2. Eason Impressive

The nation's top quarterback recruit, who has committed to Georgia, was on target most of Tuesday though some of the receivers — players volunteering from local high school — had trouble handling his velocity.



Eason, the No. 3 recruit overall by 247Sports, wasn't bothered by any of it and celebrated often with the non-elite athletes. Asked about having the target on his back for being the top quarterback recruit, he said: "When you're considered the top guy, you have to prove yourself every day. I just try to get better."

3. Rest of Rankings

After Buechele, the rest of the first-day rankings were (in order):

2. Stanford commit K.J. Costello of Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

3. Tennessee-bound Jarrett Guarantano of Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)

4. Rutgers-bound Anthony Russo of Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.)

5. Feleipe Franks



6. Jacob Eason

7. Maryland commit Dwayne Haskins Jr. of Bullis (Potomac, Md.)

8. Ole Miss-bound Shea Patterson of Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)

9. Oklahoma State commit Nick Starkel of Liberty Christian (Argyle, Texas)

10. Brandon McIlwain

11. Nebraska-bound Patrick O'Brien of San Juan Hills (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)

4. Henry Confident

The nation's third-ranked quarterback recruit Malik Henry, a Florida State commit, still doesn't know what high school he's attending in the fall. The 6-2, 184-pounder played two seasons at Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.) before transferring to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in January. Last month, he left the school.

Though Henry revealed no hint of what he'll do for his senior year, he offered excellent leadership skills and a very strong and accurate arm Tuesday.

"It's a great honor to be here and an excellent situation for me to see how I compare with the best," he said. "I want to win and I plan to win it. I made a commitment to win it three years ago. … It's all about staying positive. I keep telling myself, ‘I can do it, I can do it.' There's no stopping me."

5. Mannion Sighting

Oregon State's Sean Mannion, the Pac-12 Conference's all-time career passing yardage leader, helped out at camp and was impressed not only with all the players, but also the coaches, particularly Dilfer.

"I didn't realize he was so involved in everything," Mannion said. "His energy is amazing."

Mannion, a third-round pick of the Rams in May, will head out to his team's camp later this month.



"I feel like I'm in the perfect place and system," he said. "I can't wait."