Although he didn’t place in the official Elite 11 at the conclusion of this week’s prestigious quarterback competition in California, Florida State commit A.J. Duffy received plenty of praise from various media in attendance.
One outlet ranked Duffy as high as No. 4, while others had him in the top 10 of the 20 highly touted signal-callers.
***Don’t miss out on our great FSU Football and Recruiting coverage. Get your 30-day FREE trial!**
Duffy, who Rivals rates as the nation’s No. 6 pro-style quarterback, might not have had much of a chance to place in the official Elite 11 based on the event’s stated criteria. The Elite 11 staff weigh their final rankings based on 50 percent performance in drills during the event and “traits,” and the other 50 percent on junior film.
Duffy did not get to compete as a high school junior because he was living in California at the time, and his season was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic. Duffy has since transferred to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, where he will play his senior season.
All of the quarterbacks who were honored as part of the official Elite 11 had junior season film for the staff to evaluate.
When it came to media observations, Duffy was viewed most positively by former ESPN recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton, who now works for a new startup venture called On3 Sports. Hamilton rated Duffy as the No. 4 QB at the event, and he also gave him the distinction of being, “Mr. Anticipation.”
Sports Illustrated also staffed the event and ranked Duffy at No. 10 following the four-day event, which featured primarily skills work and finished with some 7-on-7 competition. 247Sports, meanwhile, rated Duffy as the No. 9 signal-caller.
The Elite 11 staff and many media outlets ranked Clemson commit Cade Klubnik as the top performer of the week.
Opinions were mixed on UF commit Nick Evers and Miami commit Jacurri Brown. SI rated Evers at No. 3, while 247 had him at No. 11. Brown was not rated by either in the top 10.
By many accounts, was more impressive in the 7-on-7 competition than he was in the individual drills.
Here is an interview with Duffy conducted by Rivals.com at the beginning of the event.
[embedded content]
—————————————————————-
Get the latest info, insider content and chat with FSU fans on the Premium Recruiting Board