Five-star commit Kyle McCord was named one of the 12 top performers at the Elite 11 Finals on Wednesday, while fellow five-star prospect Caleb Williams was named MVP.
The 2020 Elite 11
— Elite11 (@Elite11) July 2, 2020
Determined by #Elite11 coaching staff - 50% junior season film & performance, 50% camp evaluation & traits.
Listed alphabetically. pic.twitter.com/DRVS5UWLBs
McCord reportedly had an inconsistent first day on Monday of the three-day competition in Nashville, impressing with arm strength but struggling to stay accurate. Then, on Tuesday night, McCord bounced back in a huge way, putting on a clinic with sharp, accurate throws en route to winning the event's Pro Day Competition with a score of 45 points. Williams finished 10th with a score of 34 points.
McCord had entered Tuesday listed No. 8 in the Elite 11 rankings, but heading into the final day of competition, he was boosted to No. 3 in the rankings behind Williams and Ty Thompson.
In the final event, the Target Challenge, McCord and all other quarterbacks were tasked with throwing at eight targets with the objective to hit the target's bullseye in 30 seconds or less. If a quarterback did not hit the bullseye after 30 seconds, he moved to the next target with a time penalty being incurred.
McCord finished with a time of 2 minutes, 53 seconds, which was ahead of Williams (3:38) and Thompson (3:13), but Brock Vandagriff won the event with a time of 1 minute, 43 seconds. McCord finished seventh, while Williams did not place in the top 10.
Despite Williams – who was the event's top performer on Monday, earning “Alpha Dog” honors by 247Sports – not faring well on the final two days, he still earned MVP honors, as Elite 11 President Brian Stumpf explained that 50 percent of the determination of the MVP winner is junior film/performance and 50 percent is determined by the camp evaluation/traits.
Though McCord performed well on the final two days, it was not enough for him to join Justin Fields (2017) and C.J. Stroud (2019) as Ohio State quarterbacks who were named Elite 11 MVP in recent years.
A rising senior at St. Joseph's Prep High School in Philadelphia, McCord is ranked No. 24 overall and is the No. 3-ranked pro-style quarterback in the country – behind Elite 11 opponent Williams and Washington commit Sam Huard – in the 247Sports composite rankings.
This spring, McCord was bumped into five-star status. If he remains a five-star prospect by the time he signs in December, McCord will be the first five-star quarterback Ohio State has signed since Braxton Miller (No. 29 overall) in 2011.
Despite not capturing MVP honors, following his overall performance this week, McCord has gone a long way in increasing the likelihood that he will be the highest-ranked Buckeye quarterback commit since Terrelle Pryor (No. 2 overall) in 2008.
