A future Buckeye beat out a future Michigan Wolverine for an automatic invite to the Elite 11 Finals.
Another future Ohio State quarterback will represent his future school at the Elite 11 Finals as Buckeye commit Air Noland earned an invite to the prestigious high school quarterback competition.
— Pss A N. (@AirNoland_) May 13, 2023
With only one automatic invite to the Elite 11 Finals on the line at Saturday's Elite 11 Regional in Georgia, the left-handed gunslinger showcased his throwing ability while working with some of the top quarterback coaches across the country.
“I’m very blessed and very happy,” Noland told On3’s Jeremy Johnson. “This is a dream come true. It’s something I’ve wanted to accomplish since I was a little kid so it’s very exciting.”
Among the quarterbacks that Noland outperformed on Saturday was five-star Michigan commit Jadyn Davis, giving the future Buckeye and future Wolverine a little glimpse at what will become an intense rivalry between the two quarterbacks very soon.
“It was very cool, to get ahead and get some competition on against a future rival, if not a rival right now,” Noland told Buckeye Huddle's Kevin Noon after the camp. “It was very good and exciting.”
The No. 6 quarterback and No. 65 overall prospect in the 2024 class, Noland committed to the Buckeyes on April 8, giving Ryan Day, Corey Dennis and company the quarterback they were looking for after No. 1 overall prospect Dylan Raiola decommitted in December 2022.
Known to have a very quick release, Noland led Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, Georgia) to an undefeated 15-0 season as a junior last fall. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound left-hander completed 236 of 323 passes for 4,095 yards and 55 touchdowns while throwing only four interceptions. Noland also ran for five touchdowns and was one passing touchdown away from tying a Georgia state record for the most touchdown passes in a single season.
Noland will look to continue Ohio State's greatness at the Elite 11 Finals, a three-day event that includes the top high school quarterbacks across the country competing against each other. The Buckeyes have been well-represented in the competition, including Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud, who are considered to be the two best performers in the competition's history.
