STATE COLLEGE, PA. – The Elite 11 wrapped up its regional tour on Sunday with its eighth and final stop of the year. Close to 100 quarterbacks were on hand to throw in hopes of punching a ticket to next month’s finals. The group included multiple signals ranked inside the Top247 along with a handful more committed to play for Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 programs.Â
Joining the quarterbacks in the shadows of Penn State’s campus was a small collection of skill players and a fee linemen as event organizers invited prospects from all around the region to go through testing and positional drills during the All-22 portion of the camp. We have top performers and more evaluation notes below.Â
ALPHA DOG: RYAN MONTGOMERY, GEORGIA COMMIT
It took a while for any of the quarterbacks in the featured group to really separate themselves from the rest of the pack, but in the final few periods it was Montgomery who really found his groove.
A full-field reader at Findlay (Ohio) High, we knew coming into the camp that Montgomery was one of the better processors in the 2025 cycle, but we came away impressed with his overall arm talent. The nation’s No. 12-ranked signal caller was able to accurately hit his marks at all three levels and put plenty of pace on his shots out to the numbers. Montgomery, who is dealing with a Grade 2 turf toe injury, is also probably a better athlete than he gets credit for and was a coordinated mover when asked to roll out and change directions.
Montgomery was presented with an invite to the Elite 11 Finals when things wrapped up. He might not be as physically gifted as some of the other quarterbacks in the class, but he appears to have a higher floor and is the type of quarterback that could have plenty of success directing a UGA offense that wants to own the line of scrimmage.
NEXT THREE
–Matt Zollers, Missouri commit: Zollers was right there with Montgomery and was heavily considered for our ‘Alpha Dog’ recognition. He too was invited to the Elite 11 Finals and it’s pretty easy to see why as he’s got an extremely high ceiling. Zollers wasn’t the most consistent passer Sunday as he tossed a few wobbly balls, but he can touch all different corners of the field with a powerful arm and serve up accurate passes off-platform. The Royersford (Pa.) Spring-Ford standout needs to learn how to find a rhythm, but the good was very good in this setting.
–Malik Washington: Washington was another soon-to-be senior that turned in an overall promising performance. Everything certainly wasn’t perfect for Washington, but he had plenty of encouraging moments as put balls on tight lines and was able to generate some whip by changing arm angles. Washington has a budding 6-foot-4 frame and is a high flyer on the basketball court. He needs some polish, but has found ways to win games at Seven (Md.) Archbishop Spaling. Maryland, UCF and Syracuse are in line to get official visits from Washington.
–Dan Mahan, Duke commit: Mahan was one of the bigger surprises for the day and seemed to get better with each rep. The tape from his junior season at Burlington (NC) Walter M Williams won’t blow many away, but he showcased a compact release and proved to be one of the best when it came to throwing on the move. Multiple E11 coaches raved about Mahan and his mechanics during drills. He’s similar in some ways to Preston Stone, who new Duke play caller Jonathan Brewer coached at SMU.
TOP UNDERCLASSMEN
–Jonas Williams, class of 2026: Williams won the Panini Accuracy Challenge for the underclassmen, tying 2027 quarterback Keegan Croucher for the best mark on the day. Williams is someone we have had multiple exposure points to this offseason and we continue to like how he delivers the football as he doesn’t take many risks while still challenging tight windows. Williams, who ranks as the No. 8 signal caller in his class, could be in store for a big junior season at Lincoln-Way East in Illinois.
–Derek Zammit, class of 2026: Zammit posted the highest testing score for the quarterbacks with a Nike Football Rating of 111.99 rating. That score was powered by a 4.71-second 40-yard dash, a 4.13-second short shuttle and a 32-inch vertical jump. Zammit put strong spells of play on tape as a sophomore at DePaul Catholic in New Jersey, beating defenses with both his arm and legs. We continue to believe that the Top247 quarterback has some Tommy DeVito to his game.
–Dia Bell, class of 2026: Bell also tested favorably according to the E11 staff. A one-year starter at Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage, Bell was in town to not only work out, but also tour Penn State. The son of former NBA guard Raja Bell, owns a quicker release and flashed some touch as a passer. What’s also notable about Bell is the fact that his body looks like it has yet to really undergo a major physical transformation. That could take his play to another level in the coming years.
ALL-22 STANDOUTS
–Andrew Olesh, TE: Olesh made himself some money Sunday. After clocking an unofficial 4.6-second effort in the 40-yard dash, the Top247 tight end out of Central Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh hauled in multiple passes during the 1-on-1 session for the All-22 campers. He then proceeded to catch pretty much anything that came his way while running routes for the quarterbacks. Olesh showed nice burst and suddenness, signaling that he could be a mismatch on Saturdays. He’s set to take summer official visits to Florida, Alabama, Michigan and Penn State.
–Lyrick Samuel, WR, Penn State commit: Samuel got vertical down the sidelines for a long touchdown in 1-on-1s. He profiles as the ideal perimeter target with his reach, but is eventually going to need some bulk in hopes of improving his play strength. Still, he was one of the few wide receivers in the All-22 portion of the camp that was able to constantly create separation and come down with some acrobatic grabs. Samuel averaged an eye-opening 25.6 yards per catch as a junior at Brooklyn (NY) Erasmus Hall.
–Matt Henderson, TE, Penn State commit: This was the recruiting industry’s first real look at Henderson, who flew under the radar until he announced a commitment earlier this month to the Nittany Lions. There was a lot to like. A basketball-focused athlete throughout his youth, Henderson saw a high volume of targets come his way last fall at Powhatan (Va.) High. He’s a natural pass catcher with impressive spatial awareness that has plenty of growth potential, having measured just over 6-foot-4, 205 pounds at check-in Sunday.Â
AROUND THE CAMP…
–Penn State commit Bekkem Kritza remains one of the more tricky evaluations when it comes to the quarterbacks in the class of 2025 and Sunday was one of his more favorable outings to date. Kritza has the height that many covet at the position, and has no issues driving the football down the field, but his ball placement is far from consistent. He fired some dimes at various points throughout the camp, but would follow them up with a rep where the fundamentals failed. One could make the case that Kritza, who has jumped from high school to high school, needs as many snaps as possible. He’s expected to play his senior season at Miami Central down in Florida.
–Two quarterbacks threw Sunday that missed a good chunk of their junior seasons in Cincinnati commit Zebulin Kinsey and Clemson commit Blake Hebert. At times, the ball simply jumped out of Kinsey’s hand. In our eyes, he was a top five performer in the featured group. Hebert also had his moments and was steady from start to finish. He was the first in line for the drills and constantly rooted for others. Kinsey, who is recovering from a foot injury, is pushing 225 pounds and apparently being recruited by some schools to play linebacker. He totaled 78 tackles as a 10th grader at Toronto (Ohio) High. Hebert, who had to deal with a fractured ankle, also has a stocky build to him. He has transferred into the Brunswick School in Connecticut for his final year at the prep level.
–Virginia quarterback commit Cole Geer got hot late in the camp and connected on some difficult throws to the corner of the end zone. The Deerfield (Mass.) Academy product is athletic and comfortable on the move. The same goes for Bronx (NY) Cardinal Hayes quarterback Rich Belin, who also impressed with his accuracy on some of his final throws. Tyler Tusai, who recently enrolled at St. Thomas Moore in Connecticut, was another rising senior that caught our eye.
–Peter Bourque of Marion (Mass.) Tabor Academy threw a decisive ball in the sessions we witnessed Sunday. He recently reclassified to the 2027 cycle and is drawing interest from Ohio State and Michigan. Warrington (Pa.) La Salle College 2026 Gavin Sidwar and Philadelphia (Pa.) Roman Catholic 2026 Semaj Beals were some other underclassmen that stood out in their respective groups.
–A pair of young 2027s put themselves on the map at the All-22 in Pittsburgh (Pa.) Aliquippa cornerback Larry Moon III and Middletown (DE) Appoquinimink offensive tackle Layton Von Brandt. Moon was explosive in footwork drills and physical in 1-on1-s while Von Brandt has nice measurables and edge to him. Both are already on college radars and have a chance to emerge as national recruits if they keep progressing.
–247Sports national recruiting reporter Anna Adams contributed to this report.