Rejoice Chop Nation! Who would've guessed that the 74th-ranked pro-style quarterback in the country would be going to the Elite 11 Finals at Nike HQ in Oregon?
Our guy Anthony Russo of Archbishop Wood (Pa.) has reportedly been invited to the Elite 11 Finals at The Opening in Beaverton, Oregon. Russo was the breakout performer of the group of 30 on Sunday during the semifinals, throwing the best 7-on-7 series of the day. There are 18 total signal callers invited to this prestigious event. In light of the tremendous accomplishment, let's take a look at exactly what the Elite 11 is and what it means for the future Scarlet Knight.
Congrats to the 15th invite to The #Elite11 Finals, Archbishop Wood (PA) QB Anthony Russo (@Anthony_Russo15) #Rutgers pic.twitter.com/EpVXI6WUKn
— Elite11 (@Elite11) June 10, 2015
The Elite 11 Final
The Elite 11 Final is the most prestigious High School Quarterback event in the nation. It features anywhere from 12-24 of the country's best quarterbacks, dual-threat or pro-style. The 2015 Elite 11 Final will have 18 participants. Players can earn an invite by winning the Quarterback MVP at a regional event of "The Opening" or being selected by the group of coaches at The Elite 11 Semifinals (Russo). As you may have already inferred, the Elite 11 are the top 11 of however many QBs attend The Opening. Notable alumni include Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford, Jameis Winston, Tim Tebow, and the only other Rutgers commit to ever be invited to the Elite 11 Final, Tom Savage.
The Opening Finals
The Opening is the larger event in which The Elite 11 takes place. The Opening is an event that features the top 162 players in the country, regardless of class year. The Opening is also invite-only and you must earn an invite with a positional MVP at a regional event or receive a separate invitation. Both events are highly exclusive and mainly feature 4 and 5-star recruits only.
What It Means For Russo
The significance of Russo being invited to the finals cannot be understated. According to his 247 profile, Russo is the is 1,423rd ranked player in the country. However, he is still the second lowest ranked QB invited to the finals; Texas Tech pledge Jett Duffey is ranked slightly lower than Russo at 1,430. Russo's ranking will most likely raise up dramatically with the attention that comes along with this honor. In addition, expect Russo to garner lots of interest from other schools that had previously written him off. Although many schools already have their quarterback for the 2016 class, decommittments still happen and schools can always be looking at other options. Rutgers was the first big school to show interest in Russo and he has already been bonding with other recruits. It seems like we've got ourselves a good one. We wish Anthony the best in Oregon and hope he puts on for Chop Nation!