The 26th edition of the Elite 11 finals kicked off in California this week, setting the stage for 20 top quarterback prospects to establish a true pecking order.
In past years, the unpadded quarterback showcase has been a "king maker" in some sense, separating the truly elite throwers from the high school quarterbacks who may have a lot more work to do.
And because of what the event can do for top prospects, it's not uncommon for reporters to come in with an agenda, hyping the quarterback that is already committed to their school or heaping praise based on current recruiting rankings.
That, however, does not describe Brett Kollman, creator of "All Thirty Two" and co-host of "Bootleg Football Podcast."
Initially coming in blind, the journalist had sky-high praise for the look and size of Clemson Tigers quarterback commit Tait Reynolds.
"Manchild," he wrote. "Most high school prospects look like kids, because they are. He looks like he could play Ohio State tomorrow."
I go into Elite 11 blind on purpose, so I don’t know the star ratings for these guys.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) June 19, 2025
There’s a prospect here, Tait Reynolds. I think he’s going to Clemson.
Manchild. Most high school prospects look like kids, because they are. He looks like he could play Ohio State tomorrow.
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Reynolds committed to Clemson in July 2024 and is currently ranked a three-star prospect by 247Sports as the nation's No. 26 overall prospect.
But not everyone agrees.
For example, both ESPN and Rivals list him as a four-star recruit.
What do they all see?
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound signal-caller, out of Queen Creek (Arizona), is also an elite baseball recruit, and originally committed to Arizona State before pivoting to Clemson.
As a junior, Reynolds earned Arizona Cardinals Offensive Player of the Year, throwing for 2,238 yards with 22 touchdowns and an additional 1,426 yards and 19 scores on the ground.
Traditionally, dual-threat quarterbacks haven't fared as well at the Elite 11 Finals because it is a showcase of one's pure arm talent. But if Reynolds' "manchild" look can extend to his play the rest of the week, a massive recruiting bump could soon be in store.
Here's what 247Sports had to say about Reynolds as a prospect:
"Reynolds is a big, strong multi-sport athlete with some obvious upside to him. He’s not just a talented football player but one of the region’s top baseball prospects as well and committed early to Arizona State before backing off his pledge in late June.
"He has a strong 6-2, 210 pound frame and shows off a strong arm and the ability to get the ball down the field. He can run around and make plays with his legs and looks more like a fullback than a quarterback when he’s running zone read or gets loose in the secondary. He’s a tough kid who will stand in the pocket and take a shot to deliver the football and doesn’t shy away from contact as a runner although he’ll need to temper that some at the college level.
"He’s still raw in some areas as a pure passer and we would like to see him improve his accuracy as well as his TD/INT ratio. Right now, he throws a lot of fastballs and will need to improve on his ability to change speeds and throw with touch. He’s a gamer though and you love the physicality he plays with and the compete level.
"He’s still developing but the physical tools are there and it will be fun to see where his game is at in a few years."
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