Takeaways and Scout Look from Elite 11 Austin

[CJ Vogel]

The Elite 11 took place on Sunday at Austin Westlake HS a few miles from downtown Austin.

Of course, the big name in attendance was Texas commit KJ Lacey who received an invitation to the Elite 11 Finals in California later this summer. 

Elite 11 Finals invites: KJ Lacey, Kevin Sperry, Keelon Russell

Lacey of course stuck around in Austin Monday morning for the spring practice. 2027 Shreveport (LA) QB Peyton Houston also stuck around to view practice this morning. Houston holds six offers at the moment – Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Grambling State.

But here are my biggest takeaways from the day of throwing:

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KJ Lacey

I really enjoy watching KJ Lacey in action. He has a smoothness to his game that is evident when you watch him in person. More so than anything, when Lacey is outside of the pocket he really has a natural release on passes down the field when he rolls to either side of the field. Lacey is a pure thrower and displayed plenty of arm talent. Like Quinn Ewers, I question his fast ball, but when he gets in a rhythm you rarely see misses on passes down the field.

On top of anything else that happened on the field Sunday for Lacey, he confirmed he is locked in with the Longhorns and is looking forward to his three additional trips to Austin this spring/summer.

Keelon Russell – SMU Commit

The drills yesterday really allowed for me to get an idea of Russell as a thrower of the ball. I know he is a playmaker and can create explosive plays as a QB. Russell did well yesterday, well enough to earn MVP of the Elite 11 festivities.

I will add I think there is a bit more life on passes thrown by Russell than others in attendance. He has a big arm and certainly uses his frame to his advantage as a quarterback. Russell has some fine tuning to do on the technical side of things, but he has plenty of potential. 

2026 Jake Fette – Del Valle (El Paso) HS

For my money's worth, Fette had the most impressive arm of anyone in attendance. The El Paso native debuted as a 5-star on the initial On3 2026 recruiting rankings. The ball truly zips out of his hand upon release. 

Fette told me he is very high on TCU and Texas Tech for the time being. The Tech staff has done a fine job of evaluating early and prioritizing him so far. Fette told me Texas did not stop by in the winter, however he is expecting AJ Milwee to make the trek west this spring to see him throw in person.

2027 Weston Nielsen – Bastrop HS

I was able to watch Nielsen in person for a weight session earlier this offseason where I got a first glance at his athleticism. This might sound a bit out of the blue, but Nielsen reminds me of former Westlake QB Cade Klubnik, just a notch or two lower on the athleticism scale. Nielsen will need to improve his footwork in the pocket, but his arm talent is undeniable at this age.

Nielsen will camp with the Longhorns on June 1 – Milwee stopped by Bastrop this winter and will return in the spring to see him throw. He currently holds 11 offers. 

 

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[CJ Vogel]

 

[Horns3488]

Do you see Keon Russell as a Jayden Daniel’s comp?

[CJ Vogel]

29 minutes ago, Horns3488 said:

Do you see Keon Russell as a Jayden Daniel’s comp?

The deep ball is what made Daniels so special in 2023. I think Russell has that in his game, though there needs to be a continued improvement in the short-intermediate range.

[John Moore]

2027 QB Peyton Houston had a really good day and was at practice today