The Elite 11 Finals are underway, and current Gator commit Will Griffin is not among the ranked QBs at the annual camp. Of the 19 high school QBs invited to the camp, Griffin has not found himself among the "top 11" in the country.
Rival fans will probably seize upon this as a sign the Gators are screwed once Lagway leaves. Those same rival fans also forget what happened when Lagway himself attended this camp.
Will Griffin not ranked at Elite 11 Finals
When Lagway attended the Elite 11 Finals himself in 2023, he, too, was ranked low at the camp. This led him to take to social media and tweet out one of the more famous lines he has had as a Gator:
"When those pads get on we gone see who REALLY liked that."
The problem with making bold proclamations about QBs based on these camps is that they don't replicate real football. QBs aren't reading real coverages, have zero fear of getting hit, are working with wide receivers they have never worked with before, and it neuters guys who can run.
His Griffin's low ranking at Elite 11 isn't a surprise by any means. Back in June of 2023, when Griffin saw his ranking arbitrarily drop in the summer, we said:
"He has traits on film that work wonders in a real game but don't necessarily translate into a 7-on-7 camp, which is the fuel for the wild swings in off-season ranking adjustments we see every year."
Griffin is the type of player who thrives once the pads come on. He threw for 24 touchdowns against just four interceptions this past season while also running for another five touchdowns.
Don't fret about his ranking this weekend or the fact that ESPN is the only service that has him ranked at all. Griffin is going to be just fine once he arrives in Gainesville.
Just ask DJ Lagway.