East St. Louis quarterback to compete against nation’s best at elite showcase event

One of the top high school quarterbacks in the Midwest, East St. Louis senior Tyler Macon is getting a chance to compete against the best in the nation.

Macon, a 6-1, 185-pound playmaker who led East St. Louis to the Class 6A state title in November, will compete against 19 of the top high school quarterbacks in the country at the Elite 11 set for June 29-July 1 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Elite 11 is a quarterback competition for high school quarterbacks across the nation. It was founded in 1999 by Andy Bark and continues to be run by his company, Student Sports Inc.

Over the years, 12-24 of the nation’s top quarterbacks have been selected to attend the Elite 11 finals from six-eight regional competitions held across the country where over 400 quarterbacks compete and are evaluated.

The Elite 11 Regional Tour was canceled in early March after two events because of COVID-19. Three finalists were determined at those two regionals, held in Los Angeles and Atlanta. The remainder of the finalists were announced at a later date.

The 2020 Elite 11 Finals will span three days and include on-field drills, routes-on-air, classroom instruction and off-field development. The Elite 11 will be named at the conclusion of The Elite 11 Finals.

A first team all-state selection., Macon gave a verbal commitment to the University of Missouri in March, four months after leading the Flyers to the ninth state title in school history and third under the direction of coach Darren Sunkett.

Macon’s numbers have been amazing in his two years of running the Flyers high-powered offense. In 2019, Macon finished the season with 4,241 passing yards and 827 yards on the ground as he became just the second player in state history to account for over 5,000 yards of total offense (5,068) in a single season. He passed for 39 touchdowns and ran for 17 more.

The Elite 11 is the top high school quarterback camp in the nation. According to the Elite 11 Website, 12 of the last 13 quarterbacks who have won the Heisman Trophy competed in the Elite 11 finals or regionals and 15 of the top rated 20 NFL quarterbacks in 2019 have also been inn the regionals or finals.

Among the top quarterbacks who have competed are Andrew Luck, Matthew Stafford, Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Leinart, Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Vince Young, Kyle Orton, and Troy Smith.

Following is a list of the 2020 Elite 11 finalists

• Tyler Buchner, 6-2, 205, La Jolla, California; Notre Dame recruit
• Dematrius Davis, 5-11, 190, Houston; Auburn recruit
• JJ McCarthy, 6-2, 195, Bradenton, Florida; Michigan recruit
• Drake Maye, 6-5, 210, Charlotte, North Carolina; North Carolina recruit
• Kyle McCord, 6-3, 205, Philadelphia; Ohio State recruit
• Miller Moss, 6-4, 205, Santa Ana, California; USC recruit
• Kaidon Salter, 6-1, 185, Cedar Hill, Texas; Tennessee recruit
• Caleb Williams, 6-4, 210, Washington D.C.; uncommitted
• Sam Huard, 6-2, 175, Burien, Washington; Washington recruit
• Garrett Nussmeier, 6-1 182, Flower Mound, Texas; LSU recruit
• Brock Vandegraff, 6-3, 200, Bogart, Gorgia; Georgia recruit
• Christian Veilleiux, 6-4, 200, Potomac, Maryland; Penn State recruit
• Ty Thompson, 6-4., 200, Gilbert, Arizona; Oregon recruit
• Carlos Del Rio, 6-2, 20, Loganville, Georgia; Florida recruit
• Kyron Drones, 6-2, 195. Pearland, Texas; Baylor recruit
• Behren Morton, 6-3, 185, Eastland, Texas; Texas Tech recruit
• Tyler Macon, 6-1, 185, East St. Louis; Missouri recruit
• Jay Allen, 6-2, 170, Fort Pierce, Florida; Florida recruit (baseball)
• Grayson James, 6-1, 200, Plano, Texas; uncommitted
• Maddox Copp, 6-5, 210, Houston, Texas; uncommitted