Ohio State 2024 Commit Air Noland Dominates Elite 11 Finals Day 1
Ohio State Buckeyes class of 2024 quarterback commit Air Noland is the fifth Buckeyes' gunslinger to participate in the Elite 11 Finals since 2017.
His mission of taking home the MVP is off to a good start, as he was one of three quarterbacks to be named to the day 1 MVPs list across the three major recruiting services: On3, 247Sports and Rivals. Noland was ranked fifth by On3, fourth by 247Sports and first by Rivals after Wednesday's workouts.
The other two quarterbacks to earn that distinct honor were 2024 commits Florida State's Luke Kromenhoek and Alabama's Julian Sayin.
Here's what each recruiting service said about Noland's performance.
Rivals Andrew Gorney and John Garcia, Jr. ranked Noland first:
"From the first moment Noland strolled down the stadium stairs at Redondo Union High School, he carried an improved build and held onlookers' attention with his consistency. The timing, touch and accuracy were on full display for the ultra-productive state championship passer, who also showed off his connection to future Ohio State teammate Jeremiah Smith on several head-turning occasions. Noland is known for being an elite distributor with short to intermediate prowess, but getting to the third level wasn't an issue on Wednesday evening. He contended well in the rail shot throw-off to close out the event, too."
247Sports' Andrew Ivens ranked Noland fourth:
"Noland showed up dialed in and hit his marks early and often. The lefty has a lightning-quick release and excels at driving the ball toward the sidelines. He thrived when he was asked to play-action fake and then throw across his body towards the corner pylon."
On3's Charles Power ranked Noland fifth:
"Air Noland was right there with Julian Sayin as the most steady passers on Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. For starters, the lefty signal-caller looked the best we’ve seen him from a physical perspective, continuing to add good weight to his frame. Noland was consistently accurate throughout the evening. He’s an instinctual passer and did a nice job hitting receivers in stride. While some others would lead pass catchers out of bounds, we saw Noland effectively throw to the right spot, over and over. There were not many truly eye-popping throws from the Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes, product, but his overall consistency lands him in the top five. Noland did lift and swing his back leg at times and saw a jump in velocity when he kept both feet firmly planted. The Ohio State pledge is the most productive passer on Friday nights among this group and figures to do well in the 7-on-7 portion later in the week, given his track record of picking apart defenses at the high school level."
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