Vanderbilt Commodores Quarterback Commit Says He Wants to Prove Doubters Wrong
The Vanderbilt Commodores have always been doubted, and that's a huge reason why their 2024 season caught so many by surprise with the first winning campaign and first bowl victory in over a decade.
Apparently their newest quarterback recruit isn't any different.
Three-star signal caller Jack Elliot of Mount Carmel High School in the Chicago area is ranked by 247Sports' Composite Rankings as the No. 1192 player in the country, the No. 70 quarterback, and just the No. 31 overall player in the state of Illinois.
Despite the fact he led his program to three state championships and had just four total losses during his last three years, Elliot was told consistently by Power 4 programs that he was too small and slow to play at that level.
The Commodores were the only one to offer outside of Ivy League programs.
Elliot told 247Sports about what has motivated him in high school, and how that will drive him at the next level.
"All of high school, not really anyone thought of me as like the top guy," Elliott said. "I went out there and did it, did my thing, put my head down and worked. I just like held myself to a higher standard than what others were trying to hold me to. I know what I need to do to be the best and that's what I did."
He expressed his excitement about the return of star quarterback Diego Pavia and the opportunity to learn under someone who has shown a demonstrated ability to be successful in the Vanderbilt offense.
"He's got that juice and just being able to learn from someone that's like a good leader and see how he leads, and I say I'm not gonna be the same type of leader, do the same exact things as Diego, but being able to pick up on stuff that he does well and be able to elevate that as well. So having a whole year under him will be really good," he said.
He would go on to confirm the Commodores program is in very good future hands, sharing his mentality that gives him confidence on the field.
"I've been a winner my whole life, It's what I do," Elliot definitively declared. "I'm just gonna do whatever it takes to win. There's definitely been high school games where we play tough competition or there's not much open, so I'll put 25 carries on and 15 throws or I'll throw it 40 times and run it five times. I'll do whatever it takes to win."
While Pavia is going to be the main man in the offense once again, giving Elliot a chance to learn for a full season and figure out what it takes to be a high level college football player in the SEC could put Vanderbilt in a position where they are able to continue their success once Pavia moves on.
