FSU football has not had strong QB play since Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston departed to become the No. 1 overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.
However, Mike Norvell has made addressing the quarterback position a priority since arriving in December 2019.
Norvell quickly signed two quarterbacks in the Early Signing Period and brought in UCF transfer quarterback McKenzie Milton to compete for the job in 2021.
The future looks bright in Tallahassee, as Mike Norvell and Kenny Dillingham have addressed the future at the position with 2022 QB commit AJ Duffy.
The blue-chip QB is participating in the Elite 11 competition this week with some of the best quarterback recruits in the nation.
Here’s how they rank some of the players after different events.
#Elite11 Finals Rankings prior post-Pro Day workout, prior to Mega-Target Challenge
— Elite11 (@Elite11) July 2, 2021
*determined by Elite 11 coaching staff - 50% junior season film & performance/50% camp eval & physical traits pic.twitter.com/Hui7HMITLS
AJ Duffy didn’t have a junior season because of COVID-19 restrictions in his home state of California, so that automatically reduces his score. However, he performed well in the footage below:
#FSU commit AJ Duffy during his Elite11 Pro Day pic.twitter.com/vFDYJrJBe6
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) July 2, 2021
Florida State commit AJ Duffy at Elite 11 this morning pic.twitter.com/aXgT9rFQFX
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) July 2, 2021
#FSU QB commit AJ Duffy at Elite11 Finals pic.twitter.com/r82Sa7td7x
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) July 1, 2021
AJ Duffy to Jordan Williams for 6 as @TheOpening 7On kicks off tonight pic.twitter.com/D3lbSO4WMZ
— John Garcia, Jr. (@JohnGarcia_Jr) July 3, 2021
#FSU gets a shoutout from QB commit @anthonyjduffy at @Elite11. #Noles
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) July 2, 2021
Duffy has a nice, compact delivery, and throws a nice deep ball. @on3sports pic.twitter.com/CUYqt1gQ8K
Duffy not having junior film isn’t fair to him, nor does it make any sense to have that as part of their assessment. Shouldn’t they be graded solely on what they do at the Elite 11 competition? Isn’t it possible they have improved in the past year?
Anyways, when it was time for 7on7’s, that’s when it seems AJ Duffy shined the brightest.
Sounds like AJ Duffy is your guy when those lights come on 🤫👍🍢 pic.twitter.com/4aaphSvAQb
— Kelvin Hunt (@khchopchat) July 3, 2021
I know it’s not playing in pads, but it’s the closest thing the players will have to actual game reps. Duffy ranks as the No. 73 player overall and No. 9 pro-style quarterback in the nation on the composite rankings. However, that includes 247’s ranking of him as the No. 147 player and No. 11 quarterback.
Duffy should get an increase in his rating from 247 when they update their rankings, as I believe Duffy is one of the top 6-7 quarterbacks in the nation.
AJ Duffy has hinted he plans to enroll in the spring at FSU football. If that’s the case, there’s a strong possibility he’ll challenge for the job as a freshman.