Oklahoma State QB commit Luke Del Rio set to compete in Elite 11 finals

Luke Del Rio’s quest to become an Elite 11 quarterback begins this week.

The Oklahoma State commit is one of 25 high school quarterbacks competing in the Elite 11 finals in Redondo Beach, Calif. from Wednesday through Sunday. Being named an Elite 11 quarterback is generally regarded as the highest honor for a high school signal-caller.

Del Rio, the son of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, earned an at-large bid to the finals after an impressive performance in a Columbus Regional. He also participated in the Oakland Regional.

Luke Del Rio said last month that he chose to compete at what was regarded as the toughest regional (Columbus), and then a second regional (Oakland) just a couple weeks later, was to prove — to himself, college coaches, media and recruiting gurus — that he could hang with the best high school quarterbacks in the country.

“I chose the Columbus one because I wanted to see where I stacked up against the best of the best,” Luke Del Rio said. “I thought that I was just as good, if not better, than all of them. Shane Morris has probably the strongest arm I’ve ever seen in a high schooler. Malik Zaire is incredible. Ryan Burns. Those guys are great.

“I got the invite (to the finals) about a week after the Columbus Regional, and I headed out to Oakland, because I knew Max Browne, Cooper Bateman, all those guys were going to be out there. I thought I stacked up with those guys, too.

“I was like, ‘OK I can do this.’ It was a great confidence-booster, because I knew I could do it, but I wanted to know I could do it.”

Luke Del Rio is rated a three-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. He committed to OSU in late May after receiving an offer from Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who was on Jack Del Rio’s staff when he was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This season, Luke Del Rio will play for Valor Christian in Highlands Ranch, Colo. after moving to the Denver area with his family after his father was fired by the Jaguars and hired by the Broncos.

I did this Q&A with Luke Del Rio last month.

Here’s the full list of Elite 11 finalists:

Austin Allen
High school: Fayetteville (Ark.)
Rating: three stars on Rivals (No. 17 pro-style QB); four stars on Scout (No.17 QB)
Committed to: Arkansas

Zach Allen
High school: Temple (Texas)
Rating: three stars on Rivals (No. 22 dual-threat QB); two stars on Scout (No. 82 QB)
Committed to: Syracuse

J.T. Barrett
High school: Rider (Wichita Falls, Texas)
Rating: four stars on Rivals (No. 6 dual-threat QB); four stars on Scout (No. 9 QB)
Committed to: Ohio State

Cooper Bateman
High school: Cotton Wood (Salt Lake City)
Rating: four stars on Rivals (No. 5 pro-style QB); five stars on Scout (No. 2 QB)
Committed to: Alabama

Max Browne
High school: Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Rating: five stars on Rivals (No. 1 pro-style QB); five stars on Scout (No. 1 QB)
Committed to: USC