REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Ty Evans Earns an Invite to Nike’s “The Opening”…

After moving past the regional tryout in Dallas, Ty Evans, a University of Colorado commit, spent four days in Redondo Beach competing in the Elite 11 Finals tryout alongside the top 24 quarterbacks in the country. The final 3 day competition consisted of approximately 34 hours, multiple on-field drills, a pro day showcase, live 7v7 games, extensive classroom instruction, and NFL style off-field development programs. All while their on and off field demeanor was being constantly critiqued. The Elite 11 Coaches reranked each quarterback after every competition and shared the rankings with the QBs everyday.

“Being able to play right beside the best quarterbacks in the country doesn’t happen everyday. The competition really pushed me to be the best I could be” -Evans said while recapping the weekend.

The coaches ranked the athletes with a holistic approach by rating their performance on and off the field. In the weeks leading up to the competition, the QBs were assigned to write essays, complete multiple personality questionnaires and memorize a lengthy playbook with multiple concepts. The coaches then combined both on and off field results to decide who best represents the top 12 quarterbacks in the country. Evans was impressed by the lifelong lessons he was taught at the Elite 11 by stating, “off the field, the Elite 11 really focused on the all around person, not just the football player. The motto of the competition was ‘I am’, which means that our focus needs to to be more than just being another athlete in a jersey, but instead being a good person and living our life the right way”. The players went through exercises such as writing down 50 things they wanted to accomplish outside of football. The players listened to the coaches personal testimonies, which emphasized the importance of how the athletes have the opportunity to use their platforms to positively influence others.

After three exhausting days of back to back competitions, the final rankings were posted, which placed Ty Evans in the top 12 spots giving him the invitation to The Nike Opening on July 1-3 in Dallas, Texas. The Opening Finals combines these top 12 quarterbacks with the other top skill players from around the country in 7v7 competition, which is televised by ESPN.

With a month to prepare, Evans emphasized the importance of being physically and mentally prepared, by stating,

“To prepare physically, I will be taking as many private lessons as I can with Tim Jenkins, as well as practicing with my high school team. Mentally I will be learning the playbook, keeping a positive mindset, and preparing myself to be the best quarterback I can be.”