Plant’s Ely among nations elite passers

Posted Jul 16, 2010 by Katherine Smith

Updated Jul 16, 2010 at 05:30 PM

With two state championship rings and a 19-0 record as a starter, Plant’s Phillip Ely has established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in Florida. Now Ely will get a chance to see how he stacks up against some of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

Ely received an invitation to participate in the annual Elite 11 Quarterback Camp next week in California, an event that selects the top 12 rising senior passers in the country and pits them against each other in vigorous workouts and drills. Two years ago, Ely’s predecessor Aaron Murray was named MVP of the prestigious camp.

Other quarterbacks who have participated in the camp include Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and Vince Young. The four-day camp begins Monday. Other quarterbacks participating are Miami Northwestern’s Teddy Bridgewater, a University of Miami commit, recent Florida commit Jeff Driskel from Oviedo Hagerty High, and Cody Kessler, a USC commit, from California’s Centennial High.

Ely got his first start at quarterback in 2008 after Murray broke his leg midway through the season. He helped guide the Panthers deep into the playoffs before Murray returned. Last season, Ely missed the start of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back, but was able to return in time for another state title run.

With nearly 30 Division I scholarship offers, including Arizona State, LSU, Purdue and USF, Ely received another national invitation in May. Along with teammate James Wilder, Jr., he has been invited to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game.