What I Learned From 17 Years of Elite 11—and This Year’s QBs Got It Right
Inside the 2025 Elite 11 Finals: Process Over Hype, Quarterback Growth, and a Personal Goodbye
In 2009, I was asked to host an Elite 11 regional in Orlando, Florida. I had just left coaching at USC, was stepping into the media world, and needed something to satisfy my deep passion for football.
As camp ended that hot summer afternoon, I found myself sitting in the middle of the field with Travis Trickett (now coaching at West Virginia) and his younger brother Clint (currently at Jacksonville State). The sons of Rick Trickett—one of college football’s legendary offensive line coaches—these two brothers had come to the regional camp to listen, learn, and compete.
Clint was a high-profile quarterback headed to Florida State. Travis was a rising coach on his own journey.
That afternoon, a friendship was born. And while I didn’t know it then, so was my introduction to the Elite 11 fraternity due to an invite from Elite 11 founder and now dear friend, Andy Bark.
Seventeen years later, I’m honored to still be a part of Elite 11. From regional camps to the Finals, this event has been a thread through every stage of my life—single to married, no kids to two sons, and fellow coaches who’ve become like family.
Elite 11 has also grown into more than a competition. It’s a global community with a dedicated following. Young quarterbacks dream of making it. Alumni yearn to come back.
And the 2025 Finals were no different.
Twenty quarterbacks from 14 states descended on Los Angeles this week, each chasing the dream of being named MVP. But within minutes of our first meeting, that goal was reframed.
Elite 11 President Brian Stumpf opened with a line that sliced right through any rising performance anxiety: “Fellas, connect to the process over the hype.”
And they did.
This class bought in. They were present. They embraced coaching.
They were not worried about rankings, NIL or the opinions on social media. They were confident enough to say, “I don’t know,” again and again. And vulnerable enough to let their guard down and lean into each other’s stories.
Throughout the week, they explored high performance psychology, media training, and X’s and O’s. They meditated on gratitude with Dr. Michael Gervais, learned how to pop up on a surfboard with Slader Bark and Joe Murphy, and trained their eyes and feet with some of the best personal QB coaches in the nation.
They listened to Cade Klubnik and Maalik Murphy—Elite 11 classmates from 2021—share their bespoke journeys. Klubnik enters his third year as the starter at Clemson. Murphy is now at his third school, Oregon State.
Players and parents alike were reminded that the only guarantee in football—and in life—is that things won’t go as as they planned. To reinforce that, each QB was gifted a copy of 5-Star QB, backed with data and truth.
And then there was Jared Goff.
The Detroit Lions QB spoke with calm intensity as he reflected on his 2012 Elite 11 experience—home of the most grueling workout in event history. Don’t believe me? Watch this.
For the past 15 years, we’ve chosen a theme for the Finals. This year’s was no different—“Chase What Matters.”
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you’ve seen that phrase. My research continues to show that the most impactful people—leaders, coaches, teams, parents, professionals—all share a common trait: They Chase What Matters.
They have clarity on what’s most important.
They carry confidence in that clarity.
And they live with disciplined urgency.
As I write this flying to Hawaii, my heart is with my wife and her family. A few weeks ago, her uncle passed away unexpectedly. He was the patriarch—the one who walked her up the aisle at our wedding in Bali, and the first in his family to immigrate to the United States.
Seung Ho Baek was a remarkable man. Selfless. Generous. A spirit that lit up every room.
If he were a quarterback, we’d say he had the It Factor. He made everyone around him better.
His family described him as a man who lived “a life marked by intellectual curiosity, integrity, and quiet generosity.” He earned 38 U.S. patents as an innovator. But what I’ll remember most is how he made me feel.
When he walked my wife up that aisle, he radiated pride. He wasn’t just representing his family—he was blessing a growing one.
He was on my mind a lot during the Finals, partly because he loved the Texas Longhorns and Dia Bell was balling all week and also during media training with the QBs—a role I’ve had for more than a decade.
In one of our sessions, I shared the four pillars that make up a memorable story:
A great character
A powerful journey
High stakes along the way
And a meaningful resolution
Then I reminded them of something my friend and Big Ten Network colleague Ashley Adamson taught me years ago: “The best stories make you feel something.”
Uncle Baek did that. And so did this year’s QB class.
Yes, they’re high-profile recruits. But more than that, they’re thoughtful and curious.
They’re often told who they are, who they compare to, and how they should live. But they’ll leave the Elite 11 Finals with something more foundational:
- A mission.
- A vision.
- A set of values.
And the ability to define what matters most.
As this year’s Finals come to a close, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for that day in 2009. For the thousands of conversations since. For the chance to watch young men become real men. To go to their weddings and pick up the phone when they are cut. To read a text when they become a father and to hear a voicemail saying they’ve been sober for 5 years.
I know I can speak on behalf of our staff when I say we are grateful for their trust in our staff, their courage to let it rip and their grace in getting back up when they fall.
I don’t know if I’ll be doing this for another 17 years, but I’ll damn sure compete to be there.
Football brings us together. But it’s the post-practice talks, the walks off the field, the quiet connections—that keep us coming back.
Process over hype.
Yeah… that works just fine.
Much love, congratulations to the 2025 Elite 11 class and stay steady,
Yogi
P.S. Every summer camp should have a surfing component.
Blessed brother, appreciate you.