David Blough football recruit updates: Texas QB committed to Purdue

The initial list of 11 for the Elite 11 quarterback finals was released Monday, and includes some surprising results, including the diminutive David Blough as the No. 1 QB, the inclusion of Luke Rubenzer, and the exclusion of David Cornwell. Of course, this list is preliminary, and can change. The rankings are based on on and off-field performance, of which the media gets to see only a fraction due to drastic new media restrictions put in place for 2013.

Here is the group, in order.

PORTLAND, Oregon -- At some point, it just made sense all around.

Carrollton (Texas) Creekview quarterback David Blough was cited by Elite 11 head coach Trent Dilfer as one of the six standouts from the first three days of the finals. Despite being listed at 6’1, Blough plays bigger than his size and has drawn praise for his high-level mechanics, which allow him to leverage the football to the greatest extent possible, meaning that he can achieve accuracy and velocity that are unusual for his size.

18 quarterbacks have been selected to the Elite 11 Finals at The Opening 2013. Of those, only 11 are among the 22 quarterbacks currently rated four-stars or higher based on an average of the four major recruiting services (247sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout). The other seven are rated as three-stars, but impressed the Elite 11 staff enough to earn the invite.

Quarterbacks are selected to the event based on a number of factors (at right). Of course, some players with the four-star tag were not eligible to be selected because they did not attend one of 13 regional events.

David Blough is a quarterback recruit out of Carrollton (Texas) Creekview High School. The 6’1, 180-pound Blough is one of the major underdogs in the Elite 11. Small in stature, and with offers from only Memphis, New Mexico State, and Purdue, to where he committed, many have questioned his selection. Blough will come in with something to prove. Blough became the fifth invitee to the Elite 11 and 69th to The Opening when New Orleans Saints QB and fellow Texas native Drew Brees announced the selection via Twitter on May 6. The senior-to-be was All-District 10-4A last season after throwing for 1,777 yards and 17 TDs with only three picks. An outstanding student with a 3.9 GPA and 1130 SAT, he shined throughout the Elite 11 Regional in Chicago. On June 15 he announced he’d attend Brees’ alma mater, Purdue.

Blough is on Twitter at @David_Blough10, and his highlights are available here.