Ohio State quarterback commit Air Noland named to 2023 Elite 11 class
REDONDO BEACH, CALIF — Ohio State quarterback commit Air Noland was more than ready for the Elite 11 Finals this week.
The four-star Fairburn (Ga) Langston Hughes prospect and Buckeye commit competed hard all three days of the workout. His performance was among the best of an impressive group, and as a result, Noland was named to the 2023 Elite 11 class.
He is the fourth quarterback recruited by head coach Ryan Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis to finish in the class. C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord, Quinn Ewers and Devin Brown all were named to their respective classes.
The other quarterbacks named to the 2023 class are MVP Julian Sayin, C.J. Carr, Jadyn Davis, Ethan Grunkemeyer, Will Hammond, Hauss Hejny, Colin Hurley, Daniel Kaelin, Luke Kromenhoek, DJ Lagway and Dylan Raiola.
Lettermen Row looks back on the week that was for the Buckeyes’ quarterback commit while at the Elite 11.
All notes below are from On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings, Charles Power.
Day One Notes
Air Noland was right there with Julian Sayin as the most steady passers on Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals. For starters, the lefty signal-caller looked the best we’ve seen him from a physical perspective, continuing to add good weight to his frame. Noland was consistently accurate throughout the evening. He’s an instinctual passer and did a nice job hitting receivers in stride.
While some others would lead pass catchers out of bounds, we saw Noland effectively throw to the right spot, over and over. There were not many truly eye-popping throws from the Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes, product, but his overall consistency lands him in the top five.
Noland did lift and swing his back leg at times and saw a jump in velocity when he kept both feet firmly planted. The Ohio State pledge is the most productive passer on Friday nights among this group and figures to do well in the 7-on-7 portion later in the week, given his track record of picking apart defenses at the high school level.
Day Two Notes
Air Noland lived up to his billing as one of the more natural, accurate passers on hand. The Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes star showed urgency in his drops and throws. Noland delivered his deep passes with nice timing and touch. The overall accuracy and confidence were readily apparent. We charted the Ohio State pledge as accurate on 17 of his 20 passes. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as he’s arguably the cycle’s most accurate passer on Friday nights. Noland did so while working on a script with fewer throws to his strong side. As a lefty, he had to make more cross-body throws than his right-handed peers due to the script’s nature.
Day Three Notes
Air Noland entered the Elite 11 as the most productive and decorated high school player of the group – perhaps by a wide margin. The southpaw passer was among the more accurate and steady passers on Day 1 and Day 2. He showed impressive touch and feel in drill work. Noland threw the ball on time and showed the ability to layer his passes. He parlayed that showing into a strong pro day session on Day 2 – one that was among the best we saw from the group. Noland had a few misfires early on in 7-on-7 play but rebounded to finish strong, completing seven straight passes. While many others in the group have remaining questions about their play on Friday nights (a key factor in evaluations), Noland remains a known commodity and put his best foot forward at the Elite 11 Finals.
