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His dreams have been realized. Macon and former Nazareth star quarterback J.J. McCarthy – now at IMG Academy in Florida – are two of 20 quarterbacks who have been selected to compete in the 22nd Annual Elite 11 June 29-July 1 in Nashville. The event is the nation's premier quarterback competition. Twenty-five of the 32 current starting quarterbacks in the NFL and 12 of the last 13 quarterbacks who have won the Heisman Trophy have participated in the event, according to the Elite 11 website. That list includes Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans, Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa. "It means a lot, it's a childhood dream of mine. It's a big accolade that shows what I've achieved," said Macon, the 2019 Friday Night Drive Offensive Player of the Year and a Missouri recruit. "Now I want to compete and win it." It is the first time in event history that Illinois has two quarterbacks in the field. In fact, only six other Illinois quarterbacks have competed in the event that started in 1999, most recently former Solorio star Quincy Patterson in 2017. Former Richmond-Burton quarterback Adam Pittser was in the 2010 competition. "I was always a quarterback growing up, and that is one of the best quarterback camps," Macon said. "I made it a goal of mine to have that opportunity to compete in the finals." (Mark Busch)
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McCarthy, like Macon, said it was a "dream come true" to be selected for the Elite 11 event. "Every QB growing up dreams about competing against on that stage against the best in the country," said McCarthy, who transferred from Nazareth to IMG Academy in May. McCarthy said he didn't know how the Elite 11 was going to select the quarterbacks this year. Quarterbacks had to do virtual workouts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. McCarthy, a Michigan recruit and the second-ranked pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2021 by the 247Sports Composite, threw for 2,704 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior in leading Nazareth to second place in Class 7A. He led the Roadrunners to the Class 7A state title as a sophomore. "The 2021 class of quarterbacks is stacked this year, and it's so cool I get to have the experience with my boy Tyler Macon," McCarthy said. "I was so honored to be selected." Macon threw for more than 4,000 yards and rushed for 829 as a junior in leading East St. Louis to a 14-0 record and the Class 6A state championship last fall. The 6-foot, 180-pound dual-threat quarterback committed to Missouri in March. In previous years he competed at the regional competition. "They called me to tell me that I was one of the finalists, and it blew my mind," Macon said. "I wasn't expecting that." The three-day finals event includes on-field drills, routes-on-air, classroom instruction and off-field development. It is closed to the public this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Macon has been preparing by going to his quarterback trainer four days a week weightlifting trainer. "I'm very confident in my abilities," Macon said. "It's me going out there and competing, not letting the moment get too big for me." McCarthy, like Macon, knows a lot of the other quarterbacks in the event. "I know a lot of the guys personally from camps or social media like Kyle McCord, Sam Huard, Brock Vandagriff, Tyler Buchner, and Miller Moss. I am looking forward to meeting the other guys too," McCarthy said. "All of us are going to compete our butts off but there can only be one winner. I can't wait to pick the brains from all the coaches and take back as much information as possible to implement in my game. The talent is absolutely insane. I can't wait to get there." McCarthy's spent much of his time recently training outside with his quarterback coach Greg Holcomb. "I've been working hard to maintain my strength and flexibility during the quarantine," McCarthy said. "It's been different for everyone but my mindset is focused on making every day matter." (Mike Mantucca)