Michigan State pledge named to Elite 11

Eric Lacy : The Detroit News

Midland native Andrew Maxwell, a Michigan State football pledge for 2009, was named Tuesday by ESPN as one of the Elite 11 quarterbacks in the country.

The Elite 11 is an event providing the nation's top signal callers high-level instruction from various experts in the game. It will be held July 21-24 in Southern California.

Maxwell was notified Sunday of his Elite 11 status and said camp organziers said they were impressed with his quick release and footwork in his high school's pro-style offense.

"It's an opportunity of a lifetime," Maxwell said. "I'll get to measure myself against some of the country's best."

Maxwell takes pride in being one of the only elite level throwers to ever come out of Midland.

"I feel lucky," Maxwell said. "It's a testament to our state, my city, our league and shows the kind of players we are capable of putting out there.

"It's not all about me, there's a ton of great players and I hope this opens some eys and shows there are a lot of players here that are pretty fierce about football."

More than 1,000 high school quarterbacks are evaluated by ESPN RISE's Nike Camp and EA Sports' Elite 11 regional camp to earn the honor, according to an ESPN press release.

During the 2007 season, Maxwell (6-foot-3, 193 pounds) led Midland High with 2,024 yards passing, 18 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 14 games.

Maxwell is ranked a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and ranked No. 11 at his position nationally by the recruiting service.

Midland coach Eric Methner is happy for Maxwell becasue he's "a team first guy" who isn't afraid to give maximum effort.

"I'm just tickled to death that he's being recognized for all the hard work he's put in," Methner said. "He's a workaholic, those 6:30 in the morning workouts with me, him and the other quarterbacks have really paid off."

Notable Elite 11 alumni include the Tennessee Titans' Vince Young, the Arizona Cardinals' Matt Leinart and the Oakland Raiders' JaMarcus Russell.

All quarterbacks selected from the camp will compete against each other and receive teaching from counselors including college players Colt McCoy (Texas), Curtis Painter (Purdue) and Mark Sanchez (Southern California).

Former Spartans player Drew Stanton, now with the Lions, is an Elite 11 alumnus along with Keith Nichol, a current MSU player from Lowell, Mich., who transferred last spring from Oklahoma.