Jack Elliott of Mount Carmel – Shaw Local

No matter how an opposing coach or player broached the subject, Jack Elliott always seemed to come back after a game against Mount Carmel this season.

Sometimes the conversation would start after a question about how difficult it was to stop Elliott.

“Just watching him on film and seeing him in person, even if you think a guy has a point of view on him, he just outranks him,” Joliet Catholic coach Jake Jaworski said. “He’s pretty shifty and he looks like a running back who can really throw the ball as well.”

Other times, Elliott would arrive without provocation.

“Jack is a heck of an athlete,” Loyola senior quarterback Ryan Fitzgerald said. “He probably is, in my four years of playing I obviously went against Darrion (Dupree) and other guys, but Jack is just versatile, he can do everything, but he has that factor. That’s why they’re really successful. It’s something coaches want.

No matter how Elliott presented himself, after a win or loss, the feeling was almost always the same.

“He’s the best player in the state, Jack Elliott,” St. Rita head coach Martin Hopkins said. “He does a lot for this team and he’s a special athlete. His will and determination say a lot about him. You can see it has this factor.

Elliott’s ‘it’ factor was the difference in a season where he and the Caravan overcame obstacles to win the IHSA record 16th state championship and the program’s third straight crown . That “it” factor is why he’s Friday Night Drive’s 2024 Offensive Player of the Year.

This honor came after a season that didn’t go the way Elliott hoped or wanted. Elliott gained a lot of attention before his senior season after contributing to the 2021 Class 7A state champion as a backup, then seamlessly transitioned to starter as a junior, winning another championship as a starter.

After committing to Vanderbilt in April, Elliott appeared ready to end his high school career to once again lead a dynamic offense with impressive numbers.

Then the continuous roadblocks began.

Week 1: An AC sprain in his pitching shoulder as well as cramping in various parts of his body against The Hun School of New Jersey.

Week 3: Damaged ligaments in his throwing hand against Nazareth.

Week 5: New shoulder injury against Benet.

Even though he has never felt 100% since the start of the season, Elliott has only missed one of the Caravan’s 14 games.

“I was going to want our team to win no matter what,” Elliott said. “This turned out to be probably the toughest state championship of the three.”

Mount Carmel coach Jordan Lynch had to adjust the Caravan offense due to Elliott’s injury. Lynch couldn’t utilize Elliott’s full potential as a dual threat and the Caravan had to rely on their new playmakers like senior Cooper Leham, sophomore Quentin Burrell and freshman Marshawn Thornton .

Lynch could see Elliott’s frustrated wounds even if he didn’t show it. Elliott continued to lead on and off the field despite his personal obstacles.

“There are two types of kids in this world: There’s a kid who has, especially these days, a scholarship offer, you could have easily wrapped him up and just supported him from the sidelines, not rushed and prepare for its future,” Lynch said. “But this kid got an offer from the SEC, he committed, but the only thing he wants to do is win a state championship and be on the field, so he rushes in and helps his team to win a state championship.”

Once Elliott got as close to 100% as possible for the playoffs, the Caravan showed his full potential. Mount Carmel averaged 50.2 points per game in the playoffs and became the first three-loss Caravan team to win a title. Elliott also broke the IHSA Class 7A state championship game with six touchdown passes.

“He’s the best player in the state, Jack Elliott. He does a lot for this team and he’s a special athlete. His will and determination say a lot about him. You can see it has this factor.

— Martin Hopkins, head coach of Sainte-Rita

Elliott finished the season with 3,147 rushing yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions and led the team with 858 rushing yards and 18 additional touchdowns. He earned CCL/ESCC Blue Offensive Player of the Year and all-state honors from the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.

Although it didn’t go the way he planned, Elliott showed how dangerous he can be when he’s close to 100%.

“Jack’s a guy that when he gets into rhythm, you’re screwed on the other side of the ball,” Lynch said. “Whoever plays him, you’re in trouble.” You better burn three timeouts in a row to kind of slow down some momentum, because he’s going to start going and he’s going to have that level of confidence and that competitiveness that, especially for a 17, 18 year old kid, it’s scary. It’s scary to see.

Lynch has no doubt Elliott will bring that tough mentality with him to Vanderbilt. It felt like schools were under-recruiting Elliott given his strengths as both a passer and runner.

Elliott is ready to be part of the conversation at the college level.

“No one is better than me,” Elliott said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re DRY or whatever. I mean, I feel like I was overlooked and recruited, and Vanderbilt gave me this one opportunity. So I’m going to give them everything.