Kentucky QB commit Jake Nawrot named top performer of Elite 11 regionals

The future of Kentucky football looks to be in good hands.

Before he could even coach a game in Lexington, new head coach Will Stein went out and landed one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks. Class of 2027 recruit Jake Nawrot chose the Wildcats over the likes of Iowa, Oregon, and Kansas State back in April. He was already considered a four-star quarterback at the time, but now he’s competing to be the top-ranked gunslinger in the entire class.

Nawrot is one of 20 high school quarterbacks competing in the Elite 11 Finals this week in Los Angeles. Ahead of the premier event, where the Illinois native could propel himself to five-star status with a standout performance, Rivals named him the No. 1 QB from the Elite 11 regional workout, beating out the likes of Trae Taylor (Nebraska), Israel Abrams (Miami), and Peter Bourque (Virginia Tech) — who are all considered top 10 quarterbacks in the 2027 cycle.

“Jake Nawrot put together the most consistent regional workout from start to finish,” wrote Charles Power, who is Rivals’ Director of Scouting and Recruiting. “The Kentucky commit is coordinated in rhythm from the ground up, allowing him to be naturally accurate and under control. He consistently stuck throws on receivers with good zip. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder dropped the ball over receivers’ shoulders on vertical routes and was one of the few finalists who was under control when rolling and throwing to his left.

“While others had to make the decision to take some velocity off of passes in order to throw accurately, Nawrot was able to stay on target without sacrificing RPMs or consistency. He looked to have the fewest number of errant passes of the group. There are some Elite 11 Finalists with more natural arm action, but Nawrot’s ability to be both assertive and controlled made him a standout across the board in his regional workout, which came one day after a playoff basketball game.”

Nawrot can back up that No. 1 ranking when the Elite 11 Finals begin on Friday, May 29.

Top performers from the Elite 11 regionals🎯

(via @CharlesPower)

Read: https://t.co/ip0XmBzkW5 pic.twitter.com/G46LMfyBdo

— Rivals (@Rivals) May 26, 2026

There is a legitimate chance that Kentucky ends the 2027 cycle with the top-ranked quarterback in the class. Rivals’ own rankings currently have Nawrot as the second-best QB in the class and 27th-best player overall. The only signal caller ahead of him right now is Oregon commit Will Mencl (No. 13 overall), who will also participate in the Elite 11 Finals this week. Nawrot is the headliner of a Kentucky recruiting class that ranks 18th nationally and seventh-best in the SEC.

We’ll be keeping plenty of tabs on Nawrot here at KSR as he begins his Elite 11 Finals run this weekend.

Let’s not forget that Stein also has another highly-ranked quarterback in the fold. Four-star class of 2026 QB Matt Ponatoski committed to the previous Kentucky staff, but stuck with the Wildcats through the transition phase. Ponatoski finished as the No. 234 overall prospect in 2026 and the 14th-best QB. He’ll be a true freshman this fall and expects to play for the baseball program, as well. There are high hopes for Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey going into the 2026 season as QB1.

Kentucky isn’t used to having this much talent at the quarterback position. It sure does feel nice for a change.