Burk Blasius represented South Dakota at an elite football camp on April 30. 

The Wall High School standout participated at the Elite 11 Regional in Eugene, Oregon. The Elite 11 is the premier quarterback event in the nation, bringing together the nation’s top signal callers each offseason to compete and improve their skill set both on and off-the-field. 

The Elite 11 regional in Oregon featured quarterbacks from the West Coast, East Coast and the World’s Largest Drug Store. 

“It was a really cool opportunity for me to be a South Dakota kid, especially a small town kid to be able to compete in an event that large,” Blasius said.  

The event was highlighted by Arizona’s Dylan Raiola, the nation’s No. 1 player according to multiple recruiting services. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound quarterback is considering Georgia, Nebraska, Oregon and USC. 

It also included other top Class of 2024 quarterbacks, including Class of 2025 and 2026 prospects. 

“It was fun to compare myself against them and pick out what part of my game I could work on for sure,” Blasius said. “So there’s a lot of top talent. So it was good to compare myself and see how much work I need to progress.”

Wall's Burk Blasius, left, carries the ball against New Underwood last season in Wall. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

A 6-foot, 175-pounder, Blasius has turned into one of the state’s top quarterbacks the past two seasons. Blasius completed 107 of 145 passes for 2,078 yards and 27 touchdowns for the 2022 Class 9AA state champs. 

Blasius submitted an application, stats and Hudl highlights in order to participate at the camp. He anxiously waited a couple of months before hearing back from camp organizers. 

At the camp, quarterbacks went through instructional drills, accuracy competitions and two-minute drills. They also did combine testing drills.

“It really helped me compare myself to these top-level QBs and I was able to pinpoint down what I need to continue to work on and what I need to continue to do, to improve my game and to be a better QB,” Blasius said. “That’s probably the biggest thing I took away from the camp. My footwork I thought was pretty solid. So getting flick of the wrist a little better and getting that ball to spin a little faster. Those are some of the bigger things those top QBs are able to do effectively.”

The regional in Eugene is one of eight regionals throughout the country. The top Class of 2024 signal callers will be selected for the Elite 11 Finals. Raiola was selected from the Eugene regional to compete in the finals. 

Blasius, however, was grateful for the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of elite competition and evaluators. 

“It was good to showcase what I had in my arsenal and it was a great opportunity for me to show my skills to big recruiting guys,” Blasius said. “It’s great to get your name a little farther out there and hopefully I continue to improve my game and I continue to get more looks.”

Blasius hopes to attend more football camps this summer, including at South Dakota State University or a Rivals Camp. 

Blasius, who also rodeos and wrestles, hasn’t made a full decision on what he’ll do in college. But football is definitely on his mind. 

“I love the game of football,” Blasius said. “I love to play it and if I get to play somewhere, I’d love to give it a shot.”