Tennessee football: Kaidon Salter catches Trent Dilfer’s eye at Elite 11 Finals

Kaidon Salter is representing the Tennessee football Volunteers’ 2021 class at these finals.

Hype behind dual-threat quarterback Kaidon Salter continues to grow. It took just one day for the one quarterback commitment in the 2021 Tennessee football recruiting class to make a splash at the Elite 11 Finals.

A four-star on 247Sports and 247Sports Composite but a three-star on Rivals, the Cedar Hill, Texas prospect stands at 6’1″ 185 pounds. He caught the eye of Trent Dilfer, not for his mobility, but for his passing.

The Super Bowl championship quarterback serving as head coach of the event noted specific players who stood out to him on the first day of the event. While Washington, D.C. prospect Caleb Williams stood out above everybody, Salter, was among the nine players who caught Dilfer’s eye, according to Steve Wiltfong of GoVols247. Here’s what he said.

"“Way more organized as a passer than his tape showed,” Dilfer said. “He was really, really clean and there is some juice in that body, wow! It wouldn’t surprise me if he can take one step and 360 dunk. He has that kind of juice in his body. Super coachable, they threw these inside seam shots, right, left, one high, benders, stay skinny and they cross. First rep may not have been perfect and I watch the second rep and his correction rep was money time after time after time.”"

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With 20 competitors overall at this three-day event, Salter being one of the nine to stand out matters. That he stood out for his passing is a huge deal. He was clearly recruited for his abilities as a dual-threat quarterback, but his lack of height raises concerns about his ability to stand in the pocket and make the right throws.

Dilfer was clearly impressed with Salter’s ability to improve so quickly, and that could be a huge boost for the Vols when he arrives on Rocky Top next year. Although the passing stood out, Dilfer noting that he could do a 360 dunk means the athleticism is not lost on him either.

Above all, Dilfer noting that the Texas prospect is coachable is a big deal. Jim Chaney, Chris Weinke and Jeremy Pruitt are the perfect combination of guys to put Salter in the best position to maximize what he can do. If he can develop that quickly and is very coachable, then his potential may be through the roof.

Now, there was a downside. SI.com was not as nice to Salter. He came in at No. 19 in the SI All-American rankings, as the site noted that he started off slow and was short on intermediate routes early on.

Matthew Ray of SI.com was a bit different, but he still had Salter at No. 15, agreeing with the SI All-American assessment and noting that he was comfortable in the shotgun set and was most consistent down the seam and working the boundaries during his time at midfield. What stood out to both, though, was what stood out to Dilfer: He clearly improved over time.

Going forward, it looks more and more like Tennessee football will have a deep quarterback competition next year after Jarrett Guarantano leaves. Salter appears as if he will be a clear competitor in that race with the way his stock has risen.