Palko is another in a long line of quarterbacks produced in Western Pennsylvania's storied football heritage built on grit, tenacity and pride, an area that produced the likes of Johnny Lujack, George Blanda, Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Joe Namath. To date, 37 pro quarterbacks were produced from this region. The son of one of Western Pennsylvania's most successful high school coaches, Palko started drawing up football plays at age nine.

While the quarterback position is typically thought of in glamorous terms, Palko has thrived because of his linebacker mentality, as he is known to attack defenders rather than be attacked, and plays with a fiery passion that inspires those around him. An illustration of his toughness came in Pitt's 20-17 overtime victory over Boston College in 2004, when on a scramble he put his shoulder down and knocked the helmet off Eagles defensive back Peter Shean. Many observers characterized that play as a turning point in the 2004 team's season, when the young Panthers began to believe they could achieve.

The Pittsburgh coaching staff calls Palko cerebral and strategic, as he picks things up during a game that can be exploited for points later on. The coaches consider him to be a "gym rat" equivalent in football. Whether it is in or out of season, he is constantly in the film room. The left-handed passer complements his football knowledge with a highly accurate arm.

Palko earned Associated Press 2001 Pennsylvania Big School Player of the Year honors at West Allegheny High School, where he played four seasons for his father, Bob Palko. He was a three-time first-team honoree on the AP Big School All-State Team, adding USA Today All-American second-team honors, and was also a three-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WPIAL Class AAA Player of the Year, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Fabulous 22" honoree, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player of the Year and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Terrific 25" choice.

The PrepStar "Dream Team" selection was rated the nation's ninth-best overall prospect by Tom Lemming, in addition to being rated one of the nation's top seven passing quarterbacks by Max Emfinger. He was rated the premier quarterback in the East and sixth nationally by PrepStar, adding Super 30 All-Eastern Region honors. He was also named to the SuperPrep All-American team and rated the 10th-best quarterback prospect in the nation by that recruiting service. He added Student Sports All-American first-team and East Region Player of the Year accolades.

Palko guided the team to a 48-7 record (.873) in four years as West Allegheny's starting quarterback, leading the squad to three consecutive WPIAL Class AAA championships and three consecutive PIAA title games. The team won the 2001 PIAA championship, the first AAA state title ever won by a WPIAL team, as Palko completed nearly 60 percent of his passes (134 of 225) for 1,887 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. He also rushed for 628 yards and eight scores that year. He finished his high school career with 5,553 passing yards and 1,681 rushing yards, and also excelled on defense at safety, where he totaled more than 80 tackles and four interceptions as a senior.

Palko saw limited action in six games as a true freshman at Pittsburgh in 2002. He hit on 2-of-3 passes (66.7 percent) for 13 yards and gained nine yards with a touchdown on 10 carries. Rather than have him sit on the bench behind Rod Rutherford in 2003, the coaching staff decided to redshirt Palko in 2003. He took over the quarterback reigns in 2004, connecting on 230 of 490 passes (56.2 percent) for 3,067 yards, 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He scored three times and amassed 139 yards on 129 carries (1.1 avg.), finishing his sophomore season with 3,206 yards in total offense.

With coach Walt Harris departing for Stanford, Dave Wannstedt took over as head coach in 2005. The offense struggled early in the season, as Palko was sacked 19 times and threw six interceptions in the Panthers' first five games. He managed to hit on 193 of 341 throws (56.6 percent) for 2,392 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was held to minus-139 yards on 70 carries (-2.0 avg.), but did score six times on the ground. He concluded the season with 2,253 yards in total offense.

The team MVP and a member of the American Football Coaches Association "Good Works" team in 2006, Palko started every game. He hit on 220 of 322 passes for 2,871 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions, adding 77 yards and two scores on 66 carries (1.2 avg.). He ranked 18th nationally with an average of 245.67 yards per game in total offense and led a team that ranked 14th in the NCAA Division I-A ranks in scoring, averaging 31.75 points per game.

In 41 games at Pittsburgh, Palko started 35 consecutive contests. The three-time team captain completed 645 of 1,975 passes (60 percent), as he ranked third in school history with 8,343 yards passing and second with 8,429 yards in total offense. His 66 touchdown passes place him second on Pitt's all-time record list, as he tossed 25 interceptions. He also gained 86 yards with 12 scores on 275 rushing attempts (0.3 avg.).

Positives: Has adequate muscle tone with good arm length and room on his frame to carry additional bulk without having it affect his timed speed … Has marginal decision-making skills, but he's a "try hard" type who plays until the whistle … Durable athlete with a smooth running stride and decent quickness, making him a threat on bootlegs … Has the loose hips to avoid the initial tackler when flushed out of the pocket … Shows adequate timed speed with the leg drive to break tackles and while he relies more on his arm, his feet need to be accounted for, especially near the goal line (eleven touchdown runs inside the red zone the last three years) … Makes proper checks on the field and has a good understanding for the game … While Palko has only adequate height, his quickness is evident in his ability to drive back from center quickly to get to his pass-set point, when he sets his feet properly (when he does, it seems like he is ready to launch the ball in an instant and he shows very good balance throwing on the move) … Possesses the skills to step up or slide away from pressure and has the agility to reach his throwing point … The ball is delivered with a tight circle and exits his hand quickly when he steps into his throws (has a big circle when he fails to set his feet, though … When he carries the ball chest-high, he demonstrates the quick, compact load-and-release that gave him much success in 2004 … With that compact release, he is effective hitting his receivers in stride, especially on short-to-intermediate routes … Can throw the deep ball and knows when to put zip behind his long passes … You can see his velocity on out routes, demonstrating the arm strength needed to get the ball down field … Knows how to put his power behind the hard throws, but also shows a soft touch working underneath … Has good control and accuracy to hit his receivers in stride, when given time to throw … Capable of putting the ball in the easy area for the receiver coming out of the break without having that target adjust in his stride … Can adjust his velocity, and could be a high percentage passer at the next level … Knows when to step up, buy time with his feet on rollouts and tuck the ball and run with it when he has no other options … Has good quickness and loose hips rolling out of the pocket … Bit of a streaky passer, but can freeze a defender with his play action and pump fakes.

Negatives: Lacks ideal size and needs better overall muscle development, especially in the lower body (skinny ankles) … Has a strong throwing arm, but while he has good timed speed he needs to improve his footwork and be more elusive when flushed out of the pocket (fails to locate the cutback lanes at times) and more conscious of ball security … Equally effective in a pro-style and West Coast offense, but Pittsburgh was more of a running team under the defensive-minded Dave Wannstedt the past two years … Seems to see the field well, but has too many passes deflected … Understands coverage packages, but tends to hang on to the ball too long at times, resulting in a high amount of sacks … Can make proper reads under pressure, but will get in trouble when he tries to force the ball into tight areas … Tried too much to play into the new coaching staff's scheme in 2005, running when he was told and throwing to where the staff wanted him to, but it negated his creativity that he showed as a sophomore … When he throws into a crowd, it is mostly due to him taking too long to look off the primary target or because his protection broke down … Sometimes holds the ball low, resulting in long arm motion and that is when he runs the risk of having the pass deflected at the line of scrimmage … Demonstrates good ball placement and throws an easy ball with a tight spiral, but needs to generate a higher arc and trajectory to prevent so many of his passes from getting batted away … Loses some accuracy and touch throwing on the move, especially when he passes off his back foot … When he senses pressure, he reacts quickly, adjusting his feet on the move, but must do a better job of sliding out of the pocket when the bull rush causes it to collapse … Can be late on inside throws when firing from the outside hashes … Needs to learn when to throw the ball away, as he stands too long in the pocket scanning for secondary targets, resulting in a high amount of sacks for a player with his mobility.

Compares To: Mark Brunell, Washington Redskins … Palko has great temperament and drive on the field, but the left-handeder shows the mobility and improvisational skills that made Brunell successful earlier in his career … Unfortunately, like Brunell, Palko sometimes "overworks" and over analyzes things on the field and a bad play will linger in his mind, taking him out of his game.

No injuries reported.

Campus: 4.87 in the 40-yard dash … 4.19 20-yard shuttle … 335-pound bench press … 475-pound squat … 274-pound power clean … 265-pound incline press … 29-inch vertical jump … 31¾-inch arm length … 9 1/8-inch hands … Left-handed.

Combine: 4.85 in the 40-yard dash … 1.75 10-yard dash … 2.86 20-yard dash … 4.36 20-yard shuttle … 7.05 three-cone drill … 31½-inch vertical jump … 9-foot-4 broad jump.

Attended West Allegheny (Pa.) High School, playing football for his father, head coach Bob Palko … Earned the AP 2001 Pennsylvania Big School Player of the Year honors … Three-time first-team honoree on the AP Big School All-State Team, adding USA Today All-American Team (second team), and was also a three-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazett WPIAL Class AAA Player of the Year, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Fabulous 22" honoree, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player of the Year and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Terrific 25" choice … The PrepStar "Dream Team" selection was rated the nation's ninth-best overall prospect by Tom Lemming, in addition to being rated one of the nation's top seven passing quarterbacks by Max Emfinger … Rated the premier quarterback in the East and sixth nationally by PrepStar, adding Super 30 All-Eastern Region honors … Named to the SuperPrep All-American team and rated the 10th-best quarterback prospect in the nation by that recruiting service … Added Student Sports All-American first-team and East Region Player of the Year accolades … Guided the team to a 48-7 record (.873) in four years as West Allegheny's starting quarterback, leading the team to three consecutive WPIAL Class AAA championships and three consecutive PIAA title games … The team won the 2001 PIAA championship, the first AAA state title ever won by a WPIAL team, as Palko completed nearly 60 percent of his passes (134 of 225) for 1,887 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior … Also rushed for 628 yards and eight scores that year … Finished his high school career with 5,553 passing yards and 1,681 rushing yards and also excelled on defense at safety, where he totaled more than 80 tackles and four interceptions as a senior … In the 2001 state championship game, Palko completed 14-of-20 passes (70 percent) for 202 yards and a touchdown, while also intercepting one pass on defense … His performance in the state title game lifted West Allegheny to a 28-13 win over two-time defending champion Strath Haven, which entered the contest with a 44-game winning streak … Also lettered three times in basketball and once in track and field … 2002 YMCA Tribune-Review Scholar-Athlete honoree.

Communication and Rhetoric major … Son of Sally and Bob Palko … His father was Tyler's head coach in football at West Allegheny High School … Brother, Luke, is a standout receiver at St. Francis College (Pa.) … Born Tyler Robert Palko on Aug. 9, 1983 … Resides in Imperial, Pa.