The real Quarterback U: BC, Michigan, NC State, Purdue or USC?
Tom Brady would make Quarterback U sound like Michigan's to lose. If that's how you're thinking, you might be surprised which team came away named the real QBU.
By
Jon Solomon
•
3 min read
Every year at the NFL Draft and throughout the football season, college players boast about the strength of their position groups, while programs tout their success getting players drafted in order to help with recruiting. But which teams really deserve the bragging rights when it comes to developing players and preparing them for success in the league?
Welcome to our Position U series, where CBS Sports examines where NFL talent has come from over the last decade (2006-15).
It’s not simply getting players into the league that matters, though. How do those players perform once they're receiving big paychecks and playing in the NFL?
Our methodology places significant value on NFL starts (1 point per) because a pipeline of starters by position is the very definition of 'Position U.' Bonus points are provided for Pro Bowls nods at their main position (2 points per appearance), draft selections (2 points per) and first-round picks (3 points per). Many of the players who counted for this exercise were drafted before 2006. The point is to evaluate where all NFL players came from who played in the league between 2006-15.
In reality, the players themselves make their own way into the NFL on an individual basis. But along the way, they get help through coaching, training and exposure from their college.
We conclude our series with the team leaders, the quarterbacks.
More Position U: DL | TE | OL | RB | WR | K | P | DB | LB
5. Michigan: When your school had arguably the greatest NFL quarterback ever playing over the past decade, you’re going to crack the top five at Quarterback U. Michigan’s spot here is largely due to Tom Brady. If not for Brady missing a year due to injury, Michigan would rank No. 4. Chad Henne, Drew Henson and Brian Griese have been other Wolverines signal callers in the NFL since 2006. There was a big gap between No. 5 Michigan and the next-closest colleges (Ole Miss, Auburn, Miami of Ohio, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and California).
| Michigan Quarterbacks: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 213 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 231 |
4. Boston College: Multiple quality starting QBs, plus an injury to Brady, helped Boston College barely edge Michigan for No. 4. Matt Ryan and Matt Hasselbeck have both been Pro Bowl quarterbacks out of Boston College. NC State is the only other school with two Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the past decade. The Eagles also had a journeyman QB, Brian St. Pierre, start some NFL games.
| Boston College Quarterbacks: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 219 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 232 |
3. Purdue: Drew Brees largely helped the Boilermakers rank third. There haven’t been many more productive and healthy quarterbacks than Brees. But he’s not alone on Purdue’s NFL QB list. Don’t forget about Kyle Orton, who started 82 NFL games for the Bears, Broncos, Chiefs, Cowboys and Bills. Journeyman Curtis Painter also started a few games but was mostly Peyton Manning’s backup with the Colts.
| Purdue Quarterbacks: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 233 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 251 |
2. NC State: There’s not a better 1-2 punch at Quarterback U than Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson. Yes, Wilson played his final season at Wisconsin as a graduate transfer, but he starred for most of his career at NC State. Our Position U series counted players for multiple colleges if they contributed at both schools, so Wisconsin also got credit for Wilson. In addition to Rivers and Wilson, NC State produced Mike Glennon, who was the Buccaneers’ starter until they drafted Jameis Winston.
| NC State Quarterbacks: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 242 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 260 |
1. USC: USC is Quarterback U based on sheer volume. Carson Palmer is the only real star, though Matt Cassel also joined Palmer as a Pro Bowl QB. The Trojans have produced a number of other quarterbacks to see NFL action: Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, Matt Leinart and John David Booty. Some of these quarterbacks undoubtedly became NFL flops. But the trio of Palmer, Cassel and Sanchez endured for a long enough time professionally to crown USC as Quarterback U.
| USC Quarterbacks: Points Breakdown | ||||
| NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 299 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 319 |
| Quarterback U Comparison | |||||
| Team | NFL Starts | Pro Bowls | Draft Picks | First-Round Picks | Total Points |
| 1. USC | 299 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 319 |
| 2. NC State | 242 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 260 |
| 3. Purdue | 233 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 251 |
| 4. Boston College | 219 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 232 |
| 5. Michigan | 213 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 231 |
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