Over the years, dozens of universities have attempted to lay claim to the title “Quarterback University,” or “QBU.” This term refers to the university that has produced the most quality professional football quarterbacks. After analyzing all of the university candidates and quarterbacks, however, the title clearly belongs to NC State.
The term QBU has been in use for decades, and has been debated about for just as long. What qualifies a university for this title is also regularly contested. Some analysts claim it should be the college with the most quarterbacks drafted into the NFL. Some say it should be quantified by the most overall professional games played by alumni quarterbacks.
The most logical argument is that candidacy should be based on quality of the quarterbacks drafted. After all, a school can produce dozens of draftable quarterbacks, but if those “elite quarterbacks” turn into “elite benchwarmers” in the NFL, their alma mater doesn’t deserve the title of QBU.
The following is the case for NC State.
On March 9, former NC State quarterback Mike Glennon signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract to become the prospective starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears. Glennon rejoined fellow former NC State quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson as a starter and recent NC State graduate Jacoby Brissett as an active quarterback.
That’s four active quarterbacks in the NFL at the moment. The only other schools that have four or more are Michigan State with four and University of Southern California with five. Michigan is the next closest with three.
Current NC State quarterbacks in the NFL combine for nine Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl rings. Wilson and Rivers are undeniably among the league’s best. Wilson leads the continually competitive Seattle Seahawks, and is arguably most dominant dual-threat quarterback in the league. Rivers has been at the helm of the Los Angeles Chargers for many years, and is almost universally considered one of the best active quarterbacks to have not won a Super Bowl.
Glennon is finally getting his first real opportunity to succeed with the Bears. The quarterback had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the drafting of Heisman winner Jameis Winston meant Glennon would be overshadowed until losing his starting job.
Brissett had a strong performance this season in Tom Brady’s absence, helping the New England Patriots on their path to yet another Super Bowl victory. The rookie proved that even as a backup, he is a formidable NFL quarterback.
The most debated aspect of NC State’s claim to the title is Russell Wilson. The three-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFC Champion and one-time Super Bowl Champ played his senior season at Wisconsin. However, most would agree both schools lay equal claim to his legacy, as he developed at NC State and created his draft stock at Wisconsin. Yet, it is worthy of note that his bachelor’s degree reads “North Carolina State University.”
The following is the reason the rest don’t have a case.
USC is many analysts’ frontrunner for the distinction. Yet, its alums currently include only one starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, who is rumored to be retiring shortly. Mark Sanchez is the other big name, who is likely to become Glennon’s backup on the Chicago Bears. Palmer is a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback but has no Super Bowl rings. Sanchez, most known for the infamous “butt-fumble,” and his three fellow Trojan benchwarmers, Cody Kessler, Matt Barkley and Matt Cassel, have just one Pro Bowl appearance (Cassel following the 2010 season) and no Super Bowl rings.
Michigan State can also boast just one starter in Kirk Cousins, who has reached just one Pro Bowl, and not much else more. Brian Hoyer, who could potentially be the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, also lacks any relevant accolades. Meanwhile, Drew Stanton is a career backup and Connor Cook is likely to suffer the same fate coming off his rookie season.
Of Michigan’s three active alums, the only one worthy of mention is Tom Brady. Brady, who boasts five Super Bowl rings, 12 Pro Bowl appearances, and a pair of MVP awards is in contention for the greatest quarterback of all time. Ironic, considering the other two Wolverines in the league are perennial second or third stringers — Chad Henne with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Jake Rudock with the Detroit Lions.
But some would argue that the QBU title doesn’t change with every season. It belongs to the team that has consistently produced the most quality quarterbacks. For many, the award goes to USC, with their 11 drafted quarterbacks in the past 25 years.
However, of all the quarterbacks to ever come from Southern California, none have ever won a Super Bowl. Either the Trojan alums are dealing with a curse, or USC just doesn’t produce NFL-quality quarterbacks. With so many quarterbacks over multiple decades and no rings to show for it, USC may be out of the competition.
The same goes for schools like Georgia, Florida, Florida State and California. These schools have all produced more than a handful of NFL quarterbacks, but not quality ones. These schools often have at most one elite pro quarterback and then a list of names you’ve likely never heard.
Some have included Purdue and Boston College as claimants to the crown.
Purdue has had 15 quarterbacks advance into the NFL, and for many years in the early history of football was known as the “Cradle of Quarterbacks.” Purdue and Alabama are among the three schools to have more than one quarterback on a Super Bowl winning team. The other? NC State.
And before any ‘Bama fans hurry to stake their claim, remember that no Alabama quarterback has started and won an NFL game since 1987. I’ll leave it at that.
Boston College produced Matt Ryan and Matt Hasselbeck, two great NFL quarterbacks. This places them as one of two schools with two Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the last decade. The second is NC State.
NC State is QBU. Other teams may be able to produce more quantity, but not more quality. Until a true rival emerges, the quarterback crown belongs to the Wolfpack.
