Which College Has Produced The Most NFL Quarterbacks?

We all know that NFL quarterbacks are some of the most celebrated athletes in the world. But which college has produced the most of these elite players?

Check out our list of the top 10 colleges with the most NFL quarterbacks and see if your alma mater made the cut!

NFL quarterbacks by college

The following is a list of American football quarterbacks who have started at least one game in the National Football League (NFL). The colleges listed are those from which the quarterbacks graduated. It includes quarterbacks who have been drafted as well as those who have been signed as undrafted free agents.

Notre Dame

Notre Dame has produced more NFL quarterbacks than any other college, with 33 players drafted since 1936. Notre Dame is followed by USC (31), Miami (29), Michigan (28) and Ohio State (26).

Other notable quarterback factories include Stanford (24), Oklahoma (23), San Diego State (21) and BYU (20).

USC

USC has had 83 NFL quarterbacks drafted since 1936, when Sammy Baugh was selected in the first round by the Washington Redskins. In total, USC quarterbacks have been selected in the first round 27 times, which is more than any other school. USC has also had more quarterbacks drafted in the NFL than any other school, with 83 total selections.

Notable USC quarterbacks who have been drafted into the NFL include: Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Carson Palmer, Matt Cassel, and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Stanford

Since Andrew Luck was drafted in 2012, five quarterbacks have been selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Three of them – Luck, Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston – were Heisman Trophy winners. Two of them – Luck and Mariota – were No. 1 overall selections. The other one? Stanford’s Ryan Tannehill, taken eighth overall in 2012 by the Miami Dolphins.

In all, 10 quarterbacks from the Pac-12 have been drafted in the first round since 1970. That includes six from USC (Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer, Cody Kessler, Matt Barkley, Paul McDonald), two from Oregon (Mariota, Akili Smith) and one each from Stanford (Luck), Washington (Jake Locker) and UCLA (Cade McNown).

The last time a quarterback from outside the Pac-12 was selected in the first round? That would be Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, who went 32nd overall to the Minnesota Vikings in 2014.

NFL quarterbacks by conference

The SEC has the most NFL quarterbacks of any conference with 46, followed by the Big Ten with 25, the Pac-12 with 20, and the ACC with 18.

SEC

Since the 1960 NFL season, the SEC has produced more NFL quarterbacks than any other conference. In that time, SEC quarterbacks have won eight Super Bowls, with four different schools represented.

In terms of individual success, no SEC quarterback has been more successful than Peyton Manning. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Manning is also the all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Other notable SEC quarterbacks include Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Eli Manning.

Big Ten

The Big Ten has produced more NFL quarterbacks than any other conference, according to a study by 247Sports.

The conference has churned out 83 NFL quarterbacks since 1978, when the league began keeping track of such things. That’s an average of more than three per year.

The SEC is a distant second, with 59 NFL QBs since 1978. The Pac-12 is third with 57, followed by the ACC (41), Big 12 (39) and independent schools (35).

The Big Ten’s success at producing NFL quarterbacks is largely due to the fact that the conference has been home to some of the nation’s most prestigious football programs. Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State have all produced multiple NFL QBs, as have Notre Dame and Purdue.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 has 12 teams, with programs located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The conference has produced some of college football’s most successful quarterbacks, including Andrew Luck, Marcus Mariota and Aaron Rodgers.

Since the start of the Super Bowl era in 1966, quarterbacks from the Pac-12 have won a total of 12 Super Bowls. The conference’s most successful NFL quarterback is Peyton Manning, who won two Super Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts and was named MVP in both games. Other notable Pac-12 quarterbacks include John Elway, Troy Aikman and Matt Leinart.

NFL quarterbacks by draft class

The NFL has a rich history of great quarterback play. Many of the league’s most successful teams have had a great quarterback leading the way. There have been a lot of great quarterbacks to come out of the college ranks in recent years. But which college has produced the most NFL quarterbacks?

2004

The class of 2004 was a strong one for quarterbacks, with Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger leading the way. These three quarterbacks have combined for six Super Bowl wins and more than 50,000 passing yards.

2005

In the 2005 NFL Draft, there were five quarterbacks selected in the first round – Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Jason Campbell, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kyle Orton. Of those five, only Rodgers and Fitzpatrick are still active in the NFL.

2006

The 2006 NFL Draft took place on April 29-30, in New York City, New York. A total of 255 players were drafted. Of the 32 NFL teams, 20 selected a quarterback in the draft. Ohio State had the most quarterbacks selected in the first round, with two. LSU, Notre Dame and West Virginia also had two quarterbacks each selected in the draft. In total, 12 different colleges had a quarterback selected in the 2006 NFL Draft.

NFL quarterbacks by team

The NFL has had many great quarterbacks over the years, but which college has produced the most? There have been a lot of great quarterbacks that have come out of different colleges, but which one has produced the most? Let’s take a look at the NFL quarterbacks by team.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have had a long and storied history of success, both on and off the field. One of the biggest reasons for their success has been their ability to develop and groom NFL-caliber quarterbacks.

In fact, over the years, the Patriots have had more than their fair share of successful quarterbacks. Some of the most notable names include Tom Brady, Drew Bledsoe, and Steve Grogan.

Brady is undoubtedly the most successful quarterback in Patriots history. He has led the team to six Super Bowl championships and has been named MVP of the game four times. Brady is also considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, regardless of team affiliation.

Bledsoe was the Patriots starting quarterback for many years before being replaced by Brady. While he never won a Super Bowl with the team, he did lead them to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. Bledsoe is also regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history.

Grogan is one of the Patriots’ all-time greats, even though he only played for them for 10 seasons. During his time with the team, Grogan led them to two Super Bowl appearances, though they lost both games. Grogan is also considered one of the best quarterbacks in franchise history.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games have been played at Lambeau Field since 1957.

The Packers have had 31 starting quarterbacks (QB) in their franchise history; they have never had more than three starting quarterbacks in a single season. These include dozens of long-tenured starters, including NFL MVPs Bart Starr and Brett Favre, as well as Hall of Famers Cecil Isbell, Arnie Herber, Don Hutson and Bart Starr. Despite having played over 1,100 games, only two other teams have employed fewer starting quarterbacks: the Chicago Bears and New York Giants.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks have had a long and storied history. The team has fielded some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, including Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Randall Cunningham. Pittsburgh has also been the home to several Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, including Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner.