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High School QB Rankings: Where Are They Now?

March 08, 2018
By Mike Schneid

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In the spirit of the recent NFL draft, MotleySports did some research into how recruiting rankings have influenced college football and the NFL over the last decade. Below is a list of the top 5 QBs coming out of high school, according to 247 Sports Rankings. 

Over a 9 year stretch (from 2014-2006)
  • 20/45 players were drafted (note - not all were drafted as QBs)
    • 8 first round picks 
    • 3 number one overall picks (Winston, Stafford, Luck)
  • 24 QBs transferred schools during their college career (includes 2015 which has already seen 3 transfers)
  • 6 players have been arrested 
  • 8 have switched positions since high school through NFL
  • 2 players have switched sports (Tim Tebow is currently in NY Mets minor league system and Anthony Alford is in Blue Jays system) 
  •  5 QBs on this list associated with USC (the most of any one school)
  • 20 QBs with SEC ties (the most of any conference)


2015
  1. Josh Rosen was once considered "the chosen one" and a sure fire #1 pick. Injuries and struggles have hurt his stock, but he still has a chance to be a first rounder as UCLA's starter.
  2. Blake Barnett left Alabama after 1 year and is involved in the QB competition entering 2017 at Arizona State
  3. Kyler Murray left Texas A&M after 1 year and is now the backup at Oklahoma
  4. Jarrett Stidham left Baylor after 1 year to plat at a JUCO school and is now the projected starting QB for Auburn entering 2017
  5. Brandon Wimbush will start for Notre Dame in 2017, replacing Deshone Kizer and Malik Zaire
Notables outside the top 5:Sam Darnold (12), Lamar Jackson (28),
  • Sam Darnold is already projected by some to be the 2018 #1 pick and Lamar Jackson won the 2016 Heisman trophy

2014
  1. Kyle Allen started his career at Texas A&M and now finds himself ready to start at Houston in the AAC
  2. Deshaun Watson was the 12th pick in the 2017 draft to the Texans, the third QB off the board. Watson went 1-1 in National Championship games, after beating Alabama (the only QB to do so in 2016-17) to win the title
  3. Will Grier was 6-0 in Florida in 2015 before being suspended. He will start for West Virginia in 2017.
  4. Keller Chryst has been involved in QB competitions his first 2 years (Kevin Hogan in 2015 and Ryan Burns in 2016), after redshirting his first year. He's expected to be the sole starter in 2017
  5. Jerrod Heard after failing to bear out Tyrone Swoopes and last year Shane Buechele, Heard is a full time WR entering 2017
Notables outside the top 5: Brad Kaaya (10), Deshone Kizer (17), Patrick Mahomes (30)
  • Kaaya, Kizer, and Mahomes were all drafted in the 2017 draft

2013
  1. Max Browne started the 2016 season as USC's starting QB, before announcing his transfer and moving on to Pittsburgh entering 2017
  2. Christian Hackenberg was considered the #1 QB by some recruiting pundits. He was named freshman of the year in 2013 at Penn State and was a three year started from 2013-2015, throwing 48 TDs and 31 INTs. He was a 2nd round pick in 2016 to the New York Jets and has a chance to start in 2017.
  3. Shane Morris spent 4 years at Michigan and will play his final season in 2017 at Central Michigan
  4. Cooper Bateman started his career at Alabama and will enter 2017 as a WR for Utah
  5. Kevin Olsen, the younger brother of Panthers TE Greg Olsen, was expelled from Miami in 2014 following an arrest. He played for Charlotte University in 2016 and was arrested again in 2017
Notables outside the top 5: JT Barrett (10), Mitchell Trubisky (19), Jared Goff (21)
  • Goff was the #1 pick in 2016, and Trubisky was the #2 pick (first QB in 2017). JT Barrett has won a national championship (2015) as a starting QB and will remain OSU QB for 2017.

2012 
  1. Jameis Winston is the only top 100 QB to have played in NFL (though 3 just got drafted in 2017 -Chad Kelly (9), Nathan Peterman (25), CJ Besthard (73)). Winston was the #1 pick in the 2014 draft.
  2. Gunner Kiel initially commited to Indiana, than LSU, than Notre Dame where he actually attend. He played 3 years for Cincinnati and ended his career as the third string QB in 2016.
  3. Zach Kline started his career at Cal but moved on when he lost competition to Jared Goff. First, he planned to go to Oregon State, but instead went to Butte College. After a year there, he transferred to Indiana State, where he did not start, and returned to Cal after one season. After losing starting job to Davis Webb, he again announced transfer and will play for Fresno State in 2017.
  4. Cyler Miles retired from football in 2015 due to injury and played sparingly at Washington, dealt with off the field issues and injuries.
  5. Anthony Alford started his career at Southern Miss, before transferring to Ole Miss. He's currently ranked 3rd on MLB's 2017 Top 30 Blue Jays prospects list
Notables outside the top 5: Paxton Lynch (123)
  • Lynch was a first round pick to Denver in the 2016 NFL draft 

2011
  1. Jeff Driskel started his career at Florida before being benched and eventually transferring to Louisiana Tech. In 2016, Driskell was drafted in the 6th round by the 49ers
  2. Braxton Miller helped lead OSU to a national championship in 2014 and went 12-0 his freshman year (in 2012), when OSU was ineligible for a bowl game. Miller finished his career at OSU as a gadget player/WR and was drafted in 2016 by the Texans in the third round (as a WR)
  3. Kiehl Frazier started at Auburn in 2012, spent 3 years there before ending his career at Ouachita Baptist University
  4. Brett Hundley was a three year started for UCLA, completing 67% of his passes and throwing 75 TDs between 2012 and 2014. In 2015, he was a 5th round pick by the Green Bay Packers
  5. Christian LeMay attempted 2 passes in his three years at Georgia. He ended the last 2 years of his career at Jacksonville State.
Notables outside top 5: Teddy Bridgewater (7), Cody Kessler (11) Marcus Mariota (32), Dak Prescott (43)
  • Bridewater started for the Vikings as a rookie and sophmore but blew out his knee last year in training camp. His return is TBD; Cody Kessler started games as a rookie for the Browns in 2016; Marcus Mariota was the #2 pick in the 2015 NFL draft (behind Jameis Winston) and led the Titans to 9 wins last year; Dak Prescott was drafted by the Cowboys in the 4th round in 2016 - he led them to a 13-3 record and is mostly the reason why Tony Romo is now retired

2010
  1. Philip Sims split time with AJ McCarron at Alabama in 2011, as part of a National Championship team. He transferred to Virginia in 2012, appearing in all 12 games and ended his career at Winston-Salem State.
  2. Blake Bell spent his career as a backup at Oklahoma, used in special packages as a runner. He was converted to TE at the end of his career, and in 2015 was drafted by the 49ers as a TE in the 4th round, where he was played sparingly in 3 years
  3. Devin Gardner had an up and down career at Michigan where he started as a backup QB to Denard Robinson, moved to WR and back to QB. In 2013, he set the school record for most passing yards in a game (503)
  4. Jesse Scroggins began his career at USC, took one snap (his final play) and transferred when Lane Kiffin was hired. He spent one year at Arizona, where he was slowed by injuries, and ended his career at Lindenwood
  5. Rob Bolden began his career at Penn State and left after 2012 due to the impending sanctions placed on the school. He transferred to LSU and when he was dropped to 4th on the depth chart, transferred again to end his career as a WR at Eastern Michigan
Notables outside top 5: Trevor Simien (48)
  • Simien was the Broncos primary starting QB in 2016, replacing Peyton Manning

2009
  1. Matt Barkley was a 4 year starter at USC. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2013 draft by the Ealges
  2. Russell Shepard was immediately converted to WR upon arriving at LSU, despite being recruited heavily as a QB.  He spent the last 4 years in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Bucs and enters 2017 a member of the Carolina Panthers 
  3. Garrett Gilbert commited to Texas with the idea of being the heir to Colt McCoy. Gilbert played in the 2009 National Championship game due to an injury to McCoy (a game Texas lost). He led Texas to a 5-7 record in 2010. He was involved in a three way competition in 2011 season, but declared his desire to transferred. Gilbert ended his career in 2012-13 with SMU
  4. Aaron Murray was a very successful 4 year starter at Georgia. He is the SEC's all time passing TD leader and career passing yards. Murray was a 5th round pick in the 2014 NFL draft by the KC Chiefs
  5. Tajh Boyd was a 3 year starter at Clemson, ending his career with one ACC championship and school records and conference records for passing yards with 11,904 and passing touchdowns with 107. He is currently the all-time leader in both of those categories. He was a 6th round draft pick of the NY Jets in 2014.
Notables outside top 5: Geno Smith (10)

2008
  1. Terrelle Pryor had a somewhat controversial career at Ohio State, in 2010 he was suspended for 5 games, and withdrew from school in 2011, but helped OSU win the Big Ten title in 2008 and 2009. In 2011, the Raiders drafted Pryor as part of the NFL's Supplemental Draft. Pryor bounced around the league from 2011-2015 with the Raiders, Seahawks, Bengals, before a breakout 2016 season as a wide receiver with the Browns in 2016. He signed a FA deal with the Redskins for 2017.
  2. Dayne Crist   started his career at Notre Dame as a backup to Jimmy Clausen, before taking over the reigns in 2010. In 2011, he was replaced in the opener by Tommy Rees and later announced his decision to transfer. Crist committed to Kansas in 2011, reuniting with the head coach who recruited him to ND in the first place, Charlie Weis.
  3. EJ Manuel was a 4 year starter at Florida State and led the Seminoles to an ACC championship and Orange Bowl victory in 2012, his senior season. In the 2012 NFL draft, Manuel was the only QB selected in the first round, by the Buffalo Bills at #16. He's had a rough NFL career and is now a backup on the Oakland Raiders.
  4. Blaine Gabbert started at Missouri in both 2009 and 2010, throwing 40 TD and 18 INT in that span. The Jaguars drafted him with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Ineffectiveness and injuries have stalled his career. He was most recently with the 49ers were he started a handful of games in 2016 (with minimal success). He is now a backup with the Cardinals.
  5. Andrew Luck feels like one of the few feel good stories on this list. Luck threw 82 TDs (breaking John Elway's all-time school record), in 3 seasons at Stanford, first team All-American in 2011, a season where he helped lead the Cardinal to it's first ever BCS bowl appearance. Luck was the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, where he had the task of replacing Peyton Manning. He's a three time Pro Bowler and has appeared in one AFC championship game. Luck has compiled a 43-27 regular season record and a 3-3 playoff record as Colts QB.
Notables outside top 5: Robert Griffin III (15)
  • RG3, as he's best known, won the Heisman trophy at Baylor and was the #2 pick in the 2012 NFL draft (behind Andrew Luck)
2007
  1. Jimmy Clausen was a three year starter at Notre Dame, passing for 8.148 yards and 60 TDs over that time. Clausen was drafted #48 overall (second round) in the 2010 NFL draft, after forgoing his senior season, to the Carolina Panthers. He has also played for the Bears and Ravens.
  2. Ryan Mallet initially commited to Michigan in 2007, but following a coaching change (which led to a major offensive philosophy change), Mallet committed to Arkansas, where he'd play under offensive guru Bobby Petrino. After sitting out the 2008 season, he played 2 years at Arkansas, before entering the NFL draft. Mallet finished 7th in Heisman trophy voting in 2010. He was drafted in the third round by the New England Patriots and has since bounced around as a backup with the Texans and most recently the Ravens.
  3. Tyrod Taylor started 42 out of 50 games at Virginia Tech. Taylor was a 3 time ACC champion and ACC player of the year in 2010. He was a 6th round pick to the Ravens in 2011, where he did not start a single game in his 4 years. He signed with Buffalo in 2015, making the Pro Bowl with the Bills and remains the starter there today.
  4. Aaron Corp was mostly a backup QB at USC due to injuries and the presence of Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley. By 2010, Corp has decided to transfer to Richmond, where he started for two years. He bounced around a couple of NFL practice squads, but never made a 53 man NFL roster after going undrafted
  5. John Brantley was part of the Florida Gators' 2009 BCS championship team, as a backup to Tim Tebow. He didn't start his first game until 2010 and never got a shot in the NFL.
Notables outside top 5: Cam Newton (7), Ryan Tannehill (35), Russell Wilson (75)
  • Newton was the #1 pick in the 2011 draft won NFL MVP honors in 2015, while leading the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance. His career began at Florida, than JUCO before settling down at Auburn where he won a national championship
  • Tannehill began his career as a WR at Texas A&M before transitioning to QB and becoming a first round pick of the Dolphins, where he remains today 
  • Wilson began his career at North Carolina State, before transferring to Wisconsin. He was a third round pick in 2012 by the Seahawks and helped lead the Seahawks to a victory in Super Bowl 48.
2006
  1. Matthew Stafford started his freshman season as a backup but quickly became starter before starting every game his sophomore and junior seasons. He declared for the draft early and was the #1 overall pick to the Lions, where he has spent his whole career.
  2. Mitch Mustain started for Arkansas as a true freshman in 2006, starting 8-0 (with help from running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones). In 2007, Mustain transferred to USC and was 3rd on the depth chart behind Matt Barkley and Aaron Corp. He was diagnosed with ADHD and was arrested for allegedly selling his medication.
  3. Tim Tebow began his career splitting time with Chris Leak before taking over as full-time starter as a sophomore. Tebow is a two-time BCS champion, two-time SEC champion, two time SEC player of the year and two time All American. Tebow won the 2008 Heisman trophy. He was a first round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2010 (25th overall). He helped lead the Broncos to a playoff win in 2011. The next year he was traded to the Jets and bounced around to a couple of teams before taking a job with ESPN and the SEC Network. Tebow is currently an outfielder in the New York Mets minor league system.
  4. Jevan Snead began his career hoping to be the heir to Vince Young at Texas and would split time with Colt McCoy. When McCoy ultimately won the competition, Snead transferred to Ole Miss in 2007
  5. Jake Locker was 16-24 in four years as a starter at Washington. In 2011, he was the #10 pick in the 2011 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans. In 2014, Locker announced his retirement.
Notables outside top 5: Sam Bradford (16)
  • Bradford won the 2008 Heisman trophy and was the #1 overall pick by the Rams in 2010. He is currently the starting QB for the Vikings

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