Over all other schools, USC ranks supreme in being the top quarterback school in the whole country. According to rankings released by ESPN of the best programs for quarterbacks and running backs since the start of the BCS era.
USC narrowly beats out Oklahoma due to their recent production of Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Sam Bradford who all won Heisman trophies before taking their talents to the NFL. Although USC hasn’t recently produced any quarterbacks as flashy as those three, it’s made up for its consistent success of recruiting, developing and drafting of their quarterbacks. In the last thirty years alone, it has had 12 quarterbacks drafted with a handful of them being in the first round. While some haven’t lived up to expectations, most have found relative success. Let’s take a look at some notable players.
Todd Marinovich
After leaving USC, Marinovich was drafted in the 1st round as the 24th pick by the Los Angeles Raiders. Unfortunately, he only played in the NFL for two seasons after a heavy drug addiction seen him exit football altogether. His two seasons showed promise however as he put up decent numbers in limited action.
- 8 TD/9 INT
- 1,345 yards
- 66.4 QB Rating
Carson Palmer
During Palmer’s time at USC, he won the Heisman trophy in 2002 and helped lead the team to an Orange Bowl victory in his final year. He was then drafted 1st overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013. He would go on to play 15 seasons in the NFL with his last being in 2017. Throughout his 15-year career he put up:
- 294 TD/187 INT
- 46,247 yards
- 87.9 QB Rating
- 3 Pro Bowls
Matt Leinart
Leinart also excelled during his time at USC with a record of 37-2 and a Heisman trophy. He led the Trojans to a national title in 2004 before it was later stripped away. In 2006, he was drafted in with the 10th overall pick by the Cardinals. He went on to play in 8 NFL seasons but didn’t produce at the same level he had at USC.
- 15 TD/21 INT
- 4,065 yards
- 70.2 Qb Rating
Mark Sanchez
After his tenure with USC, Sanchez entered the draft in 2009 and by the New York Jets with the 5th overall pick. He would have a 10-year career in the NFL with his beast season happening with the Eagles in 2014.
- 86 TD/89 INT
- 13 rushing TD
- 15,357 yards
- 73.2 QB Rating
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold is the most recent USC quarterback to be drafted into the NFL back in 2018. The New York Jets selected him in the 1st with the 3rd overall pick. His first season didn’t go as expected but with the improvement all around him last season, we have seen just what Darnold is capable of. In his first two seasons Darnold has produced:
- 19 TD/13 INT
- 3,024 yards
- 84.3 QB Rating
Final Thoughts
USC has not produced the Tom Brady’s the Drew Brees’, or the Lamar Jackson’s of the NFL but they have had great success in producing capable quarterbacks for NFL teams to pluck from. Lesson learned, if you’re a young talented quarterback with dreams of reaching the NFL, USC may not be a bad choice.
