Looking Back at the College Recruitment of Every QB Selected in 2016 NFL Draft
A new crop of quarterbacks will increase competition on depth charts across the NFL in 2016. Former college standouts, ranging from No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff to late-round selections, are suddenly just months away from embarking on professional rookie seasons.
This group features 15 passers, including a few who spent high school football careers in relative obscurity when it came to recruiting attention from top-tier collegiate coaching staffs. Others in this collection commanded the spotlight at an early age and were asked to live up to immense expectations when they arrived on campus.
Here's a glimpse at the prep development for each passer picked in the 2016 NFL draft, with an eye on how each recruitment played out.
Cal QB Jared Goff
1 of 15
Drafted by: Los Angeles Rams (first round; No. 1 overall)
High School: Marin Catholic (Greenbrae, California)
Recruiting Class: 2013
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 15 pro-style quarterback; No. 218 overall (4-star prospect)
The son of former Cal baseball player Jerry Goff, who went on to sign with multiple Major League Baseball organizations, followed that road to Berkeley. The Golden Bears became the first team to present an offer to Jared Goff midway through his junior year, and he committed in March 2012, well in advance of a final season at Marin Catholic.
“It was my first offer—which obviously meant a lot, because they took a risk with it—and that meant a lot," he told Rivals in 2012. "It just seems to be the perfect fit for me, and everything about it—from the offense to the academics to everything they do there—just seems to be perfect for me."
Goff, who threw for 3,692 yards and 40 touchdowns as a high school senior, collected alternative scholarship offers from Washington State and Boise State.
North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz
2 of 15
Drafted by: Philadelphia Eagles (first round; No. 2 overall)
High School: Century (Bismarck, North Dakota)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: Unranked
While some quarterbacks on this list commanded national attention early in their college career, Carson Wentz's route to the NFL was a journey far removed from any spotlight. He didn't make much of a blip on the recruiting radar at Century High School, where he tallied 1,838 yards and 25 scores as a senior, according to Chris Johnson of Sports Illustrated.
He was either unranked or completely unnoticed by members of the recruiting industry but still carved out an opportunity at North Dakota State. When he arrived on campus as a freshman backup five years ago, few could have guessed he'd eventually vie for the honor of becoming the NFL's top overall draft pick.
Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
3 of 15
Drafted by: Denver Broncos (first round; No. 26 overall)
High School: Trinity Christian Academy (Deltona, Florida)
Recruiting Class: 2012
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 84 pro-style quarterback; No. 1,908 overall (2-star prospect)
Until late in the 2012 recruiting cycle, a scholarship opportunity at the FBS level looked like a long shot for Paxton Lynch. Florida Tech was the only program to present an offer (partial scholarship) following a senior high school season that was abbreviated due to injury, according to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.
"Once he got hurt, everybody backed off," Allen Johnson, Lynch's prep coach, told Wiltfong.
While nearby staffs at several Sunshine State universities didn't see enough to pull the trigger, former Memphis head coach Justin Fuente jumped into the mix weeks before national signing day. UCF actually followed suit with an offer, but the Tigers utilized a late campus visit to secure this under-the-radar talent.
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Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg
4 of 15
Drafted by: New York Jets (second round; No. 51 overall)
High School: Fork Union Military (Fork Union, Virginia)
Recruiting Class: 2013
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 2 pro-style quarterback; No. 13 overall (5-star prospect)
Christian Hackenberg emerged as an ideal leader for former Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien's first full-cycle recruiting class in Happy Valley. Now with the Houston Texans, O'Brien faced immense adversity in the aftermath of the Joe Paterno-era sex abuse scandal centering on former Nittany Lions assistant Jerry Sandusky.
"I'm not going to say we want to move on because what happened was horrible, and it shouldn't be forgotten," Hackenberg told Mitch Sherman of ESPN in summer 2012. "But this can give everyone something else to look at. We're the first class that the new staff has recruited. We're going to be leaders. ... At the end of the day, if there's football at Penn State, I'm going to be there."
He stuck with his commitment despite offers from Alabama, Miami, South Carolina and several other schools that obviously weren't dealing with such a high level of off-field scrutiny.
Hackenberg threw for 4,310 yards and 44 touchdowns as a high school upperclassman, according to MaxPreps.
NC State QB Jacoby Brissett
5 of 15
Drafted by: New England Patriots (third round; No. 91 overall)
High School: Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 3 pro-style quarterback; No. 116 overall (4-star prospect)
Jacoby Brissett rose to prominence as an NFL draft prospect at NC State, but his recruiting journey culminated with a commitment to Florida. The Gators signed him in 2011, beating out programs such as Wisconsin and Miami when an announcement arrived days after national signing day.
His mother didn't take the news well, as she wasn't a fan of the recruiting approach implemented by Florida head coach Will Muschamp.
"All the other coaches took their time to come and meet me," Lisa Brown told Steve Dorsey of MaxPreps in February 2011. "Will never did. I don't trust him. I don't believe him, and that's that."
Brissett, who tallied 39 total touchdowns and just one interception as a high school senior, per the NC State team website, would transfer to the Wolfpack after his sophomore season.
USC QB Cody Kessler
6 of 15
Drafted by: Cleveland Browns (third round; No. 93 overall)
High School: Centennial (Bakersfield, California)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 4 pro-style quarterback; No. 142 overall (4-star prospect)
Cody Kessler committed to USC at the end of his junior year at Centennial High School, where he was also a basketball star (Bakersfield Area Player of the Year, per the USC team website). He chose the Trojans at a tumultuous time for the program, as incoming sanctions loomed large early in former head coach Lane Kiffin's tenure.
His pledge gave USC two of the nation's top pro-style passers in the 2011 cycle, along with fellow 4-star recruit Max Wittek. Kessler, who completed nearly 70 percent of throws for 2,831 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2010, also held offers from Pac-12 rivals UCLA, Arizona State, Cal and Washington.
Michigan State QB Connor Cook
7 of 15
Drafted by: Oakland Raiders (fourth round; No. 100 overall)
High School: Walsh Jesuit (Stow, Ohio)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 33 pro-style quarterback; No. 971 overall (3-star prospect)
Former Michigan State assistant and current Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi encountered Connor Cook as a junior while visiting Walsh Jesuit to scout another player, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports. Their brief interaction led the Spartans to put him on their recruiting radar.
He received a scholarship offer from the program during an unofficial visit to East Lansing in February 2010, making Michigan State the first Power Five (then-BCS) school to do so. Cook committed to the Spartans two months later and went on to record 2,143 total yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior, according to Michigan State's website.
Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
8 of 15
Drafted by: Dallas Cowboys (fourth round; No. 135 overall)
High School: Haughton (Haughton, Louisiana)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 20 dual-threat quarterback; No. 643 overall (3-star prospect)
Dak Prescott's decision to sign with Mississippi State may have gone largely unnoticed among national media in the 2011 recruiting cycle, but it turned out to be an absolute program-changer for the Bulldogs. Give Mississippi State credit on this one, as the coaching staff identified him as an early out-of-state priority target and landed a commitment the summer before his senior high school season.
Prescott gained more traction as a rising recruit following that ensuing campaign, which included 3,811 total yards and 56 touchdowns, according to Ron Higgins of NOLA.com. LSU finally pursued the local playmaker after the season, but he ultimately elected to stick with his Bulldogs pledge and enrolled early.
"I considered it (going to LSU), but I was pretty certain with my decision to come to State," Prescott told Higgins. "I'd been committed three or four months when they (LSU) came on pretty hard at the end. ... I was just sold on Mississippi State, and I already had bought in with coaches and all the guys."
Ohio State QB Cardale Jones
9 of 15
Drafted by: Buffalo Bills (fourth round; No. 139 overall)
High School: Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 10 pro-style quarterback; No. 417 overall (3-star prospect)
The pipeline between Buckeyes football facilities and Glenville High School has been huge for Ohio State's recruiting efforts, and you can count Cardale Jones among the most crucial products. He went 24-3 as a starter at Glenville, per Ohio State's website, and led the Cleveland powerhouse to a state championship appearance.
Jones, who joined fellow Buckeyes star and 2016 NFL draft pick Braxton Miller in former head coach Jim Tressel's 2011 class, also attracted interest from Big Ten rivals such as Penn State and Michigan. He would actually attend Fork Union Military Academy before arriving at Ohio State in January 2012.
“I really think [Fork Union] did, actually, help mold me as far as my patience,” he told Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated. "It was really, really structurally sound. We had to be somewhere every minute of the day, every single minute.”
Stanford QB Kevin Hogan
10 of 15
Drafted by: Kansas City Chiefs (fifth round; No. 162 overall)
High School: Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 8 pro-style quarterback; No. 376 overall (3-star prospect)
Stanford has established itself as a cross-country draw for top recruits under the direction of David Shaw and dating back to when Jim Harbaugh served as head coach. The Cardinal acquired a commitment from intriguing Mid-Atlantic talent Kevin Hogan in winter 2010, shortly before eventual No. 1-overall NFL draft pick Andrew Luck announced he would return to Palo Alto for his final collegiate season.
"I came out, and within an hour I was convinced that this was the place I wanted to be," Hogan told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "The academics, the athletics, there's no comparison in the country. And the relationship with the coaches, it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."
Hogan, who also held offers from Boston College, Rutgers, Virginia and Vanderbilt, collected 4,762 passing yards and 37 touchdowns during his high school varsity career, according to Stanford's website.
Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld
11 of 15
Drafted by: Washington Redskins (sixth round; No. 187 overall)
High School: Modesto Christian (Modesto, California)
Recruiting Class: 2012
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 23 pro-style quarterback; No. 491 overall (3-star prospect)
Nate Sudfeld is the product of a football family, following in the footsteps of older brothers who competed in college (Matthew at Brown University, Zach at Nevada and now with the New York Jets). He spent seven months as a member of Arizona's 2012 recruiting class before backing off that verbal pledge weeks before national signing day.
Sudfeld, who spent time at UCLA and Indiana down the stretch, committed to the Hoosiers in late January. His senior high school season featured 2,332 passing yards and 29 touchdown tosses.
Michigan QB Jake Rudock
12 of 15
Drafted by: Detroit Lions (sixth round; No. 191 overall)
High School: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 24 pro-style quarterback; No. 659 overall (3-star prospect)
Jake Rudock is the latest St. Thomas Aquinas High School alum to reach this sport's highest level, joining 2016 No. 3-overall draft pick Joey Bosa on that lengthy list. While he wrapped up his collegiate career as Jim Harbaugh's first starting quarterback at Michigan, the process began elsewhere in the Big Ten.
Iowa signed Rudock out of high school, securing his verbal commitment two months before the start of his senior season.
"Great program, tremendous coaching staff and a chance to play on a team that fits exactly what I do," he told the Miami Herald after announcing his decision.
Rudock, who also weighed offers from schools such as Colorado, Illinois and Wisconsin, led St. Thomas Aquinas to an unbeaten season as a senior. He left the program holding single-season school records for passing yards (2,827) and touchdown tosses (36), per Iowa's website.
Arkansas QB Brandon Allen
13 of 15
Drafted by: Jacksonville Jaguars (sixth round; No. 201 overall)
High School: Fayetteville (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 7 pro-style quarterback; No. 374 overall (3-star prospect)
Brandon Allen was raised to be a Razorbacks quarterback. He grew up in Fayetteville, became a standout high school athlete in the community and spent time with the program due to his father's role as an assistant coach.
His prep career included more than 10,000 passing yards, per Arkansas' website, capped off by a dominant senior season (3,408 yards, 38 touchdowns and no interceptions). This was a drama-free recruitment, as Allen announced intentions to stay home 13 months shy of his national signing day.
Louisiana Tech QB Jeff Driskel
14 of 15
Drafted by: San Francisco 49ers (sixth round; No. 207 overall)
High School: Hagerty (Oviedo, Florida)
Recruiting Class: 2011
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 1 dual-threat quarterback; No. 16 overall (5-star prospect)
Things certainly didn't go according to plan during these past few years for former blue-chip recruit Jeff Driskel. Despite struggles at Florida and an eventual departure from the Gators program, he managed to put himself in position to hear his name called during the draft.
His high school career was packed with highlights that provided plenty of optimism about sky-high potential. As a senior, Driskel racked up 1,819 passing yards, 1,333 rushing yards and 37 total touchdowns, according to Louisiana Tech's website.
Driskel actually issued his commitment to former Florida head coach Urban Meyer, who won two national titles in Gainesville, though Will Muschamp took over the team by the time national signing day rolled around. Driskel declared plans to play for the Gators in April 2010 as a junior.
"(Meyer) was just happy to have me, and he wanted me to go back and work with my high school team, get some more wins," Driskel told Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel after his decision. "He said he was happy to have me as part of the Gators."
Western Kentucky QB Brandon Doughty
15 of 15
Drafted by: Miami Dolphins (seventh round; No. 223 overall)
High School: North Broward Prep (Pompano Beach, Florida)
Recruiting Class: 2010
247Sports Composite Ranking as Recruit: No. 48 pro-style quarterback; No. 1,358 overall (3-star prospect)
Brandon Doughty initially expected to remain in the Sunshine State though college, committing to FAU in 2009. Coaching staff changes led him to alter that outlook, and he signed with Western Kentucky, where he spent the past six years.
Doughty threw for 2,885 yards and tallied 27 total touchdowns as a high school senior, according to Western Kentucky's website. Mississippi State, Colorado State and FIU also displayed interest during his recruitment process, per Chuck King of Owl Access.
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