QBs Who Made the NFL Wait

SI Staff | Dec 23, 2011

QBs Who Made the NFL Wait /

QBs Who Made the NFL Wait

Matt Barkley

Despite the NCAA bowl ban facing USC during Matt Barkley's junior season, the quarterback still found success in Los Angeles. Barkley decided on Dec. 23 to return to USC for his senior year with hopes of fulfilling his dreams of bringing a championship to the men of Troy. Barkley led Lane Kiffin and the Trojans to a 10-2 record and a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll in 2011.

Andrew Luck

There is a long history of college quarterbacks delaying the riches of the NFL and electing to return to college. The latest is Stanford's Andrew Luck, who announced he will forego this year's NFL Draft, in which he would've been the unanimous No. 1 overall pick, so that he can earn his degree in architectural design.

Matt Leinart

Leinart seemingly had it all. As a junior, he won the Heisman Trophy, led the Trojans to a national championship and was the projected top pick in the draft. But he loved the college life. The decision was a poor one as Leinart struggled, USC failed to win the national championship and he fell to No. 10 in the 2006 draft, where he was chosen by the Cardinals. He was relegated to backup Kurt Warner, failed to seize the job after Warner's retirement and is now a backup with the Texans.

Peyton Manning

Though Manning earned his degree in three years and was regarded as one of the nation's top quarterbacks, he returned to Knoxville for his senior season. He led the Vols to an appearance in the Orange Bowl, won numerous individual awards and was the first overall selection in the 1998 draft.

Tim Tebow

Tebow had dazzled players, coaches, and fans for three years at the Florida. In 2008, he was fresh off of leading the Gators to their second national championship in three years. At the team's celebration, in front of over 40,000 fans, Tebow finished a speech with one more dramatic shocker for his onlookers: "Oh, by the way, let's do it again. I'm coming back." Tebow totaled 533 yards in the 2010 Sugar Bowl, a BCS record, and was a first round draft pick.

Brady Quinn

Quinn had an illustrious career at Notre Dame after the arrival of coach Charlie Weis. As a junior, he threw 32 touchdown passes and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Quinn shocked football fans by returning to South Bend for his senior season. Although he threw for 37 touchdowns that season, he fell to a disappointing 22nd pick of the 2007 NFL Draft and has yet to find success as an NFL quarterback.

Danny Wuerffel

One of Florida's greatest all-time players, Wuerffel put the NFL on hold to return to Gainesville for his senior season. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Gators took home the national championship. NFL scouts were not impressed as Wuerffel slipped to the fourth round. He retired after six seasons as a perennial backup.

Drew Brees

In 1999, Brees, a junior a Purdue, placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He declared his intention to return to the Boilermakers and promised to win the Big Ten and lead his team to the Rose Bowl. Brees accomplished both those goals and was the second quarterback taken in the '01 draft, behind only Michael Vick.

Jim Plunkett

After finishing eighth in the 1969 Heisman voting, Plunkett made a fateful decision to bypass the NFL and return for his senior season. The decision paid off as Plunkett won the Heisman and led the Cardinal to their first Rose Bowl appearance in nearly 20 years. He was chosen first overall in the 1971 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and later led the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories.

Eli Manning

Eli followed in his brother's footsteps and returned to school (Ole Miss) for his senior season instead of testing the NFL waters. The decision did not hurt his draft standing as the youngest Manning was taken first overall in the 2004 NFL Draft and subsequently traded to the New York Giants, where he helped win the 2007 Super Bowl.

Colt McCoy

McCoy filled Vince Young's shoes quite nicely, succeeding the popular quarterback at Texas. By the end of his junior season, McCoy already owned school records in career wins, touchdown passes, passing yards and touchdowns. He contemplated going pro, but returned to Austin for a shot at the BCS championship. The Longhorns enjoyed an undefeated season and a berth in the title game, but McCoy was injured on the game's fifth play and never returned as Texas fell to Alabama. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round and started eight games as a rookie.

Brian Brohm

Brohm had an 18-3 record through three seasons at Louisville and was considered a consensus top-five pick for the 2007 Draft. A chance for a BCS National Championship lured him back to Louisville for his senior season. The decision proved costly as Brohm fell to the second round in a QB heavy class and the Cardinals finished the 2007 season at a disappointing 6-6. He made his first start in '09 for the Buffalo Bills and threw two interceptions in a 31-3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Sam Bradford

Like Stanford's Luck, Bradford was projected as the top overall pick after his sophomore year. The Heisman Trophy winner elected to return to Oklahoma for one more shot at a national title, but injured his right shoulder the first game of the season, re-aggravated it three weeks later and was forced to undergo season-ending surgery. Luckily for Bradford, his skills and potential outweighed his injury and he was still selected first overall in the 2010 draft.

Brock Huard

Following his sophomore year, Huard was highly-touted and had caught the eye of several NFL scouts. He chose to return to Washington for his final two seasons, but both his and the team's performance dropped off and fans began clambering for backup Marques Tuiasosopo to replace Huard. He was drafted in the third round in 1999 and only threw for four touchdowns and two picks as a NFL quarterback.

Daunte Culpepper

With the body of a linebacker (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) and an arm like John Elway, Culpepper had NFL scouts eating out of his hand. But the Central Florida QB had other ideas, returning to school because,as he put it, "I felt this program probably needed me more than the NFL needed me. I probably need another year to hone my skills." NFL coaches noticed and he was drafted eleventh overall in 1999 by the Minnesota Vikings.

Jake Locker

Depending on who you talk to, Locker's draft stock has been wavering for two years now. Many draft pundits had Locker pinned as a first-round pick after the 2009 season due to his rare combination of size, speed, and arm strength. Despite those skills, the NFL Collegiate Advisory Committee warned Locker that he would not receive a first-round grade and the quarterback chose to stay in school for the 2010 season. A decline in performance this season has haunted Locker, who is now a projected mid-round selection in the 2011 draft.    

Published Dec 23, 2011

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