Caleb Williams Among Top-5 USC Trojans Quarterbacks Ever? Full Rankings

The USC Trojans have a rich history at the quarterback position, including Heisman Trophy winners Caleb Williams and Matt Leinart. Take a look at the top-five best quarterbacks to ever suit up for the Trojans.

Unknown date 2001; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer in action against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images / Imagn Images

With how many talented quarterbacks that dawned the cardinal and gold for the USC Trojans, this list was difficult to make. Honorable mentions include quarterbacks Matt Barkley, Pat Haden, and Mark Sanchez.

5. Sam Darnold

Oct 14, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass against the Utah Utes during an NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former USC and current Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold kicks off the list in a big way. Darnold gave the Trojans their first taste of success in the post-Pete Carroll. In 2016, he was a redshirt freshman when he got his chance to be the conductor for the Men of Troy's offense. He would go onto appear in 13 games, leading the Trojans to a 10-3 record and a come-from-behind Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.

Darnold would reach over 3,000 yards despite throwing under 100 yards in each of his first three appearances. He would tack on 31 touchdowns as well. He would follow his breakout season by throwing for an additional thousand yards in 2017, finishing with 4,143 yards and 26 touchdowns. The Trojans would finish at 11-3 and would be named the Pac-12 champions at the seasons end after defeating Stanford in the conference championship game. They would fall just short in the Cotton Bowl losing to Ohio State 24-7. Darnold would be the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft by the New York Jets.

4. Rodney Peete

Jan 1, 1988; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Southern California Trojans quarterback Rodney Peete (16) in action against the Michigan State Spartans during the 1988 Rose Bowl where MSU beat USC 22-14. Mandatory Credit: Long Photography-Imagn Images / Long Photography-Imagn Images

The oldest quarterback on the list, Rodney Peete led the Trojans to two Rose Bowl appearences in the late 80s. At USC from 1985-1988, Peete was a three-year starter for the Trojans, and he threw for over 2000 yards in each season. Peete also threw for 37 touchdowns in his three years as the starter, including a career-high 19 touchdowns in 1987. He would finish as the Heisman runner-up in his senior campaign after he threw for 2,654 yards and 18 touchdowns, but lost the award to Oklahoma State legend, Barry Sanders. He would go onto to win the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and was selected in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.

3. Carson Palmer

Unknown date 2001; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Southern California quarterback Carson Palmer in action against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images / Imagn Images

The first USC quarterback to win the Heisman, Carson Palmer, was nearly a four-year starter for the Trojans. Palmer spent five seasons at USC and threw for over 2500 yards in three of them, including 3,942 yards and 33 touchdowns his Heisman-winning senior year campaign. Prior to his last season in Los Angeles, the Trojans were going through a few down years during the Paul Hackett era. However, during his senior year, the Trojans put it all together on the field and finished 11-2 with a Orange Bowl win over Iowa. They ended the season as the No. 4 team in the country. Palmer would set the standard for USC quarterbacks to come, and he would head to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2003 NFL draft as the first overall pick.

2. Caleb Williams

Nov 19, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) throws against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The most recent quarterback on the list, Caleb Willams brought the juice back to the quarterback position at USC. Williams came over to Southern California from Oklahoma when Trojans coach Lincoln Riley was hired away from the Sooners at the end of the 2021 season. He lit the college football world on fire from his first snap as a Trojan. In his first season at USC, Willams was awarded the Heisman and Maxwell as the best player in college football. He threw for 4537 yards and led the nation with 42 passing touchdowns and ran in for another 10 scores.

Willams followed that up the next year by throwing for 30 touchdowns and 3633 yards. The knock on Williams would be that the Trojans didn't enjoy a lot of success in the early years of Lincoln Riley's tenure. Williams would have a 18-8 record during his two years at USC. He would go 1-1 against both UCLA and Notre Dame. Williams would go on to be the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears.

1. Matt Leinart

Jan 04, 2005; Miami, FL, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart in action during the 2005 Orange Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners . Leinart, who threw 5 touchdowns, was named the game's MVP. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Imagn Images (©) Copyright 2005 by Preston Mack / Imagn Images

The best USC quarterback of all time, Matt Leinart was the definition of success in college. He nearly led the Trojans to a three-peat as USC were named the national champions in 2003 and 2004. They just fell short in 2005, losing to the infamous Vince Young led-Texas squad in the Rose Bowl. In his three years starting for the Trojans, USC only lost two games under his watch. In terms of personal success, Leinart matches any Trojan quarterback with stats.

He threw for a career-high 38 touchdowns his first year starting along with 3556 yards in the air. He followed that up in his 2004 Heisman-winning season by throwing for 33 touchdowns and 3,222 yards as the Trojans finished undefeated with 13-0 record and an Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma. He was selected 10th overall in the 2006 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

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