Kirk Herbstreit Shares Who He Thinks Could Be Next Brock Purdy

The college football analyst believes one Mountain West quarterback could be the next Brock Purdy.
Kirk Herbstreit Shares Who He Thinks Could Be Next Brock Purdy
Kirk Herbstreit Shares Who He Thinks Could Be Next Brock Purdy /

San Francisco’s Brock Purdy went from “Mr. Irrelevant” out of Iowa State to becoming an NFL starter and leading his team to the cusp of a Super Bowl berth.

It all seemed unlikely when he was taken with the final pick in last April’s draft, but after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy was summoned and answered the call admirably for the 49ers.

Although Purdy wasn’t a heralded pro prospect, he ended up playing a significant role as a rookie this season. So who could be the next Brock Purdy?

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks that it could be Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener.

Haener stood out as he earned MVP of the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday.

“You looking for this year’s Brock Purdy?” Herbstreit tweeted. “My early offs would favor Jake and the grind that he’s been on as a college QB. No shock he delivered today when it mattered. Congrats Jake!”

Herbstreit was quote tweeting an earlier tweet from Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, who posted a picture with Haener and said that NFL scouts “love his guts.”

It certainly sounds like Haener may be an under the radar quarterback prospect heading into the draft who teams should keep an eye on.


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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.