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Looking back on past top 10 QB duos in Rivals.com history

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report…

For the first time ever, the top two players in the country are quarterbacks on Rivals.com. With two rankings cycles left for the 2018 class, it’s not clear whether Trevor Lawrence will remain No. 1 or if Justin Fields will remain No. 2, but it’s historic nonetheless. Looking back, here are other quarterbacks in Rivals.com history than ended up in our final Top 10 in the same recruiting cycle.

FARRELL 50: Nos. 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

2002

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Vince Young
Vince Young (AP Images)

The skinny: Young decided to stay in-state and committed to Texas, where he began to flourish as a redshirt sophomore. However he is most remembered for his redshirt junior season when he led the Longhorns to a National Championship while beating USC in a classic Rose Bowl. Drafted with the third overall pick by Tennessee in 2006, Young played six NFL seasons and was selected to two Pro Bowls. After retiring from the NFL in 2014, he has recently expressed a desire to make a comeback. For Olson, he signed with BYU in 2002 but after a Mormon mission he ended up at UCLA in 2005. Injuries hindered Olson’s progress at UCLA, as he failed to live up to the expectations. After going undrafted in 2009 and then breaking his foot during a tryout with Philadelphia, Olson decided to end his playing career.

Farrell’s take: Obviously Young was a homerun as a national title winner, a should be Heisman Trophy winner and a first-round draft choice. Out of high school he was so talented and athletic he could have been an All American safety if he wanted to. Despite his throwing mechanics, he was an easy choice for No. 1. Olson had it all, size, arm strength, field presence, vision but two years away from football is hard to overcome. It’s hard to think of many quarterbacks who went on missions and came back to be as successful as projected and Olson is a great example of how the time away can be tough to overcome.

2004

Rhett Bomar
Rhett Bomar (AP Images)

The skinny: Bomar trimmed his list down to Oklahoma, Texas and Florida State before committing to the Sooners. He experienced plenty of early success in Norman, but he was then dismissed from the team in 2006 for violating NCAA rules. He found a new home at FCS Sam Houston State for two seasons, before being selected in the fifth-round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. After stops in Minnesota and Oakland, Bomar’s last opportunity in the NFL came in 2012. Lee took official visits to Florida State, Texas, Ohio State and Auburn before committing to the Seminoles in late January. He battled Drew Weatherford for the starting job during his playing career in Tallahassee, ultimately losing out. Foregoing his final season at FSU, Lee went undrafted in 2008. After a failed attempt with Baltimore, Lee spent the next eight seasons in several Arena Leagues and the United Football League, as both a quarterback and wide receiver.

Farrell’s take: Bomar could have been a star at Oklahoma and possibly a Heisman winner. Even after being dismissed he landed on his feet at the FCS level, was drafted and had a short NFL run. But imagine if he had stayed in the Sooners' offense? He was mobile, accurate on the run and from the pocket and had a swagger about him that can’t be taught. Lee was an explosive athlete who had amazing numbers in high school and who we thought could be a Michael Vick kind of talent. He never really improved his passing mechanics or feel for the game and turned out to be one of our bigger disappointments.

2006

Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford (AP Images)

The skinny: Stafford trimmed his list to Georgia and Texas before committing to the Bulldogs. After passing for a combined 5,982 yards and 44 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons, Stafford decided to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. He was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009 by Detroit, where he has developed into one of the more productive quarterbacks in the league. Mustain followed his heart and decided to play for the in-state Arkansas Razorbacks, where he started off by going 8-0 as a true freshman starter. However, coaching decisions in Fayetteville ultimately led him to transfer to USC, where he played behind Matt Barkley. After a few tryouts in the CFL and Arena Leagues, Mustain’s playing career came to an end.

Farrell’s take: Stafford had a cannon for an arm, could put the ball wherever he wanted and was mature beyond his years in the pocket. There was something about him that made you feel he could keep his team in any game or win any competition as long as he was focused and on. It’s not a surprise he went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and is having a very solid NFL career. He had one of the best arms I’ve seen out of high school. Mustain was very smooth, very accurate and had a serious swagger playing under Gus Malzahn and putting up huge numbers. But his ego got in the way as he wanted out at Arkansas despite freshman success because they weren’t throwing the ball enough with a running backfield of Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hills. Good grief. His time at USC was uneventful.

2007

Jimmy Clausen
Jimmy Clausen (AP Images)

The skinny: Clausen’s recruitment was best known for his extravagant commitment ceremony, which took place at the College Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. After committing to Notre Dame, Clausen enjoyed a successful yet unspectacular college career with the Irish. After deciding to skip his senior season, he was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by Carolina. He spent six years in the NFL with the Panthers, Chicago and Baltimore, but has not been on a roster since the 2015 season. Mallett made an early decision to play for Michigan, however, after spending one season with the Wolverines, the hiring of Rich Rodriguez, who is known for his spread option offense, led to his transfer to Arkansas. He enjoyed two very successful seasons with the Razorbacks before declaring for the NFL Draft. Selected in the third round by New England, he spent three seasons with the Patriots before being traded to Houston. After two seasons with the Texans, he has found a home in Baltimore, where he will likely be the backup to Joe Flacco for the 2017 season.

Farrell’s take: Clausen didn’t have the career many predicted when he was tabbed the “LeBron James of high school football” but the kid could sling it. His accuracy in high school was simply amazing and he pretty much did whatever he wanted to do on the field. His arm strength wasn’t off the charts and he wasn’t huge, but he was one of the most polished high school quarterbacks I’ve ever seen. Mallett was known for his strong arm out of high school, one of the biggest arms I’ve ever seen for a prospect that age. He could throw the ball through a brick wall but, unlike many others with big arms, he also had some touch and accuracy. His size, arm strength and downfield touch led to his lofty ranking and a mini-debate between Mallett and Clausen for the No. 1 overall ranking that year. Michigan wasn’t a fit but he found one at Arkansas. His attitude, evident out of high school as well, has held him back in the NFL. He’s still a pro quarterback, but he fell a bit short of this lofty ranking.

2009

Matt Barkley
Matt Barkley (AP Images)

The skinny: Barkley committed to USC more than a year prior to his Signing Day and firmly stuck with his word. Barkley, who became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season for the Trojans in 2009, followed that up with three more productive seasons as a starter. However, an injury and somewhat lackluster senior season saw him slip into the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Selected by Philadelphia, he spent two seasons with the Eagles before making his way to Arizona, Chicago and now San Francisco, where he signed a two-year contract in March. Shepard committed to LSU, believing he’d have the best opportunity to play quarterback in Baton Rouge. However, that did not work out as he lined up at running back for one season and then receiver for three at LSU before signing with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Since then he played four seasons in Tampa Bay as a receiver and then in March he signed a three-year contract with Carolina.

Farrell’s take: Barkley had his ups and downs in college, but in high school he was a no-brainer as a top five player. He was a starter from the youngest age at his school. He wasn’t tall but he was filled out and strong, and he could make all the throws. Poise, maturity and pocket presence were all there out of high school and he panned out, just not as much as we expected. We knew Shepard could change positions, but we as a group also felt he had the dual-threat ability to star as a quarterback if that’s the route LSU took. His career has been a bit of a disappointment based on the hype, but he’s done a good job of re-inventing himself as a wide receiver.

2016

Jacob Eason
Jacob Eason (AP Images)

The skinny: Patterson originally committed to Arizona as a high school freshman, before re-opening his recruitment and ultimately committing and signing with Ole Miss. He was likely to redshirt in 2016, but a knee injury to Chad Kelly forced him into the starting lineup, where he passed for 880 yards and six touchdowns as a starter during the last three games last season. Eason committed to Georgia during the summer leading up to his senior season, but the firing of Mark Richt opened the door for several programs, which resulted in visits to Miami, Washington, Washington State and Florida. However, an official visit back to Athens sealed the deal for Eason as he stuck with his word and enrolled for the spring semester. Eason replaced Greyson Lambert in the Bulldogs' opener, and while having some ups and downs, finished with 2,430 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2016.

Farrell’s take: I wasn’t sold on Patterson at first mainly because he was short. Now short is, of course, a relative term but the first time I saw Patterson, he was just pushing 6-feet tall. He’s now about 6-foot-2, which still isn’t ideal by some NFL standards, but this kid has the same kind of moxie and “it” factor that the rare quarterbacks possess. Patterson has the ability to beat you with his arm and feet, and has nerves of steel down the stretch. There’s something about him that makes me think he will be great and his start in the SEC has been a good one. The first time I saw Eason, he immediately reminded me of Stafford, not only on the field but the way he looked. The mannerisms were so similar, although Eason is taller and has a bigger frame to fill out. Eason has a very strong arm and shows poise in the pocket. As he continues to see the field better and get more comfortable with his progressions, he could be special in college and beyond.

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