Rivals Rewind: States producing multiple five-star QBs in same year

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

With the recent unveiling of the updated Rivals100 for 2018, something has occurred that has never happened during the Rivals era. When Justin Fields became a new five-star, it gave the state of Georgia three five-star quarterbacks as Fields joined Trevor Lawrence and Emory Jones. In fact, only four times in Rivals.com history has a state produced even two five-star quarterbacks in the same cycle. Here is a look back.

RELATED: Can Clemson join elite list with three top 10 players? | Fields decommits from Penn State

The skinny: Since Mills’ signing with Stanford and Fromm’s signing with Georgia only occurred a few months ago, it is obviously premature to pass judgment on either. However these two may have started a quarterback revolution in the state, as previous to them the only two five-stars to come out of the Peach State were Cam Newton and DeShaun Watson. With three more five-stars in the class of 2018, plus a loaded 2020 group with Harrison Bailey, Max Johnson, Griffin Brewster and Tee Webb, people may look back at Mills and Fromm as the duo that started something special.

Farrell’s take: Georgia has never been known as a quarterback-producing state until now, but the Peach State has now become a major producer of elite quarterbacks.

The skinny: This duo never met expectations at the college level. Shepard lined up at running back for one season and then wide 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 and recently signed a three-year contract with Carolina. He has found a niche for himself in the NFL at wide receiver, where he has totaled 30 receptions for 432 yards and three touchdowns to this point.

Gilbert spent three years at Texas, earning his most playing time in 2010. He had a 6-7 record as a starter before transferring to SMU, where he played for two seasons and accumulated 6,460 yards and 36 touchdowns. He was drafted in the sixth round by St. Louis in 2014 and has since bounced around the league. He is currently with Carolina, but has yet to throw a pass in an NFL game.

Farrell’s take: We knew Shepard could change positions, but we 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 and building a nice career. As for Gilbert, he’s the guy Longhorns fans blame for the beginning of the demise under Mack Brown and he was clearly a massive bust based on his ranking and hype nationally.

The skinny: Olson’s saga actually began in 2002, when he was also a five-star, but after signing with BYU and going on a Mormon mission, he re-started his recruiting process and ended up with UCLA. Injuries haunted Olson at UCLA as he failed to live up to the hype. After going undrafted in 2009 and then breaking his foot during a tryout with Philadelphia, Olson decided to end his playing career.

Sanchez enjoyed a great deal of success at USC, which led him to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Selected with the fifth overall pick in 2009, he led the New York Jets to back-to-back AFC championship games before seeing his career partially derail. His quarterback rating dropped after two seasons and he went 14-17 and threw 36 interceptions with 24 fumbles in his final two seasons in New York. Now a backup, he signed a one-year contract with Chicago in March, where he will likely be behind Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky.

Farrell’s take: Olson was a flop based on expectations while Sanchez had a great junior season. Sanchez was a success by our standards with a short but very solid college career and a NFL Draft first round grade.

The skinny: After originally committing to the local Pittsburgh Panthers, Morelli had late change of heart that saw him sign with in-state rival Penn State. Morelli took over the starting job as a junior at Penn State and had two successful yet unspectacular seasons. Going undrafted, he bounced around the NFL, and then the Arena and United Football leagues before hanging up his cleats in 2011.

At Michigan, Henne started 45 games during his successful career, passing for 9,715 yards and 87 touchdowns. Drafted in the second round by Miami in 2008, Henne spent four seasons with the Dolphins before moving to his current home, Jacksonville. With the Jaguars he has become Blake Bortles' backup, which should be his role during the 2017 season.

Farrell’s take: The debate between Morelli and Henne was an interesting one and clearly Henne had much more success at the college and NFL level. Henne’s ability to move around a bit more and extend plays helped him as Morelli struggled with the pass rush at the college level. Both players were excellent prospects, but only one is still playing.