It’s Rivals QB Week so we're taking a look back at the highest-ranked quarterback prospects signed by each Power Five conference. Today we continue with the Pac-12 with three California quarterbacks leading the way.
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
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The skinny: UCLA and Stanford were always considered the frontrunners for Rosen but when the Cardinal decided not to offer it made his decision much easier. After taking a few visits, including one to Michigan only a few days before his announcement date, Rosen did decide to stay local and committed to the Bruins. Rosen had an extremely impressive true freshman season, but an injury in 2016 derailed his sophomore campaign. Now healthy, all eyes will be on the junior to see if he can take his game to the next level.
Farrell’s take: Rosen is still the best quarterback I’ve ever seen in person. I remember at our Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Chicago, Rosen was saying without caring who heard, how much better he was than DeShaun Watson, Kyle Allen and every other quarterback at the event. Rosen had the “it” factor you can’t teach. He was our No. 1 quarterback in 2015 for good reason and one of our highest-rated ever. I expect a bounceback season this year and a very interesting NFL career, as he is a polarizing personality.
The skinny: There was limited drama in Barkley's recruiting process as he committed to USC more than a year prior to his National Signing Day and firmly stuck with his word. After enrolling for the spring semester in 2009, Barkley became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season for the Trojans. He followed that with three more productive seasons as a starter, but 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.
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.
The skinny: Sanchez trimmed his list to USC, Texas, Ohio State and Notre Dame prior to committing to the Trojans in July. He enjoyed a memorable career at USC, and skipped his senior season to 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. After stops in Philadelphia, Denver and Dallas, he signed a one-year contract with Chicago in March, where he will likely be behind Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky.
Farrell’s Take: The thing I remember about Sanchez the most was his maturity and how calm he was on the field, which is a bit ironic because his NFL career fell apart due to some panic issues. He had the size you’d want in a quarterback, a compact release and his accuracy was excellent. I really liked his leadership and how ahead of the curve he was in maturity. He’s still in the NFL and some could argue that had the Jets not brought in Tim Tebow, Sanchez could have stayed on track.
The skinny: After taking several visits during the winter and spring, Browne committed to USC in late April. At USC, Browne redshirted during his freshman season and then served as the backup to Cody Kessler in 2014 and 2015. He earned the starting nod over Sam Darnold in 2016, but then got benched after a few lackluster outings. As a graduate transfer he has made his way to Pittsburgh, where he will be the starter for the Panthers during the 2017 season.
Farrell’s take: Browne was an interesting kid to scout. On film he was amazing, working from a spread offense and dishing the ball everywhere with perfect precision. In 7-on-7 play, however, he looked a bit awkward at times and tended to push the ball. But again in live situations such as the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, we loved what we saw in pads and his character. His calm demeanor and the way he saw the field led us to feel he could be great. That hasn’t happened yet and might not, as he’s dangerously close to being on the bust side in terms of No. 1 quarterbacks.
The skinny: Tuiasosopo took winter official visits to UCLA and Washington prior to committing to the Huskies in mid-December. However, he would never play for the Huskies as the draw of playing Major League Baseball was too much for him. He signed a contract with the Seattle Mariners upon his graduation from Woodinville (Wash.) High School. He has played for the Seattle, Detroit and Atlanta organizations, mostly at the Triple-A level, since 2009. He has played in 155 MLB games, with his last game coming in 2016 with the Braves.
Farrell’s take: A terrific athlete and a quarterback who did great things in and out of the pocket, Tuiasosopo was an elite dual-threat. He had solid size and would use his powerful build to shrug off tackles and his speed to run away from people. He could have been a very good college player and possibly an elite NFL quarterback as well but he chose the right path based on his long baseball career, even if he hasn’t become a star in that sport.
