Published Aug 30, 2016
Rivals QB Week: Top high school programs for producing QBs
Mark Pszonak
Rivals.com

MORE: Rivals.com QB Week

Which high school football programs across the country have the best track record of producing college football quarterbacks? We look at the top five.

1. SOUTHLAKE (TEXAS) CARROLL

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Southlake Carroll has long been one of the top programs in Texas, with its steady flow of college-level quarterbacks being a major reason behind its success. Since 2002, the Dragons have sent an amazing nine graduates to the college ranks, with several experiencing success.

Three-star Chase Daniel, who is a 2005 graduate, made his way to Missouri, where he was a Heisman candidate in 2007 and 2008 while leading the Tigers to two bowl victories. Since 2009 he has played for four NFL teams and is currently with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Following Daniel was three-star Greg McElroy, who led Alabama to two SEC Championships and the 2010 National Championship.

Currently trying to make his mark this fall is four-star Kenny Hill, who started his college career at Texas A&M in impressive fashion, but then decided to transfer to TCU. Hill recently won the starting job for the 2016 season and has the potential to have a huge season for the Horned Frogs.

Other Southlake Carroll quarterbacks worth mentioning include: David Piland, a 2010 three-star who passed for 5,790 yards at Houston; Daxx Garman, a 2011 three-star who most notably started at Oklahoma State for a season before transferring to Maryland; Kyle Padron, a 2009 two-star who passed for 5,902 yards at SMU before transferring to Eastern Washington; and Ryan Agnew, a 2015 three-star, who redshirted last season and will be the backup at San Diego State this fall.

2. SAN CLEMENTE (CALIF.)

California has a reputation as a hotbed for developing college-level quarterbacks, and the top in-state program in that regard has been San Clemente. The production has been impressive, especially in recent years.

In 2010, three-star Chase Rettig took his talents to Boston College. With the Eagles, Rettig played in 46 games and passed for 8,253 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Soon after Rettig came Travis Wilson, also a three-star, who signed with Utah in 2012. Wilson had a memorable four-year run with the Utes, playing in 46 games, passing for 7,401 yards and rushing for 1,226 yards.

San Clemente's production continued in the class of 2015 with Sam Darnold. The former four-star prospect, after a tightly-contested competition, was recently named the back-up to Max Browne at USC.

Leading the way for the Tritons now is four-star Jack Sears, who just recently committed to Duke over offers from USC, UCLA, Florida State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Two other former San Clemente quarterbacks worth mentioning are Duke DeLancelotti, who took the JUCO route before ending up at Texas State, and Cole Bergquist, who passed for 7,505 yards and 58 touchdowns during his four-year run at Montana, which included four Big Sky Conference championships and one appearance in the national title game.

3. TAMPA (FLA.) PLANT

Plant is in the midst of an impressive run of quarterbacks, producing five college-level quarterbacks in the last decade.

Starting this streak was Robert Marve, a four-star in the class of 2007. He originally played at Miami before finishing up his collegiate eligibility at Purdue.

Following Marve was four-star Aaron Murray, who was a four-year starter at Georgia. After passing for 13,166 yards and 121 touchdowns during his time in Athens, Murray was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by Kansas City. He is currently battling for the back-up spot with the Chiefs.

Plant next produced Phillip Ely, a three-star who signed with Alabama but later transferred to Toledo. He had a big 2015 season with the Rockets, but went undrafted and is currently an unsigned free agent.

Next in line looking to make his mark at the college level is Rex Culpepper, who was a three-star who signed with Syracuse earlier this year.

Another Plant product worth noting is Stephen Reaves. The three-star 2003 prospect inked with Michigan State, but was dismissed from the program in 2005 due to off-field incidents. He finished his eligibility at Southern Mississippi, before eventually having a short career in the CFL.

4. AUSTIN (TEXAS) WESTLAKE

The second Texas school on this list is Austin Westlake. Starting the recent flow of FBS-level Westlake products was Nick Foles, a 2007 three-star who signed with Michigan State and eventually ended up at Arizona. Totaling more than 10,000 passing yards in college, Foles was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by Philadelphia, where he had some memorable moments before getting traded to St. Louis in 2015. However, after getting waived by the Rams earlier this year, now he is fighting for the back-up spot in Kansas City.

While he didn’t receive a great deal of publicity, Tanner Price, a three-star in the class of 2010, turned in a nice four-year career at Wake Forest. His 8,899 career passing yards make him the second all-time leading passer in Demon Deacon history.

Still trying to make an impact at the college level is class of 2014 two-star Jordan Severt, who is hoping to receive his first playing time this fall at SMU.

Finally, next in line for the Chaparrals is current four-star Sam Ehlinger, who committed to Texas last summer. He has been very firm in his commitment and looks ready to enroll in Austin next spring.

5. PITTSBURGH (PA.) CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Central Catholic has produced a steady stream of college level quarterbacks since 2008, sending four to the FBS ranks.

Starting this stretch was class of 2008 three-star Tino Sunseri, who stayed local and played at Pittsburgh. Sunseri was a three-year starter for the Panthers, and finished his collegiate career with 8,590 yards and 49 touchdowns.

Following Sunseri at Central Catholic was class of 2010 three-star Trent Hurley, who signed with Bowling Green, but transferred to Delaware after his redshirt freshman season. With the Blue Hens, Hurley was the starter for three seasons and finished with 6,446 yards and 45 touchdowns.

Next in line was class of 2012 three-star Perry Hills, who has battled through injuries since signing with Maryland. His hard work recently paid off though, as he was named the starting quarterback for the Terrapins this season.

Following Hills was class of 2014 four-star J.J. Cosentino, who signed with Florida State. Cosentino redshirted in 2014 and saw spot duty last fall. To this point he has yet to separate himself from the pack so playing time may be difficult for him to come by this fall.

Finally, Troy Fisher looks to be the next big quarterback to come out of Central Catholic. Heading into his junior season, Fisher already has offers from Boston College and Temple and, at 6-foot-4 and 195-pounds, he has the tools to make an impact at the next level.