Scott Tolzien Scott Tolzien ( born September 4 , 1987 ) is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League . He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2011 . He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers . He was the starting quarterback for the 2010 Wisconsin Badgers who were co - champions of the Big Ten Conference with Ohio State and Michigan State . College career . A two - star recruit out of William Fremd High School , Tolzien did not attract many offers from major universities and chose to attend the University of Wisconsin , Madison . 2006 season . Tolzien was redshirted and did not play for the Badgers this season . 2007 season . Tolzien did not play in any games for Wisconsin this season ; as they had Tyler Donovan , Allan Evridge , and Dustin Sherer at quarterback . 2008 season . After Allan Evridge was benched following dismal performances against Michigan , Ohio State , and Penn State , Tolzien saw his first major action for Wisconsin against Iowa in Kinnick Stadium . Tolzien completed 5 passes on 8 attempts , but threw an interception in the red zone . Dustin Sherer eventually took charge of the Badgers , who finished the season a disappointing 7 - 6 . 2009 season . A surprise winner of a spring quarterbacks competition at Wisconsin after beating out former starter Dustin Sherer , Tolzien threw an 80 yard touchdown pass to WR Isaac Anderson on his first attempt against Northern Illinois . Tolzien would set the Wisconsin All - Time record for completions in a single season , with 211 , and passed for 2 , 705 yards . Under Tolzien ' s leadership , Wisconsin would finish the season at 9 - 3 . However , Scott threw a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in an eventual loss at Ohio State and threw 3 interceptions against Iowa the next week . Despite this , Tolzien was at the top of his game in games against Michigan , Minnesota , and Michigan State , being named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Michigan State . Tolzien ' s efforts were often overshadowed by 1 , 500 yard rusher John Clay , but he turned in a very solid season . Tolzien finished the 2009 season with a good performance in a 20 - 14 win over Miami in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl , completing 19 passes on 26 attempts as the Badgers knocked off the higher - ranked Hurricanes . 2010 season . Tolzien , after being named a finalist for the 2010 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award along with Andy Dalton of TCU , Colin Kaepernick of Nevada , Christian Ponder of Florida State and Ricky Stanzi of Iowa , won the award . Tolzien smashed the Wisconsin record for completion percentage in a season in his remarkable 2010 season , completing 74 . 3 % of his passes in 12 regular season games . Tolzien ranked 4th nationally in passer rating , and led the nation in completion percentage . After a disappointing effort against Michigan State in which the Badger receiving corps dropped several passes , Tolzien would improve week after week as the Badgers won their next 7 games to finish the year 11 - 1 . Against a top 5 Ohio State defense , Tolzien completed 13 of 16 passes . His efforts led the Badgers to an eventual upset of then top - ranked Ohio State . The next week against Iowa , Tolzien again had a solid game , completing 20 passes on 26 attempts for 205 yards and a touchdown . Most impressively , Tolzien led the Badgers down the field for the game - winning touchdown with Wisconsin ' s running game stifled by Iowa ' s defense . In his final home start , against the Northwestern Wildcats , Tolzien was nearly flawless , completing 15 passes on 19 attempts for 230 yards with four touchdown passes . Tolzien made his final collegiate start at Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl against one of the top defenses in the nation , TCU . Tolzien finished the game with 12 completions out of 21 attempts for 159 yards , no touchdowns and no interceptions and a rating of 120 . 7 for the game . The Horned Frogs defeated the Badgers by a final score of 21 - 19 . Tolzien completed his college career by playing in the 2011 East – West Shrine Game on January 22 , 2011 . Professional career . Pre - draft . Tolzien took part in the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis . San Diego Chargers . Tolzien was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2011 NFL Draft on July 26 , 2011 . He then appeared in three of the four preseason games . During that time , Tolzien completed 25 of his 40 pass attempts for 302 total yards , one touchdown pass , and one interception , while he had 4 rush attempts for 24 yards . He was subsequently released by the team on September 3 , 2011 in final cuts . San Francisco 49ers . The San Francisco 49ers claimed Tolzien off waivers on September 4 , 2011 to be the third string quarterback behind starter Alex Smith and backup Colin Kaepernick . Tolzien played a major role in the 49ers ' practice during the 2011 playoffs , helping Alex Smith prepare for the NFC Championship game against the New York Giants . He was retained by San Francisco after the conclusion of the 2012 preseason , and will remain as the third string quarterback behind Kaepernick and Smith .