Quarterback U Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterback s ( QBs ) . It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision - making process or organized sportswriters ' poll . Generally speaking , the term implies that many of the school ' s former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football , particularly in the National Football League ( NFL ) . A Wall Street Journal article on November 18 , 2012 pointed out that ' Purdue may be the ultimate Quarterback U . Since the 1970 merger ( between the AFL and NFL ) , quarterbacks from Purdue have started 724 NFL games , easily the most of any major - conference program . ' After Purdue QBs ' 724 NFL games , the next best schools were the University of Washington ( 623 starts ) , Miami ( 573 ) , University of Southern California ( 547 ) and Notre Dame ( 543 ) . In August 2009 , an " Altoona Mirror " writer sought to name " Quarterback U " by player achievements , such as NFL starts , Pro Bowl appearances , and Heisman Trophies won . He noted that , in the Super Bowl era , USC ( 15 ) , Notre Dame ( 13 ) , Washington ( 12 ) , Miami ( 10 ) , Stanford ( 10 ) , and UCLA ( 10 ) produced at least ten starting NFL quarterbacks , while Purdue recorded the most combined NFL career starts ( 704 ) . The article concluded that no single program deserved the title significantly more than others . Examples . Brigham Young University . Sports writers dubbed the BYU as a Quarterback U from the mid - 1980s through the 1990s , during which time it produced Jim McMahon , Steve Young , Robbie Bosco and Ty Detmer . The " Deseret News " wrote that the last great BYU signal caller was 2001 Heisman Trophy runner - up Brandon Doman , who now serves as the Cougars ' offensive coordinator . It also asserted that , upon Doman ' s graduation , head coach Gary Crowton rotated quarterbacks so frequently that it adversely affected their performance . Purdue University . In the 1960s , Purdue became known as ' Quarterback U ' and ' Cradle of Quarterbacks ' by media and rivals such as Ohio State and Notre Dame due to its prominent QBs . Between 1967 and 1974 , Purdue QBs Len Dawson and Bob Griese started five Super Bowl s , winning three ; Cecil Isbell led the Green Bay Packers to a NFL title in 1939 , Elmer Oliphant led the Buffalo All - Americans to a disputed NFL title in 1921 ; Purdue has produced NFL starting QBs in Mike Phipps , Gary Danielson , Jim Everett , Mark Hermann , Jeff George and Kyle Orton ; Scott Campbell and Curtis Painter were well - known backup quarterbacks , Joey Elliott is a starting QB in the Canadian Football League . The tradition has continued through to this day with Drew Brees ' MVP - winning performance in Super Bowl 2010 . 15 Purdue QBs went on to the NFL ; Purdue is tied for first with Alabama in producing Super Bowl winning quarterbacks . According to ESPN . com , Purdue QBs have won ( and started ) more NFL games than any other school ; thrown for the most touchdowns and yards in the NFL . Purdue QBs have won more League TD titles ( 13 through the 2011 NFL season ) than any other school . Stanford University . As early as 1975 , the term Quarterback U had been applied to Stanford University , which had produced such players as Frankie Albert , John Brodie , Jim Plunkett , Don Bunce , and Mike Boryla . This reputation was enhanced when Bill Walsh joined the Cardinal as head coach , and quarterbacks Guy Benjamin , Steve Dils , and Turk Schonert promptly led the NCAA in passing in 1977 , 1978 , and 1979 . They were followed by perhaps Stanford ' s best - known quarterback , John Elway , who played at the university from 1979 to 1982 , finishing second in the Heisman voting his senior season . Elway would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Broncos and win the Super Bowl in 1997 and 1998 . By 1989 , the " San Jose Mercury News " surmised that Stanford ' s " once bright legacy " as Quarterback U appeared " to be flickering out " . However , recently Stanford ' s quarterback tradition has experienced something of a revival under Andrew Luck . Luck finished second in the voting for the Heisman trophy , the award given to college football ' s most outstanding player , in both 2010 and 2011 . When drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 NFL Draft , he became the fourth Stanford quarterback taken with the first overall pick , following Elway , Plunkett and Bobby Garrett , but the first since Elway was taken by the Colts in 1983 . Stanford quarterbacks have started 7 Super Bowls , winning 4 , and garnering two Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award s . Texas Tech University . In 2005 , a " Sporting News " writer described Texas Tech as Quarterback U in an article that bestowed several positional " U " monikers with the criteria being college performance since 2000 . Its author cited head coach Mike Leach ' s numerous 4 , 000 - yard - plus passers . University of Maryland . During the 1980s , the term was also applied to Maryland , which produced several NFL - caliber quarterbacks during the tenures of head coach Bobby Ross and offensive coordinator Joe Krivak . These Maryland quarterbacks included Boomer Esiason , Frank Reich , Neil O ' Donnell , Scott Zolak , and Stan Gelbaugh . In 2005 , " The Washington Post " reapplied the label to the Terrapins under head coach Ralph Friedgen and offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe , after Sam Hollenbach became the Atlantic Coast Conference ' s leading passer . That coaching staff also groomed Shaun Hill and Scott McBrien . University of Miami . In the 1980s , the term was often applied to the University of Miami . In 2003 , Tracy Gale , a sport publicist working for the University of Miami , named Fran Curci , who was Miami ' s quarterback in 1959 , as the start of what he called " Miami ' s Quarterback U tradition . " George Mira , Jim Kelly , Bernie Kosar , Vinny Testaverde , Steve Walsh , Ken Dorsey , Craig Erickson , and Gino Torretta are some Hurricanes quarterbacks that influenced his use of the term . The term is still often applied , although Miami currently has fewer quarterbacks starting in the NFL than it has in the past . In 2008 , all three Miami quarterbacks entered the season with no game experience , and pundits charged head coach Randy Shannon with rebuilding the program ' s reputation of producing high - quality signalcallers . University of Michigan . In recent years , sportswriters have mentioned several schools as being appropriate for the designation . A 2005 ESPN article cited that , since 1988 , Michigan sent as many starting quarterbacks to the NFL as the University of Miami . It argued that " three yards and a cloud of dust " is no longer the offensive philosophy at Michigan . A year later , Rivals . com proclaimed that Michigan was " the new Quarterback U . " Elvis Grbac , Todd Collins , Tom Brady , Jim Harbaugh , Brian Griese and Chad Henne are some of the Wolverine quarterbacks that have gone on to start in the NFL . University of Southern California . After the 2008 season , " The Los Angeles Times " claimed that USC , more traditionally known as " Tailback U " , was the school most deserving of the designation . University of Washington . Washington quarterbacks have consistently advanced to the NFL , with 16 of the previous 18 starting quarterbacks as of 2012 having started in the NFL . Washington ' s Pro Football Hall of Fame member Warren Moon is fourth in all - time passing yardage , reflecting his CFL and NFL careers . Other notable alumni include Chris Chandler , Mark Brunell , and Jake Locker . ESPN points to the program ' s history by the early 1980s .