When quarterback Clayton Thorson was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 29th pick of the fifth round on Saturday, it was a milestone for Northwestern. It marked the third time in the last 10 years that a Wildcat signal caller was drafted by an NFL team.
That’s more than any other school in the Big Ten during that period. In fact, only one school in the entire nation can claim more quarterbacks drafted than Northwestern over the last decade of drafts, and that's Oklahoma, with four.
Northwestern, then, is the reigning Quarterback U of the Big Ten, and one of the best programs in the country at turning out NFL signal callers. Only five schools -- Arkansas, Florida State, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and USC -- have yielded as many drafted quarterbacks as Northwestern's three. Not Alabama, not Clemson, not Notre Dame, not Ohio State.
And only Oklahoma, whose Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks were taken No. 1 overall in the last two drafts -- Baker Mayfield in 2018 and Kyler Murray in 2019 -- has more.
Take a look at the where the Wildcats rank nationally.
Northwestern is also ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats' three quarterback draft picks is one more than any other school; four conference programs have produced two quarterbacks in the last decade, while three more have generated one.
What makes Northwestern’s inclusion on these lists even more remarkable is that before Mike Kafka was selected by Philadelphia in 2010, the last Wildcat quarterback to hear his name called by an NFL team in the spring selection show was way back in 1977, when Randy Dean was chosen by the New York Giants in the fifth round. That’s a gap of 33 years.
So what does the Wildcats’ run on signal callers mean? A few things.
First and foremost, it means that offensive coordinator Mick McCall knows how to develop quarterbacks. McCall has become the scapegoat for Northwestern’s slumping offense the last few years, but there’s little arguing with the fact that the guy gets the most out of his quarterbacks.
Kafka was a raw three-star talent when he was signed by the late head coach Randy Walker in 2005. Kafka had played wide receiver at Chicago (Ill.) St. Rita before moving to quarterback as a senior, so he had very little experience behind center. McCall took over as offensive coordinator in 2008, and the QB took over the starting job in 2009, when, as a fifth-year senior, he led the Big Ten in passing yards (263.8 ypg), total offense (286.8 ypg), completions (24.5 pg) and completion percentage (.648).
Siemian was another three-star who, even though he had put up some big numbers at Orlando (Fla.) Olympia, was ranked as the No. 39 pro-style quarterback in the nation in the Class of 2010. Siemian was one half of the famous dual-quarterback system the Wildcats ran in 2012 and 2013. After splitting reps for two years with Kain Colter, Siemian finally got the starting job all to himself in 2014 but was injured for much of it. Siemian started only 14 career games in his career but wound up ranked fourth in NU history in career passing yardage (5,931) and completions (550) and sixth in total offense yards (5,908).
Thorson, the only four-star of the trio, rewrote Northwestern’s passing record book during his time in Evanston. He started a Big Ten-record 53 straight games and completed his career as the school’s all-time leaders in passing yards (10,731), completions (991), attempts (1697) and touchdowns (61). He is the sixth player in Big Ten history to amass more than 10,000 passing yards, and the only one to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 20 touchdowns. Most importantly, he led the Wildcats to 36 wins, including three bowls.
Quarterback recruits are taking notice of Northwestern's success. They are well aware of the program's track record in developing QBs.
2020 Northwestern quarterback commit Aidan Atkinson knows the history of McCall, who served as his primary recruiter.
For the 2021 class, Northwestern has offered two signal callers, and both regard McCall as one of the Wildcats' best assets.
"Coach McCall put three quarterbacks in the league,” said big-time sophomore J.J. McCarthy of La Grange (Ill.) Nazareth Academy, who was just named Quarterback MVP of the Rivals 3-Stripe Camp in Cincinnati on Sunday. "They know how to do it right."
Jake Rubley of Highlands Ranch (Colo.) told WildcatReport last month, "I want to play football at the highest level, and Northwestern has shown that they can develop NFL quarterbacks. Trevor Siemian started for the Broncos, and I watched every game he played, being from Denver.
"Some programs stand out for developing quarterbacks, and Northwestern is one of them."
Northwestern's string of drafted quarterbacks could continue with former five-star Hunter Johnson poised to take over the starting job. Johnson, a Clemson transfer who was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback in the nation by Rivals in the Class of 2017, may be the most talented quarterback the Wildcats have ever had.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald hasn’t named Johnson his starting quarterback for next season as of yet, but most consider that a mere formality. "He spins it really well," said Thorson. “That man throws the prettiest ball I’ve ever seen,” said McCarthy.
In a few years, that pretty ball may get Johnson's name called on the podium at the NFL Draft.
