Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterbacks (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).
As of 2023, Alabama and Purdue are tied for first in producing the most number of Super Bowl winning quarterbacks.[1] As of September 2017, the top five universities in terms of the most NFL quarterback passing yards were 219,064 for Purdue, 183,296 for Notre Dame, 157,855 for USC, 152,627 for Stanford and 142,524 for Washington.[2]
On November 18, 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported 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).[3]
In August 2018, 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, Washington (14), USC (13), Notre Dame (13), Miami (FL) (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.[4]