What do DJ Uiagalelei, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, Trevor Lawrence and Vince Young have in common? They are among an impressive list of the MaxPreps Top 20 quarterbacks over the last 20 years.
Over the next few months, MaxPreps will dive into a position-by-position look at the best players to perform under the Friday Night Lights. We started with running backs last week and next up are the quarterbacks.
The 20 quarterbacks on our list have combined for six Pro Bowl selections, two Heisman Trophies, four BCS national championships, two CFP national championships and one Super Bowl.
Our criteria focuses towards on-field accomplishment, 247Sports composite ranking, awards, all-state selections and the impact the players made toward their team's success.
The Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) trio of Matt Barkley, JT Daniels and Bryce Young help the Golden State to the top of the class with seven overall selections. Two-time MaxPreps National Player of the Year Kyler Murray paces a Texas quintet that also features Vince Young, Garrett Gilbert, Riley Dodge and Dematrius Davis.
MaxPreps 20 for 20: Quarterbacks
Went 42-0 as a starter and led the Eagles to three consecutive state titles in the state's largest classification. Finished his high school career throwing for 10,386 yards and 117 touchdowns while adding 4,139 yards on the ground and 69 scores. Allen finished ranked No. 2 in the country during his junior season and was crowned the MaxPreps National Champions the following year. Murray was named the Gatorade Athlete of the Year in 2015.
Georgia's all-time passing leader threw for 13,908 yards and 161 touchdowns during his high school career. He went 52-3 as a starter and led the Hurricanes to a couple of state titles and a 41-game winning streak that stretched from his sophomore to senior year. Lawrence was the No. 1 rated player in the Class of 2018 and was named the MaxPreps Freshman of the Year and Junior of the Year.
Finished with 7,624 yards of total offense and was the top-rated player in the country in the Class of 2002. His best season came as a senior leading Madison to the Class 5A Division 1 semifinals throwing for 2,545 yards and 35 touchdowns as well as 1,274 yards rushing and 24 scores.
Finished his high school career on top as the Braves were named national champs by every media outlet in 2019. He was named the MaxPreps Co-Player of the Year with Bryce Young after throwing for 4,225 yards and had 48 touchdowns against two interceptions. He added another 400-plus yards and eight scores on the ground. The five-star recruit was the No. 1 pro style quarterback in the Class of 2020 and ended his career with 10,496 yards passing and 1,103 yards rushing to go with 145 total touchdowns playing against elite competition across the country.
The first player in state history to finish with 4,000-plus yards passing and 4,000-plus yards rushing. He threw for 1,889 yards and rushed for 1,899 yards with 58 total touchdowns in his senior season while leading the Jayhawks to their first state title. Pryor was the second-rated player overall in the Class of 2008 and was rated ahead of the likes of Julio Jones, A.J. Green and Andrew Luck.
The MaxPreps National Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year after leading the Monarchs wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country during the 2017 season. He threw for 4,123 yards and had 52 touchdowns against four interceptions and added 500-plus yards on the ground and nine scores. Mater Dei never trailed at any point during the season while posting a 15-0 mark. Daniels finished with 12,014 yards and 152 touchdowns while going 37-4 as a starter.
Ranks second all-time in Georgia in passing yards (13,077) and passing touchdowns (155). His 17,124 yards of total offense and 218 total touchdowns rank first all-time in Peach State history. He was named the MaxPreps Junior of the Year after throwing for 4,024 yards and 50 touchdowns to go with 1,441 yards rushing and 24 scores while leading the Red Elephants to their first state title. Watson was the top-rated dual threat quarterback in the Class of 2014 on 247Sports composite rankings.
8. Bryce Young, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | Class of 2020 Shared National Player of the Year honors with Uiagalelei in 2019 after leading the Monarchs to a 12-1 record while accounting for 4,885 yards of total offense (4,528 passing, 357 rushing) and 68 touchdowns. He was also named the Co-Junior of the Year with North Shore's (Houston) Zach Evans after leading Mater Dei to a CIF Open Division state championship in 2018. He played his first two years at Cathedral (Los Angeles) and finished his career throwing for 13,250 yards and 152 touchdowns to go with 1,084 yards rushing and 26 scores. Young was the No. 1 rated player in the country according to 247Sports and only Bryan Bresee was ranked ahead in the composite rankings.
Fourth all-time in passing yards (15,593) and passing touchdowns (185), he led the Patriots to three consecutive 4A state titles and played a
pivotal role in Independence's 109-game winning streak that went from
2000 until 2007. It's the second longest winning streak in high school
football history, trailing only De La Salle's (Concord, Calif.) 151-game
streak. The former five-star recruit was the second-rated quarterback in
the Class of 2003.
Never lost a game during his three years under center for the Las Vegas power. Named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and Gatorade Football Player of the Year after leading the Gaels to a 15-0 record accounting for 3,619 yards of total offense (2,362 passing, 1,257 rushing) and 62 total touchdowns as a senior. The Gaels were named National Champions by every media outlet and the second-rated dual threat quarterback from the Class of 2017 finished his career throwing for 7,507 yards and 113 touchdowns to go with 2,294 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns.
The former five-star recruit was the second-rated quarterback in the Class of 2009 and finished with 12,534 yards passing and 138 touchdowns. He led the Cavaliers to back-to-back state titles during his junior and senior year and went 39-4 as the starter. He was named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and Gatorade Athlete of the Year as a senior after throwing for 4,851 yards and 55 touchdowns.
Went 42-0 as the starting quarterback for the Southern California power and threw for over 10,000 yards. His senior year was the first season the California Interscholastic Federation started playing state championship bowl games and Clausen led the Lions to the Division III title. He was the top-rated quarterback in the Class of 2007 and Joe McKnight was the only player ahead of him on 247Sports composite rankings.
Finished his high school career throwing for 9,940 yards and 95 touchdowns to go with 3,169 yards rushing and 63 scores. He led the Panthers to a 4A state title during his senior year in 2005 — the school's lone championship. The former five-star prospect was the top-rated dual threat quarterback in the Class of 2006.
His 18,932 yards passing is the most in high school football history. He threw for 219 touchdowns, which ranks second all-time and his 1,353 completions and 2,110 attempts are both national records. Mauk was a four-star recruit and was the seventh-rated dual threat quarterback in the Class of 2012.
15. Matt Barkley, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | Class of 2009 Top-rated player from the Class of 2009 was the first freshman to start at quarterback for Mater Dei since Todd Marinovich n 1984. Barkley became the first non-senior to be named the Gatorade Football Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year after he threw for 3,560 yards and 35 touchdowns during his junior season. He finished with 9,471 yards passing and 79 touchdowns.
Threw for a national record 229 touchdowns and his 16,775 yards passing ranks third all-time. During his senior season he tied the national record throwing for 91 touchdowns and also set the California record throwing for 5,790 yards, sixth all-time on the national level. Browning was named the California Gatorade Player of the Year during his junior and senior season and only lost two games in high school with both against De La Salle (Concord, Calif.). He was the MaxPreps Junior of the Year in 2013 and was the fifth-rated pro style quarterback, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
The MaxPreps National Player of the Year as a junior after leading the Dragons to a 5A Division 1 state championship in a 43-29 win over Nick Foles and Westlake (Austin). Dodge finished that season throwing for 4,184 yards and 54 touchdowns to go with 1,119 yards on the ground and 13 scores. The Dragons were named 2006 national champions by USA Today. Dodge ended his career with 7,629 yards passing and 93 touchdowns to go with 1,848 yards rushing and 20 scores despite starting for two seasons. He's the head coach of Southlake Carroll and is 38-4 over his first three years after leading the Dragons to a first state title game appearance since 2011.
18. Josh Rosen, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) | Class of 2015 The former five-star recruit was the top-rated quarterback in the Class of 2015 and finished his career throwing for 8,743 yards and 90 touchdowns with 1,139 yards rushing and 14 scores. During his junior season, he led the Braves to their first state title in school history snapping De La Salle's 40-game winning streak in the CIF Open Division championship.
His 14,565 yards passing is sixth all-time nationally and the 195 passing touchdowns are good for third most. Grier owns the national record throwing for 837 yards in a game. The former four-star recruit was the second-rated pro style quarterback in the Class of 2014 and finished his career with 2,955 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground.
Finished his high school career as the all-time leader in wins for a quarterback in Texas history going 51-3. He led North Shore to back-to-back 6A Division 1 state titles in 2018 and 2019 and was the MaxPreps Sophomore Player of the Year after leading the Mustangs to the No. 1 spot in the final Top 25 rankings. Racked up over 13,500 yards of total offense and 171 touchdowns during his career for the Houston power.
