Finding a quality starting quarterback in the NFL is priority No. 1 for every team. Finding a Hall of Fame-type quarterback is a luxury. Finding back-to-back great quarterbacks, like the 49ers with Joe Montana and Steve Young and the Packers with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, is extremely rare.
High school football has its own examples of quarterback combinations like Montana/Young and Favre/Rodgers. MaxPreps takes a look at 25 of the greatest successive quarterback combinations in high school history (in no particular order), starting with a pair of NFL Hall of Famers.
Mater Dei's Bryce Young (shown) and J.T. Daniels rank among the best back-to-back high school quarterback combinations.
File photo by Mark Jones
Bobby Layne | Doak Walker
School: Highland Park (Dallas)Notes: The only high school to have back-to-back Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Bobby Layne guided the Scots to a 12-1 record only to lose to San Angelo in the state semifinals in 1943. The following year, Walker moved from running back to quarterback and led Highland Park to the championship game where the Scots lost to Port Arthur Jefferson. Walker attempted 44 passes in the loss. Layne went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Lions while Walker won the Heisman Trophy and joined Layne on the Lions for six seasons before retiring.
Terry Baker | Mel Renfro
School: Jefferson (Portland, Ore.)Notes: Both Baker and Renfro went on to earn a spot in the National Federation of High Schools Hall of Fame and the NCAA Hall of Fame after their careers at Jefferson. The two teamed up in 1957 and 1958 to lead their teams to 11-0 and 12-0 records, respectively. Renfro played running back as a sophomore and junior before replacing Baker at quarterback in 1959 and leading Jefferson to an 11-1 record. Baker went on to win the Heisman Trophy at Oregon State while Renfro went on to an NFL Hall of Fame career as a cornerback with the Dallas Cowboys.
Terry Bradshaw | Joe Ferguson
School: Woodlawn-Shreveport (Shreveport, La.)Notes: Terry Bradshaw was a four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback and an NFL Hall of Fame inductee, but it was his successor at Woodlawn, Joe Ferguson, who had the better high school career. Bradshaw threw for 1,381 yards and a state record 21 touchdown as a senior in 1965, but Ferguson came in to throw for 3,452 yards as a senior in 1968 while earning All-America honors and leading Woodlawn to an undefeated season an a state championship. Ferguson went on to a 17-year NFL career.
Stefan Loucks | Spencer Keith | Wil Nicks | Fred Knighten |
Lawson Vassar | Will Hefley | Layne Hatcher | Braden Bratcher
School: Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.)Notes: Some schools are able to string together more than two great quarterbacks. Pulaski Academy is one of those schools. Under coach Kevin Kelley, Pulaski Academy produced 16 straight seasons (beginning in 2004) with the starting quarterback throwing for over 4,000 yards in a season. The streak covered eight different quarterbacks, and Loucks, Keith, Hatcher and Bratcher all threw for over 10,000 yards in their careers.
Josh Floyd | Rhett Lashlee
School: Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.)Notes: Floyd finished his career in 1998 as the state's all-time leading passer with 10,656 yards only to have his successor, Lashlee, break his record with 13,201 career yards by 2001. Floyd is currently the head coach at Hewitt-Trussville while Lashlee is the offensive coordinator at the University of Miami.
JT Daniels | Bryce Young
School: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)Notes: Daniels led, perhaps, the greatest high school team in history when he guided the Monarchs to a 15-0 record and a national championship as a junior. The MaxPreps National Player of the Year for 2017, Daniels graduated a year early to attend USC, opening the door for transfer Bryce Young. As a junior, Young led Mater Dei to a national championship. He also earned MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors.
Josh Booty | Phillip Deas | Brock Berlin | Brent Rawls | John David Booty
School: Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.)Notes: Five Evangel quarterbacks combined for eight seasons of 3,500 yards or more in a season, starting with Josh Booty in 1992, who finished his high school career in 1993 as the nation's all-time career passing leader. At one time, Evangel Christian had three of the top six career passing leaders in Booty, Phillip Deas and Brock Berlin. Rawls was the No. 1 passing recruit in the nation after Berlin graduated while Josh's brother John David had back-to-back 4,000-yard passing seasons.
Chris Leak | Joe Cox
School: Independence (Charlotte, N.C.)Notes: Leak finished his career as the nation's No. 2 all-time career passing leader and earned National Player of the Year honors in 2003. Joe Cox filled right in and earned Parade All-American honors in 2004. Leak helped lead Florida to a national championship in college while Cox played at Georgia.
Maty Mauk | Grant Sherman
School: Kenton (Ohio)Notes: Mauk finished his career in 2011 as the nation's all-time leading passer with 18,932, but it was his back-up, Sherman, who had the better single-season effort as a senior in 2013 with 5,920 yards.
Chase Wasson | Chase Daniel | Greg McElroy | Riley Dodge
School: Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)Notes: The Dragons led all Texas 5A quarterbacks in passing yardage for five seasons, starting with Wasson in 2002, Daniel in 2003 and 2004, McElroy in 2005 and Dodge in 2006.
Garrett Gilbert | Michael Brewer | Baker Mayfield
School: Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)Notes: Gilbert finished his career in 2008 as the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and the state's all-time leading passer. Brewer had two solid seasons as his replacement, including a 4,450-yard effort as a junior. Baker Mayfield entered in 2011 and started for two years before heading to Oklahoma where he won the Heisman Trophy.
Hunter Taylor | Patrick Mahomes
School: Whitehouse (Texas)Notes: Taylor finished his career with over 10,000 yards passing in 2011 and gave way to Mahomes, who was the MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year in 2014 before going on to earn NFL Most Valuable Player honors.
Jaxson Dart | Devin Brown
School: Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)Notes: Dart set a state record for touchdown passes in a season and was named MaxPreps National Player of the Year in 2020. Brown followed Dart at Corner Canyon and currently is among the national passing leaders with 3,807 yards.
Jake Heaps | Max Browne
School: Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)Notes: Skyline had the state's top quarterback for six straight seasons as Heaps led Skyline to state titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009 while finishing his career as the nation's top quarterback prospect. Browne followed, winning two state championships and finishing his career with 12,953 career yards. Like Heaps, Browne was also the nation's top quarterback prospect as a senior.
Wally Woodham | Jimmy Jordan
School: Leon (Tallahassee, Fla.)Notes: Leon had one of the top passing offenses in the nation during the 1970s. Woodham set a national record for single-season passing yardage with 3,571 in 1974. The following season, Jordan became the first high school quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards with 4,098.
Justin Worley | Mason Rudolph
School: Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.)Notes: Worley finished his career as the state's all-time passing yardage leader with 13,385 yards, but it was his successor who had the more successful career with 10,986 yards and an NFL career with the Steelers.
Art Schlichter | Scott Grooms
School: Miami Trace (Washington Courthouse, Ohio)Notes: Schlichter was state quarterback of the year in Ohio in 1977 after leading Miami Trace to a 29-0-1 record over three seasons. Grooms replaced Schlichter and also earned back of the year honors in 1978 before eventually signing with Notre Dame.
Mark Kamphaus | Scott Schaffner
School: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)Notes: Kamphaus led Moeller to a No. 1 ranking in the nation before falling in the playoffs in 1984. He earned Parade All-America honors. Schaffner followed Kamphaus and went on to earn Parade All-America honors in 1986.
Steve Clements | Chuck Clements
School: Huntsville (Texas)Notes: Older brother Steve finished his career as the state's all-time leading passer with 8,204 yards while making the Parade All-America team. Two years later, younger brother Chuck also earned Parade All-America honors.
Chris Weinke | Chris Walsh
School: Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.)Notes: Weinke was an All-America by Parade and USA Today before embarking on a baseball career. He eventually returned to football and won the Heisman Trophy at Florida State. Chris Walsh, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Steve Walsh, replaced Weinke and went on to win National Player of the Year honors in 1991 by Gatorade.
Robert Marve | Aaron Murray
School: Plant (Tampa, Fla.)Notes: Mavre was one of the top recruits in the nation after leading the state in passing with 4,380 yards and also leading Plant to a state championship in 2006. Murray threw for 4,012 yards in 2007 as a junior and then led the team to a state title in 2008. Like Mavre, Murray earned All-America honors from Parade.
Matt Leinart | Colt Brennan | Jason Forcier
School: Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Notes: Leinart earned Parade All-America honors and went on to win the Heisman Trophy. Brennan backed up Leinart as a junior and then battled freshman Forcier for starting quarterback in 2001. Brennan eventually went on to set NCAA passing records at Hawaii. Forcier earned all-state honors as a sophomore and junior at Mater Dei, but finished his career at St. Augustine (San Diego).
Ron Cuccia | Steve Clarkson
School: Wilson (Los Angeles)Notes: Cuccia set national records for career passing yardage with 8,804 yards in 1977 while making the Parade All-America team. Clarkson replaced Cuccia and led the state in passing as a senior in 1978. Clarkson has earned the reputation as one of the top quarterback coaches in the nation. His son Pierce currently plays for St. John Bosco.
Pat Haden | John Sciarra
School: Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.)Notes: Haden finished his career as the nation's career yardage leader in 1970 with 7,633 yards while leading the Lancers to a CIF Southern Section championship. Sciarra took over in 1971 and also led Bishop Amat to a section title. The duo competed against each other in college, Haden at USC and Sciarra at UCLA. Haden is a member of the NFHS Hall of Fame while Sciarra is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Ronnie Knox | Lee Grosscup
School: Santa Monica (Calif.)Notes: Knox transferred from Inglewood to play at pass-happy Santa Monica his senior year in 1952. He earned CIF Player of the Year honors while setting a section record for touchdown passes. Lee Grosscup took over as a starter for Samohi in 1953 and earned All-CIF Southern Section first team honors as a senior in 1954. Knox played briefly in the NFL while Grosscup played professionally for six seasons and had a long career as a color commentator for college football.
