Stanford has produced quarterbacks who have won the Heisman Trophy, been No. 1 draft picks, and won multiple NFL MVP awards and Super Bowl championships. Rarely has the Cardinal gone into a season so uncertain and inexperienced at the position.
Only time will tell how Tanner McKee and Jack West leave their marks in Stanford’s quarterback legacy. McKee and West were highly touted coming out of high school as part of the Cardinal’s class of 2018. Now they are looking to replace Davis Mills, who left with a year of eligibility remaining and was selected in the third round of the NFL draft by the Houston Texans.
West, a senior, has two emergency starts, completing 13 of 19 pass attempts in the season opener against then-No. 12 ranked Oregon last season. He was one of three quarterbacks who started at least one game for the Cardinal in 2019. McKee, a sophomore, took a handful of snaps last season, his first at Stanford after returning from a two-year LDS church mission. He was one of the 2018 recruiting class’ most sought-after quarterbacks, along with Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, selected No. 1 and No. 11 in the most recent NFL draft, and Georgia’s J.T. Daniels, a preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Stanford has been dubbed “Quarterback U,” thus our top 5 list below is just a drop in the bucket from a program that has sent nearly two dozen quarterbacks to the NFL.
So what can McKee or West do to join the list of Stanford’s all-time quarterback greats? David Shaw has a list of traits for what he looks for in a quarterback, and the list starts with something that former Cardinal coach Bill Walsh told him early in Shaw’s coaching career.
“The first thing he put on top of the list was instincts,” Shaw said. “Accuracy is huge, repeatable motion, enough athleticism — not everyone has to be like (Arizona Cardinals QB) Kyler Murray — but enough athleticism to move around the pocket. But that instinct to make the throw with guys in your face, that instinct and feel to slide in the pocket, that instinct to turn it on when we need you to turn it on when the game is tight.
“All those things really lead to guys following you and trusting you. What you say and how you say it doesn’t matter if you can’t back it up on the field,” Shaw continued of Walsh’s philosophy.
Our ranking of the Top-5 Stan ford quarterbacks:
1. JIM PLUNKETT (1968-70)
Credentials: Several Stanford players have come close to winning the Heisman Trophy, but the San Jose native brought it home in 1970, which separates him from the other Stanford QBs who also have won two Super Bowls or were also taken first in the NFL Draft. Plunkett finished his collegiate career with a then-NCAA record 7,887 yards of total offense, culminating in a 27-17 Rose Bowl win over previously undefeated Ohio State. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the New England Patriots and went on to a 16-year NFL career that saw him win two Super Bowls with the Raiders, earning Super Bowl XV MVP in 1982.
One more reason we picked him No. 1: Plunkett (No. 16), John Elway (No. 7) and Ernie Nevers (No. 1) are the only three Stanford players to have their jerseys retired
2. JOHN ELWAY (1979-82)
Credentials: A member of the College Football and Pro Football halls of fame, Elway lived up to his billing as the nation’s top high school recruit. He was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1980 and 1982, set a then-conference record with 9,349 career passing yards, and led the country with 24 touchdown passes as a senior, when he finished second to Herschel Walker for the Heisman. Elway finished his Stanford career with a 20-23 record, undone by a spotty defense (and one nightmarish special teams play). He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1983 draft — by the Colts, who were forced to trade him to Denver a few days later — and went on to make five Super Bowl appearances with the Broncos, including back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999.
One more reason we picked him No. 2: Elway also played right field at Stanford for two years, and spent the summer of 1982 in the minors in the New York Yankees organization while he was playing hardball with the Colts to convince them NOT to draft him. It wasn’t all posturing: Elway was a second-round draft pick (six spots ahead of future MLB Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn) and batted .318 with four home runs and 13 stolen bases in 42 games in A-ball.
3. ANDREW LUCK (2008-11)
Credentials: Luck helped revitalize the Stanford program, leading the Cardinal to a 31-7 overall record and 22 straight weeks in the AP Top 10 after the program had endured seven straight losing seasons before his arrival. That’s the most wins and best winning percentage of any QB in school history. Luck’s other team records include TD passes (82), completion percentage (.687), passing efficiency (162.76), and total offense (10,387 yards). He’s also second in career passing yards (9,430). Stanford’s offense got progressively better each year with Luck, setting school records for points with 461 in 2009, 524 in 2010, and 561 in 2011. The two-time Heisman runner-up was picked first overall by the Indianapolis Colts and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons.
One more reason we picked him No. 3: A true dual-threat QB, his career rushing total of 957 yards (averaging 5.9 yards a run) is also a Stanford record.
4. JOHN BRODIE (1954-56)
Credentials: A star in tennis, baseball, and basketball growing up in Oakland, Brodie famously wasn’t planning on playing football when he enrolled at Stanford. But a separated shoulder kept him from playing baseball and basketball as a freshman and led him to walk on to the football team as a sophomore. By the time he was a senior, Brodie led the NCAA in passing yards, TD passes, and completion percentage, earning first-team All-America honors. Selected third overall by the 49ers, he became the longest-tenured player in franchise history and was named NFL MVP in 1970.
One more reason we picked him No. 4: Brodie competed in two NCAA Golf Championships for Stanford, qualified for the 1959 U.S. Open while backing up Y.A. Title with the 49ers, and won an event on the Champions Tour in 1991.
5. BOBBY GARRETT (1952-53)
Credentials: Before Luck, Elway and Plunkett were drafted first overall, the Cleveland Browns selected Bobby Garrett with the first pick of the 1954 NFL Draft. As a senior, he accounted for 19 touchdowns and intercepted nine passes, both of which led the NCAA, and finished fifth in the 1953 Heisman balloting. He did win the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy, awarded to the West Coast’s most outstanding player. Garrett, who died in 1987, played every down in Stanford’s upset of No. 4 UCLA, throwing three touchdown passes and kicking the extra points in a 21-20 win while also playing defensive back and punter.
One more reason we picked him No. 5: Garrett signed a then-record $15,000 rookie contract with the Browns, but his pro career was delayed by a two-year stint in the Air Force, and he was out of the league quickly.
Stanford’s 2021 schedule
SATURDAY, SEPT. 4 | 9 a.m.
VS KANSAS STATE
Stanford finds itself in the Kickoff Classic against the Wildcats, who agreed to move the game from their campus to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Stanford’s most recent opener at a neutral site was a 62-7 win over Rice in Sydney, Australia, in 2017.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 11 | 7:30 p.m.
AT USC
After not meeting last year for the first time since 1945, the Trojans are back in their customary spot as Stanford’s conference opener.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 18 | 5 p.m.
AT VANDERBILT
The Cardinal’s opening three-week road trip ends with a new opponent – Stanford has never faced the Commodores, who went 0-9 last season.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 25 | TBA
VS UCLA
The Cardinal returns to play at Stanford Stadium for only the second time in 23 months. It will be hard for this game to top last year’s double-overtime win over the Bruins.
SATURDAY. OCT. 2 | TBA
VS OREGON
Both teams hope to have their QB situation settled by the time Stanford opens division play against the reigning Pac-12 champions.
FRIDAY, OCT. 8 | 7:30 p.m.
AT ARIZONA STATE
There will be a lot of attention on the sidelines after David Shaw ripped Arizona State for allegedly committing recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SATURDAY, OCT. 16 | TBA
AT WASHINGTON STATE
Stanford wasn’t sad to see Mike Leach go to Mississippi State after the Cougars won the last four games in this series. Last year’s game was canceled.
SATURDAY, OCT. 23
BYE
A much-needed breather for the Cardinal — the lone program in the country that will face only major-conference opponents (plus Notre Dame). And just two of the first seven are at home.
SATURDAY, OCT. 30 | TBA
VS WASHINGTON
In each of the last two seasons, the unranked Cardinal has upset Top 25 Washington teams. Will either team even be ranked this time?
FRIDAY. NOV. 5 | 7:30 p.m.
VS UTAH
The physical Utes are not the ideal team to face on a short week. Utah has won 3 of 4 against Stanford since joining the Pac-12.
SATURDAY, NOV. 13 | TBA
AT OREGON STATE
Stanford has won 11 straight over the Beavers, but the last two have been by a combined six points. This could be the year the Beavers finally break through.
SATURDAY, NOV. 20 | TBA
VS CAL
Despite not having the usual trappings, last year’s Big Game didn’t disappoint. The Cardinal regained the Axe after blocking an extra point in the final minute. Stanford is 10-1 vs. Cal since 2010, but the past two losses have come at home.
SATURDAY, NOV. 27 | TBA
VS NOTRE DAME
Stanford may be in the spoiler role in its season finale if the Fighting Irish have a chance for a second straight playoff appearance.
Dates and times all subject to change.
