Tag: Matt Leinart

Long list of Pac-12 legends among ESPN’s Top-75 QBs of the century

The Pac-12 has a long history of elite QB play. Which passers ended up on ESPN’s list of the best 75 QBs since 2000?

By all means, the quarterback crop in the Pac-12 for this upcoming season is expected to be as talented as we’ve ever seen it in recent memory. With USC’s returning Heisman winner Caleb Williams, Oregon’s Bo Nix, Washington’s Michael Penix, and Utah’s Cam Rising, the depth at the top is elite out west in 2023. If you go further, guys like D.J. Uiagalelei, Cameron Ward, Jayden de Laura, and Drew Pyne also have a chance to step into a national spotlight with some great play as well.

If things go the right way, there’s a chance that we could see some of the best QB play we’ve ever seen in the Pac-12 this year.

That’s certainly saying something, especially when you consider the history of the quarterback position in the conference. With multiple Heisman winners, and a number of early-round NFL draft picks as well, some of the best passers in college football history are from the Pac-12, many of whom played since the turn of the century.

This past week, ESPN went through and rated the best 75 QBs in college football since the year 2000. Here are the Pac-12 players who made the cut:

NFL draft history: Every player selected with the 10th overall pick since 2000

We’re looking at every No. 10 overall pick selected since the 2000 NFL Draft and the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of landing an impact player

The Eagles need impact players on both sides of the ball, and with two first-round picks in this month’s draft, Howie Roseman will have another opportunity to add depth to a Super Bowl-caliber roster.

Top ten picks are expected to be dynamic players, and the list of No. 10 overall selections has a handful of misses, along with several hits and a few Hall of Fame-worthy performers.

With the NFL draft fast approaching, we’re looking at every player selected with the tenth pick since 2000.

Top 10 USC players coached by Mater Dei legend Bruce Rollinson

Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson retired weeks ago at the end of the high school playoffs. @DonJamesSports looks at the great Trojans he coached over the years.

It is the end of an era and the changing of the guard at one of the most storied and successful high school football programs in the country, a central locus of elite talent and a source of the foremost football recruits in the United States.

After 34 years as the head coach at Mater Dei, Bruce Rollinson is stepping away from the top high school football program in America.

No one was sure when Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.) head coach Bruce Rollinson was going to step away from coaching. Most knew it would be soon, and the high school football world got its answer a few weeks ago when the program’s football account tweeted a message from Rollinson.

“I have recently decided that this year will be my last year as head coach of Mater Dei football. After playing at Mater Dei more than 50 years ago, 47 years coaching at Mater Dei and 34 years as the head coach, making this decision at this time with the entire starting lineup returning next year, should make it easier for the next coach and Mater Dei to continue our winning tradition.”

Rollinson finished his 34th year as head coach, going 341-87-2, leading Mater Dei to three CIF Open Division state titles (2017, 2018, 2021). The school has finished ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 every year since 2016, excluding 2020 when football was moved to the spring and not included in the national rankings.

Mater Dei has earned six high school national championships under Rollinson’s leadership, and fell one win short of a seventh this season. The Monarchs were ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 as they headed into the CIF Southern Section final. They lost to St. John Bosco, 24-222. The program won 28 games in a row under Rollinson, a streak snapped by Bosco in the championship game.

During his long and successful tenure at Mater Dei, Rollinson has coached multiple Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks: former USC QB Matt Leinart and current Alabama QB Bryce Young.

The program has produced hundreds of Division I college football players during his time as head coach, including current Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, and former USC QB Matt Barkley.

We wanted to take a look at the production of former USC Trojans over his 34 years as head coach at Mater Dei. Here’s a look at the top 10 players coached by Bruce Rollinson who played at USC.