Who is the best freshman QB in the nation?
- Andrew Luck - Stanford (62%, 53 Votes)
- Tate Forcier - Michigan (14%, 12 Votes)
- BJ Daniels - South Florida (14%, 12 Votes)
- Matt Barkley - USC (10%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 85
Loading ...Andrew Luck, until recently, was quietly putting together an outstanding freshman year for the Stanford Cardinal. Surrounded by big time programs in the PAC 10 like Oregon and USC, and not expected to make a big splash this year, Luck and the Cardinal were quietly going about their business until a huge win and some incredible comments by several coaches put Luck in the spotlight and woke the nation up to what might be not only the top freshman quarterback, but one of the best overall quarterbacks overall you’ll find anywhere in the country.
Andrew Luck has finally found the spotlight for the Stanford Cardinal and could be the top freshman QB and most underrated QB in the country.
Why Wasn’t Anyone Talking About Andrew Luck?
Luck, at 6′4″ 235, is the son of former Houston Oilers quarterback Oliver Luck. He was a big name coming out of Stratford High School in Houston, Texas, with huge stats, big-time honors, and was even the valedictorian of his class. Rivals.com tabbed him No. 1 on its list of the most accurate quarterbacks in the country, as well as No. 4 on its list of pro-style QB’s, the No. 9 overall recruit from Texas and No. 68 overall player nationally. Although recruited by many of the highest profile college football programs in the country, Luck chose Stanford and didn’t play his true-freshman year. And in 2009, even though he was off to a good start in his first year running Stanford’s offense, nobody paid any attention to the Cardinal – until a huge upset win over Oregon and some startling comments by his coach got the nation’s attention.
Big Win Puts Luck In The Spotlight
Out-shined but not out-played by fellow freshmen QB’s Tate Forcier and Matt Barkley, Luck led the Cardinal to a gigantic win over 8th ranked Oregon and suddenly the sports world has woken up to Luck and the Cardinal. Cardinal’s coach Jim Harbaugh fueled the fire with an incredible comment about Luck:
“I think Andrew is the best quarterback in the country. I have not seen a better quarterback out there.” – Jim Harbaugh
Even when pressed for a comparison between Luck, Tebow, and McCoy, Coach Harbaugh stuck to his guns and said he has seen none better. Luck has put up the best stats of any freshman QB in the country at this point, and some of the best stats in the nation, including:
| Attempts | Comp | Comp % | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
| 126 | 216 | 58.3 | 2076 | 11 | 3 | 153.1 |
Andrew Luck’s National Ranking:
- 1st in yards per attempt
- 9th in passing efficiency (1st in the PAC 10)
- 11th in passer rating
- 27th in total offense
It’s one thing to get big compliments from your coach and teammates, but it’s completely different to hear it from other coaching staffs, and Oregon’s secondary coach John Neal had the statement of the year about Andrew Luck:
“He’s unbelievable. I think he’s the best quarterback since, I don’t know, Brett Favre. People are going to start to realize, when they look across the country and go, ‘OK, is it Matt Barkley, is it Jake Locker, is it Tim Tebow or is it Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy?’ If I’m an NFL scout, it’s going to be Andrew Luck. He’s going to be a franchise player for somebody. He’s special.” – Oregon’s secondary coach John Neal
Luck Has Huge NFL Potential
Besides having the stats, a great quarterback has to have a ton of other traits, and Luck has em – a strong and highly accurate arm, good pocket presence, a good runner, great leadership skills, very intelligent, and has a high football IQ. He doesn’t have the pleasure of running out of the shotgun in some type of pass-happy, spread offense either. He runs a balanced, pro-style offense from under center with a great running attack which gets a lot of focus in Coach Harbaugh’s game plan.
Another Chance To Shock The College Football Nation
After beating 8th ranked Oregon, Andrew Luck and the Cardinal face another huge chance to shine in the PAC 10 – a visit to division rival USC and a head-to-head match-up between Luck and Matt Barkley, the nation’s most highly-publicized freshman QB. If Luck can play well and match Barkley head-to-head, and the Cardinal can make a good game of it, the world of college football will certainly know that Luck is for real and the Cardinal will be a team to reckon with in the coming years. Is Luck the best freshman QB? Is he the most underrated QB in the country? Don’t forget to vote!
Nice analysis and commentary on Andrew Luck. I agree that he has all the tools to become a big time NFL quarterback.