Despite Pac-12 fallout, former Colorado star and CFB analyst praises Pac-4 as the "Best quarterback conference in the country"
Does Pac-12 boast an impressive lineup of quarterbacks? Former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback and Fox Sports analyst for college football Joe Klatt believes so.
The Pac-12 is witnessing a drastic period of downfall, as eight of the twelve schools are making their exit from the conference to the Big Ten and Big 12. But despite the uncertainty looming around the future of the conference, one cannot overlook the impressive class of 2023 that the conference has.
Joel Klatt believes in the same and his recent statement shines a light on the capabilities of the players in the conference, especially those who are playing in the quarterback position in Pac-12
Joel Klatt calls Pac-12 a pool of quarterback talent
The Fox Sports analyst believes that the 'Conference of Champions' has a lot to deliver in terms of quarterbacks who possess exceptional talents on the gridiron. During a recent episode of his podcast, Joel Klatt went on to talk about the amazing signal callers currently playing in the conference for their respective teams.
He said:
"Pac-12 will be the best they've been in over a decade. It is the best quarterback conference in the country. So, is it? Yes, yes it is. Look at the quarterbacks they have. It's an embarrasment of richness."
Klatt then went out to point out a few players of the class of 2023 who have impressed, including Caleb Williams from USC and Michael Penix Jr. of the Washington Huskies.
The Pac-12 boasts a wide range of QBs who have gone on to impress millions of fans in the NFL. Starting from New England Patriots Drew Bledsoe to Green Bay Packers legend Aaron Rodgers, who recently signed with the New York Jets.
The history of prolific quarterbacks emerging from Pac-12
This year is not the only time the conference has churned out talented signal callers who went on to have great college careers. Some of them even had this translate into successful careers in the NFL.
You've got Troy Aikman, a UCLA graduate who went on to win three Lombardi trophies with the Dallas Cowboys during his 12-season career in the NFL. The Stanford Cardinal boasts Jim Plunkett, who led the Las Vegas Raiders to two Super Bowl rings in his last eight seasons in the NFL. These players are just the tip of the iceberg of signal-callers who have etched their names into the history books of football.
Last season, Penix Jr. threw for 4,641 passing yards, with Williams coming in second in the QB rankings of power 5 quarterbacks with 4,537 yards. As they gear up for their final season in the conference, will the realignment pose a threat to its quarterback-producing quality?
Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are moving on to the Big Ten in 2024. Whereas on the other hand, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah are heading to the Big 12. Is the era of producing the greatest quarterbacks in the country finally coming to an end?