7 NFL starting QBs who played high school football in California ft. Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Stroud 

By Ishika Dadhwal

Modified Oct 08, 2024 21:31 GMT

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California's high schools have been established as a premier source of elite NFL quarterbacks. With seven NFL teams starting signal callers who honed their skills on Golden State gridirons, including Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, and Jayden Daniels, the state's dominance in quarterback production cannot be denied.

Below are seven NFL starting QBs who played high school football in California:

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen's journey to NFL stardom began at Firebaugh High School. He used to play multiple sports but found his true passion in football. During his high school years, he was overlooked by college scouts and failed to receive any scholarship offers.

Undeterred, Allen enrolled at Reedley College and after a promising first season, boldly emailed every FBS coach seeking a chance to lead one of the teams.

Derek Carr

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr began as a starter in his sophomore year with the Clements High School Rangers. While his first season was a learning experience, he showed promise, passing for 1,246 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The following year, Carr led the Rangers to an undefeated 13-0 regular season. He improved his passing skills with 1,622 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders’ Daniels was a CIF-Southern Section record-breaking quarterback. Throughout his high school career at Cajon High School, Daniel led his team to multiple league championships and playoff appearances. He culminated his high school career with a state finals appearance against Junípero Serra High School in 2017, setting a CIF record with 6,431 total yards in a season.

He was the recipient of the prestigious Ken Hubbs Award and participated in high-level quarterback competitions, including the Elite 11 in 2018 and the Under Armour High School All-America Game in 2019, where he threw two touchdowns.

Sam Darnold

Minnesota Vikings’ Darnold excelled at San Clemente High School while he played wide receiver and linebacker. He also filled in as quarterback, throwing a touchdown pass and securing the game-winning two-point conversion.

In his senior season, he amassed 3,000 passing yards, 39 touchdowns, 800 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Jared Goff

Lions’ Goff was a student at Marin Catholic High School. In his three varsity seasons, Goff threw for 7,687 yards and 93 touchdowns, completing 477-of-767 passes for 62.2%. His exceptional performance earned him a passer rating of 125.5.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers' football journey began at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico. In his two years as starting quarterback, Rodgers amassed an impressive 4,421 passing yards.

His performances included a single-game record of six touchdowns and 440 all-purpose yards. Rodgers's stellar play culminated in a single-season school record of 2,466 total yards in 2001.

C.J. Stroud

Texans’ C.J. Stroud, initially a 3-star recruit, finished high school as the third-highest rated quarterback of his class. He was the MVP of the Elite 11 in 2019 and was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl.

Stroud's senior year performance earned him the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Offensive Player of the Year award after passing for 3,878 yards and 47 touchdowns.