Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterbacks (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly in the National Football League (NFL). A Wall Street Journal article on November 18, 2012, pointed out that 'Purdue may be the ultimate Quarterback U. Since the 1970 merger (between the AFL and NFL), quarterbacks from Purdue have started 724 NFL games, easily the most of any major-conference program.' After Purdue QBs' 724 NFL games, the next best schools were the University of Washington (623 starts), Miami (573), University of Southern California (547) and Notre Dame (543). In August 2018, an Altoona Mirror writer sought to name "Quarterback U" by player achievements, such as NFL starts, Pro Bowl appearances, and Heisman Trophies won. He noted that, in the Super Bowl era, Washington (14), USC (13), Notre Dame (13), Miami (FL) (10), Stanford (10), and UCLA (10) produced at least ten starting NFL quarterbacks, while Purdue recorded the most combined NFL career starts (704). The article concluded that no single program deserved the title significantly more than others. Examples Brigham Young University Sports writers dubbed the BYU as a Quarterback U from the 1980s through the 1990s under coach LaVell Edwards, akin to USC's reputation as Tailback U. It produced Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer, and Steve Sarkisian. In 2005, the Deseret News wrote that the last great BYU signal caller was 2001 Heisman Trophy runner-up Brandon Doman, who also later served as the Cougars' offensive coordinator. It also asserted that, upon Doman's graduation, head coach Gary Crowton rotated quarterbacks so frequently that it adversely affected their performance. North Carolina State University An October 2019 Sports Illustrated article described NC State as "Quarterback U" after five former quarterbacks (Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Mike Glennon, Jacoby Brissett, and Ryan Finley) from the school advanced to play in the NFL between the years of 2003 and 2019. The article noted that four of the five (Rivers, Wilson, Brissett, and Finley) are NFL starting quarterbacks. NC State had been in the conversation as early as 2016 when a CBS Sports article