A QB State: Five CA QBs Among Nation’s Top 40
More NFL quarterbacks come from one of two states – Texas and California. During the Super Bowl era, there have been more quarterbacks in the NFL from the state of California – 141 – than any other state in the union.
More are coming.
Five of the top high school quarterbacks in the Class of 2022 hail from the Golden State. All five quarterback prospects are committed to FBS programs. Here’s a look at each.
Nate Johnson, Clovis
Johnson might be the fastest high school quarterback in the nation. He also possesses an FBS arm that makes him a unique prospect.
Just how fast is Johnson? He has run the 100-meter dash in 10.52. That’s fast and he’s got a good enough arm that he was among the finalists chosen for the this year’s Elite 11 competition.
Johnson had numerous offers from the likes of Michigan, Arizona State, Oregon State and more. In the end, he chose to commit to Utah in mid-June.
Katin Houser, St. John Bosco
Houser (6-3, 200) stars at national power St. John Bosco and originally committed to Boise State. He had offers from numerous programs around the country including several Pac-12 and Big Ten schools.
Ultimately, Houser decommitted from Boise State and verbally committed to Michigan State.
Houser, who spent his junior season splitting time with 2023 prospect Pierce Clarkson, was also among the field of the prestigious Elite 11 competition.
Justyn Martin, Inglewood
Martin was on the radar of nearly every Pac-12 school that salivated over the young Martin’s arm. He has great size at 6-4 and 210 pounds and just has a cannon of a right arm. The ball looks like it explodes out of his hand on the release.
Other programs like Michigan, Nebraska, and Ole Miss all offered as well, but eventually Martin decided to stay near home and decided on Cal. He committed to the Bears earlier this year in January.
Jayden Denegal, Apple Valley
We featured Denegal not long ago touting his size, arm strength, and accuracy. At 6-5 and 220 pounds, Denegal has NFL size as a high school junior. That size is one of the reason’s why Denegal’s stock began to rise after his sophomore season at Apple Valley.
He is a true pocket passer that also has enough athletic ability to beat you with his feet. Denegal’s arm is powerful and his accuracy downfield is absolutely amazing. He wanted to have his commitment out of the way so he could enjoy his senior season.
That commitment came on June 23 when the Apple Valley QB decided on Jim Harbaugh and Michigan.
Maalik Murphy, Junipero Serra
Most of the so-called experts tag Murphy as the No. 1 quarterback in the state of California. There’s good reason for that. It starts with his God-given frame. Murphy is a legitimate 6-4 and maybe closer to 6-5. He weighs in at 225 pounds and looks more like a linebacker or defensive end than a quarterback.
Next is Murphy’s arm. He can throw the ball 70 yards-plus downfield. He can make all the throws at every level on the field. Murphy is also very athletic and he will use his feet and legs to make plays. There is no question Murphy has the ability to become a Power 5 starter very quickly in his college career.
Murphy was also among the Elite 11 finalists. Here he is in action at the competition.
Murphy got his commitment done in February. With offers from nearly every major FBS program in the country, Murphy chose Texas as his college destination.
These five quarterbacks are just the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of California quarterbacks in the Class of 2022 and 2023 that will end up committed to FBS program within the next year. One or more of them may end up in the NFL someday.
