Best college football quarterback born in every state

Arizona: Rodney Peete – USC Trojans

Arizona is the birthplace of current New York Jets starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick had a pretty good career at Harvard University, where he was the Ivy League MVP in 2004. However, he isn’t the best college quarterback born in the Grand Canyon State. That distinction belongs to USC’s Rodney Peete.

Peete was born in Mesa, Arizona and attended Sahuaro High School in Tucson for his freshman, sophomore and junior years. He was named the Arizona High School Player of the Year in his final year at Sahuaro. Rodney went on to play his senior year in Overland, Kansas at Shawnee Mission South High School. He was also a talented baseball player and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1984. Despite having the opportunity to play professional baseball, Peete decided to attend the University of Southern California to play football instead.

Peete had solid sophomore and junior year campaigns, but the pinnacle of his collegiate career came in his senior season in 1988. He became the first USC player to win the Johnny Unitas Award as the nation’s best senior quarterback and he finished second to the great Barry Sanders in the Heisman Trophy voting. Peete also won both of his head-to-head matchups against Troy Aikman’s UCLA teams.

Although his career in the NFL never matched his success in college, the impact Peete had on the USC campus will never be forgotten. Rodney Peete is unquestionably the best college quarterback born in Arizona, and that could be the case for a long time.