Dak Prescott and the 10 most underrated college football quarterbacks of all time
By Ethan Lee
No. 7: Underrated college football quarterbacks – Russell Wilson, Wisconsin/NC State
Even though Russell Wilson has become an incredibly successful NFL quarterback who has received plenty of recognition for his achievements, his college career still deserves more recognition on a nationwide scale. That said, folks at North Carolina State and Wisconsin are sure to remember just how good of a quarterback he was in college.
Wilson began his career with the NC State Wolfpack and pretty quickly proved to be a proficient passer, taking to the field his freshman season and throwing for 1,955 yards, 17 touchdowns and just one interception.
In his second season at North Carolina State, Wilson improved considerably, throwing for 3,027 yards and 31 touchdowns against 11 picks. Despite Wilson’s solid play, the Wolfpack still struggled, going a combined 11-14 in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
In Wilson’s junior season, things changed a bit. The Wolfpack started winning and Wilson was playing at an even higher level than he had before. In 2010, Wilson threw for 3,563 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
On the ground, Wilson added 435 yards and nine more touchdowns. And all of those yards and touchdowns helped get North Carolina State to a 9-4 season, including a 28-24 win at home over No. 16 Florida State.
But it wasn’t until Wilson transferred to Wisconsin that he became a significantly better quarterback and got to experience another level of winning. After leaving NC State, Wilson joined a team that would go on to compete for and winning a conference championship. The Badgers, led on offense by Montee Ball and Wilson, made their way to the Rose Bowl, where they fell short against Oregon.
During the season, Wilson threw for 3,175 yards and 33 touchdowns while just throwing four picks and completing a career-high 72.8 percent of his passes. He also averaged 10.3 passing yards per attempt and 11.8 adjusted yards per attempt, both also career bests.
In total, Wilson threw for 11,720 yards, 109 touchdowns, and 30 picks and rushed for 1,421 yards and 23 touchdowns.