I saw this on Reddit and thought it was a good topic for CF users.
I'm expecting there to be some debates about Brock/Seneca as #1.
I'm expecting there to be some debates about Brock/Seneca as #1.
Rank Iowa State's top 5 QB’s from 2000-2024
- Thread starter loyalsons4evertrue
- Start date
Purdy, Seneca, Sage Rosenfels, Rocco Becht, Austen Arnaud. Rocco has the chance to go higher if he gets some help from the running game.
I think the list starts with Sage, Seneca and Brock as they all made it to the NFL. Sage technically played in the later 90s and early 2000. After that it's tricky. Rocco certainly belongs on the list. Arnaud, Meyer and even Sam Richardson had solid statistical seasons.
If you go back even further, Archer seems to have to be on the list, but also Todd Bandauer had decent seasons too and is on the record books. Fun fact, Bandauer was a super smart Mechanical Engineering major and went on to get his PhD and has been a professor of Mech E at Colorado St University for over 10 years.
If you go back even further, Archer seems to have to be on the list, but also Todd Bandauer had decent seasons too and is on the record books. Fun fact, Bandauer was a super smart Mechanical Engineering major and went on to get his PhD and has been a professor of Mech E at Colorado St University for over 10 years.
Not a single argument for Seneca over Purdy.
Seneca for Talent, Brock for Production
Talent:
1) Seneca Wallace
2) Brock Purdy
3) Austen Arnaud
4) Bret Meyer
5) Sage Rosenfels
Production:
1) Brock Purdy
2) Sage Rosenfels
3) Seneca Wallace
4) Bret Meyer
5) Austen Arnaud
Talent wise it's not even a debate. It's Seneca by a mile. I can't even imagine the numbers he would have picked up in today's college landscape. Production wise it's also not even close, and it's Brock Purdy by a mile.
1. Brock Purdy
2. Seneca Wallace
3. Sage Rosenfels
4. Bret Meyer
5. Austen Arnaud
Rocco Becht will likely go down as number 3 or 4 when his time is up.
1. Brock Purdy
2. Seneca Wallace
3. Sage Rosenfels
4. Bret Meyer
5. Austen Arnaud
Rocco Becht will likely go down as number 3 or 4 when his time is up.
I think it depends a lot on what kind of offense you want to run.
If you want a Ferentz style offense, lots of run with deeper play action, then I think Sage or Meyer.
If you want a dual-threat QB, Seneca or Meyer.
If you want a spread concept, Purdy and Becht look like the accuracy kings.
BUT if you want to pick any one of these guys, and then build an offense around him based on his skillset... I think I'd take Purdy. Smart, accurate, confident, leader, elusive and can take off and run if needed.
If you want a Ferentz style offense, lots of run with deeper play action, then I think Sage or Meyer.
If you want a dual-threat QB, Seneca or Meyer.
If you want a spread concept, Purdy and Becht look like the accuracy kings.
BUT if you want to pick any one of these guys, and then build an offense around him based on his skillset... I think I'd take Purdy. Smart, accurate, confident, leader, elusive and can take off and run if needed.
Top 5 season or career?
I’m only ask b/c Rocco and Kempt could be in the seasonal conversation; not sure on the career (Rocco, yet).
Side discussion, does anybody think we'll get to see JJ Kohl start here? I 1000% love Rocco and happy he's our guy, just curious. He would be a redshirt senior by the time Rocco graduates right?
1) Purdy (only lost one conference home game in his entire career)
2) Seneca
3) Sage
4) Meyer
5) Arnaud
2) Seneca
3) Sage
4) Meyer
5) Arnaud
Top 2 most likely is Purdy/Seneca. Purdy's advantage is having almost 4 seasons as starter, Seneca at ISU only 2 (but a memorable 2). Sage only one season in the time frame.
Meyer's stats might not be dazzling, but I think he was the starter every game all 4 years(?) That has to count for something.
Meyer's stats might not be dazzling, but I think he was the starter every game all 4 years(?) That has to count for something.
Rocco throws for 4K yards this season, goes pro, gets drafted In the first round (because no one wants to repeat the Purdy mistake) by the Jets…and JJ wins the tough battle to start next year.
Easy peasy. Cyclone QB’s coast to coast.
Purdy, Sage, Seneca, Meyer, Arnaud
I love Seneca but look at his stats, he really fell back his senior year.
I love Seneca but look at his stats, he really fell back his senior year.
| Passing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| 2001 | Iowa State | Big 12 | JR | QB | 11 | 167 | 269 | 62.1 | 2044 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 11 | 9 | 132.7 |
| *2002 | Iowa State | Big 12 | SR | QB | 14 | 244 | 443 | 55.1 | 3245 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 15 | 18 | 119.7 |
| Career | Iowa State | 411 | 712 | 57.7 | 5289 | 7.4 | 6.5 | 26 | 27 | 124.6 |
1. Purdy
2. Seneca
3. Sage
4. Meyer
5. Arnaud
2. Seneca
3. Sage
4. Meyer
5. Arnaud
Really interesting, with some pretty crazy outside factors.
Coaching - Purdy and Becht had the best staff, Wallace and Sage got peak McCarney, Meyer had Mac at the end with Chiz; and Arnaud had Chiz/Rhodes.
Schedules - Sage had a good Big 12 North but that team also didn't beat a single ranked team, and largely weren't that competitive against the best teams; Wallace - Combo of a good North, tough South Crossover schedule, and an FSU non-con; Purdy - tough league and round robin; Meyer - Dogcrap Big XII North for most of his time; Arnaud - North was a bit better but the South was significantly better.
Surrounding talent - Not sure we could say any of the guys other than Purdy had even mediocre P5 talent around them on offense. Other than Arnaud having some time with Osemele, I'm not sure there have been offensive players in the NFL that any of these QBs other than Purdy played with. I guess Seneca would've played with Mike Banks that stuck with the Cardinals for a bit. There might have been some more with a cup of coffee, but Purdy having Breece, Montgomery, Kene, Kolar, Hutchinson and hopefully finally Butler probably blows everybody else away in terms of surrounding talent.
Coaching - Purdy and Becht had the best staff, Wallace and Sage got peak McCarney, Meyer had Mac at the end with Chiz; and Arnaud had Chiz/Rhodes.
Schedules - Sage had a good Big 12 North but that team also didn't beat a single ranked team, and largely weren't that competitive against the best teams; Wallace - Combo of a good North, tough South Crossover schedule, and an FSU non-con; Purdy - tough league and round robin; Meyer - Dogcrap Big XII North for most of his time; Arnaud - North was a bit better but the South was significantly better.
Surrounding talent - Not sure we could say any of the guys other than Purdy had even mediocre P5 talent around them on offense. Other than Arnaud having some time with Osemele, I'm not sure there have been offensive players in the NFL that any of these QBs other than Purdy played with. I guess Seneca would've played with Mike Banks that stuck with the Cardinals for a bit. There might have been some more with a cup of coffee, but Purdy having Breece, Montgomery, Kene, Kolar, Hutchinson and hopefully finally Butler probably blows everybody else away in terms of surrounding talent.
But so did Sage.
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Iowa State | Big 12 | QB | 4 | 4 | 10 | 40.0 | 37 | 3.7 | -5.3 | 0 | 2 | 31.1 | |
| 1998 | Iowa State | Big 12 | QB | 4 | 3 | 9 | 33.3 | 48 | 5.3 | 0.3 | 0 | 1 | 55.9 | |
| 1999 | Iowa State | Big 12 | QB | 11 | 127 | 235 | 54.0 | 1781 | 7.6 | 6.3 | 10 | 11 | 122.4 | |
| 2000 | Iowa State | Big 12 | SR | QB | 11 | 172 | 333 | 51.7 | 2298 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 8 | 12 | 110.3 |
| Career | Iowa State | 306 | 587 | 52.1 | 4164 | 7.1 | 5.7 | 18 | 26 | 113.0 |
I don't think there's an objective way to look at this without it being (1) Purdy, (2) Seneca, (3) Sage.
On a side note, for anyone out there too young to have watched Seneca and Sage, they were a lot more alike than you might think just looking at their reputations/highlights. Seneca was a really good drop-back passer. Sage rushed for 381 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior, very similar to Seneca's senior numbers: 431 and 8.
Rosenfels' case is really strange. Some of it is a function of the game changing, coaching styles, talent around you, etc.
Compare, for example Sage's stats to Sam Richardson. Richardson's are way better.
