Most Passing Yards in High School Football History
The spotlight will always shine brightest on one position in football — the quarterback. And when we come across that rare player who, at a young age, can capture our imaginations with their ability to throw the ball, well, we don't wait to celebrate them.
We've taken the career passing yardage leaders from every state and ranked them based on state record books (where available) that were updated through the end of the 2019 season. In cases where records weren't readily available, we did our due diligence to find out who the player was.
These are the career passing yardage leaders for high school football from all 50 states.
51. Wyoming: Blake Godwin — 4,040 Passing Yards
High school: Sheridan High School (Sheridan, Wyoming)
Years: 2014-15
Passing stats: 47 TD, 17 INT
Bottom Line: Blake Godwin
Blake Godwin came a long ways from fumbling his first varsity snap at powerhouse Sheridan High School.
He capped his career by winning a state championship and becoming Wyoming's career passing leader.
Godwin, at 6-foot and 175 pounds, played basketball for Casper College and averaged 6.2 points in 15.0 minutes per game in 2017-18.
50. North Dakota: Josh Hansana — 5,136 Passing Yards
High school: Milnor/North Sargent High School (Milnor, North Dakota)
Years: 2008-11
Passing stats: 49 TD, 34 INT
Bottom Line: Josh Hansana
Josh Hansana is one of the few, true dual-threat quarterbacks to make this list. He finished his prep career with 1,997 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns.
He put together his best season as a high school senior with 1,594 passing yards and 883 rushing yards.
At Valley City State, Hansana had multiple rushing touchdowns of more than 75 yards, caught passes and was even the full-time punter for a stretch.
49. New Hampshire: James Caparell — 5,389 Passing Yards
High school: Bedford High School (Bedford, New Hampshire)
Years: 2009-12
Passing stats: 50 TD
Bottom Line: James Caparell
James Caparell led Bedford High to back-to-back state runner-up finishes his junior and senior years and was named New Hampshire Player of the Year twice.
Caparell struggled on the college level at the University of Rhode Island, where he started six games as a redshirt freshman, one game as a sophomore and none as a junior before his transfer to NCAA Division III Plymouth State was rejected by the NCAA.
48. Alaska: Conor Feckley — 7,106 Passing Yards
High school: West Anchorage High School (Anchorage, Alaska)
Years: 2010-12
Passing stats: 67 TD, 33 INT
Bottom Line: Conor Feckley
Conor Feckley was a three-time All-State selection at West Anchorage High and capped his career by being named the Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012.
Feckley started his career at Colorado Mesa University, but transferred to the University of Dubuque and capped his career by throwing for 3,129 yards, 37 touchdowns and a single-game record 634 yards and eight touchdowns in a 70-53 win over Bethel University.
47. Rhode Island: Michael Walsh — 7,529 Passing Yards
High school: Moses Brown School (Providence, Rhode Island)
Years: 2015-18
Passing stats: 72 TD, 26 INT
Bottom Line: Michael Walsh
Ivy League fans might learn Michael Walsh's name sooner than later. He could be a difference-maker as a dual-threat quarterback at Brown University in the near future.
Walsh had one of the more impressive seasons in Rhode Island history when he threw for 3,392 yards and 37 touchdowns along with 1,035 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior.
46. Maine: Ben Lucas — 7,575 Passing Yards
High school: Cony High School (Augusta, Maine)
Years: 2011-13
Passing stats: 89 TD
Bottom Line: Ben Lucas
Ben Cony swept the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year and Fitzpatrick Trophy as a senior at Cony High in 2013, when he threw for 3,482 yards and 41 touchdowns and led his team to the Class B state title.
Lucas signed with the University of Maine but transferred to Wagner following shoulder surgery, although he never started a game at either school.
45. South Dakota: Austin Sumner — 7,642 Passing Yards
High school: Brandon Valley High School (Brandon, South Dakota)
Years: 2006-09
Passing stats: 88 TD
Bottom Line: Austin Sumner
Austin Sumner was a three-time all-state pick at Brandon Valley High and capped his career by being named the South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year in 2009.
Sumner had perfect size for a college quarterback at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds and found a perfect home at South Dakota State, where he was a four-year starter and broke almost all of the Jackrabbits' career passing records.
44. District of Columbia: Ja'Rome Johnson — 7,764 Passing Yards
High school: Eastern Senior High School (Washington, D.C.)
Years: 2013-16
Passing stats: 69 TD, 37 INT
Bottom Line: Ja'Rome Johnson
Ja'Rome Johnson racked up big-time stats as a high school star in Washington, D.C., not only setting the D.C. career passing record but also rushing for over 1,300 yards in each of his last two seasons.
Johnson transferred from the University of Virginia-Wise to Bowie State and was named the CIAA Offensive Player of the Year and NCAA Division II honorable mention All-American in 2019.
43. Delaware: Nolan Henderson — 7,764 Passing Yards
High school: Smyrna High School (Smyrna, Delaware)
Years: 2014-16
Passing stats: 89 TD, 22 INT
Bottom Line: Nolan Henderson
Nolan Henderson capped his career at Smyrna High by going 24-1 over his last two seasons as a starter and winning back-to-back state titles and earning Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year honors in 2016.
Henderson was the first in-state quarterback to sign with the University of Delaware in over a decade and was set to compete for the starting job in 2020 before the Hens' season was canceled.
42. Nebraska: Alec Ditoro — 8,451 Passing Yards
High school: Papillion-La Vista High School (Papillion, Nebraska)
Years: 2010-13
Passing stats: 93 TD
Bottom Line: Alec Ditoro
Alec Ditoro's career was a model of consistency, and he finished his career with the Nebraska records for career passing yards, passing touchdowns and pass completions.
Ditoro's career total of 9,567 yards of total offense trails just former University of Nebraska quarterback and current Nebraska head coach Scott Frost.
At 5-foot-10, Ditoro was undersized for his position on the next level and never played college football.
41. Minnesota: Chris Meidt — 8,533 Passing Yards
High school: Minneota High School (Minneota, Minnesota)
Years: 1984-87
Passing stats: 101 TD
Bottom Line: Chris Meidt
Christ Meidt is the dean of high school football passing leaders. No one has held their record for as long as the Minneota High quarterback.
Meidt led Minneota to back-to-back state championships in 1986 and 1987 and ended his career as the national leader with 101 career touchdown passes.
Meidt played for Bethel College and went into coaching after his career. He was the head coach at NCAA Division III St. Olaf College from 2002 to 2007 and an offensive assistant for the Washington Football Team (formerly the Redskins) for two seasons.
40. Massachusetts: Troy Flutie — 9,014 Passing Yards
High school: Natick High School (Natick, Massachusetts)
Years: 2010-13
Passing stats: 112 TD, 34 INT
Bottom Line: Troy Flutie
The nephew of legendary Boston College quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, Troy Flutie also rushed for over 1,000 yards in four seasons as a starter at Natick High.
Troy Flutie was named Mr. Football in Massachusetts as a senior and followed his father and uncles to Boston College, where he was a part-time starter over four seasons.
39. Maryland: Keith Ricca — 9,090 Passing Yards
High school: Saint John's at Prospect Hall (Frederick, Maryland)
Years: 2002-04
Passing stats: 45 TD (2004)
Bottom Line: Keith Ricca
The grandson of former NFL lineman Jim Ricca, Keith Ricca had great size for a quarterback at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, and capped his high school career by throwing for 3,591 yards and 45 touchdowns as a senior.
Keith Ricca went on to star at NCAA Division III Catholic University, where he broke all of the school's major career passing records, most of which were owned by his older brother, Kevin Ricca.
38. Kansas: Carter Putz — 9,336 Passing Yards
High school: Bishop Miege High School (Roeland Park, Kansas)
Years: 2014-17
Passing stats: 124 TD, 13 INT
Bottom Line: Carter Putz
Carter Putz's high school stats are mind-boggling, with 124 touchdown passes against just 13 interceptions for Bishop Miege High, where he led the team to three state titles and was the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017.
Putz's future isn't on the football field. He's been a baseball star as an infielder at Notre Dame the last two seasons and is a projected high-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft.
37. Wisconsin: Ben Hempel — 9,508 Passing Yards
High school: Franklin High School (Franklin, Wisconsin)
Years: 2001-04
Passing stats: 92 TD
Bottom Line: Ben Hempel
Franklin High's coaches were way ahead of the curve in the early 2000s, incorporating a spread offense that saw Ben Hempel light up the competition.
Hempel was so dominant that no quarterback in Wisconsin has come within 1,800 yards of his passing record since he graduated.
Hempel played collegiately at Northern Michigan University, where he was the full-time starter as a junior.
36. Idaho: Tanner Mangum — 9,599 Passing Yards
High school: Eagle High School (Eagle, Idaho)
Years: 2008-11
Passing stats: 91 TD, 21 INT
Bottom Line: Tanner Mangum
Tanner Mangum was one of the most highly sought-after prep quarterbacks in the country in the Class of 2012 and was named co-MVP of the Nike Elite 11 Camp and MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game.
He redshirted at BYU in 2012 and after a two-year LDS mission returned to start parts of three seasons while playing behind New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill and future first-round pick Zach Wilson.
35. New Jersey: Devin Leary — 9,672 Passing Yards
High school: Timber Creek Regional High School (Erial, New Jersey)
Years: 2014-17
Passing stats: 117 TD, 21 INT
Bottom Line: Devin Leary
Devin Leary was a two-time New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year out of Timber Creek High, where he set state records in career passing yardage and career touchdown passes.
Leary signed with North Carolina State after being ranked the No. 8 overall quarterback prospect in the Class of 2018, started five games for the Wolfpack as a redshirt freshman in 2019 and became the full-time starter in 2020.
34. Hawaii: Dillon Gabriel — 9,848 Passing Yards
High school: Mililani High School (Mililani, Hawaii)
Years: 2015-18
Passing stats: 105 TD
Bottom Line: Dillion Gabriel
Dillon Gabriel lit up the Hawaii prep high school ranks and capped things off with 3,754 passing yards and 38 touchdowns as a senior in 2018, bringing home Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year.
Seemingly undersized at 6-foot and 185 pounds, Gabriel has been dominant in two years as the full-time starter at the University of Central Florida and was an All-AAC pick in 2020 after throwing for 3,353 yards and 30 touchdowns in just nine games.
33. Michigan: Jason Fracassa — 10,615 Passing Yards
High school: Stevenson High School (Sterling Heights, Michigan)
Years: 2006-09
Passing stats: 97 TD
Bottom Line: Jason Fracassa
The grandson of legendary high school coach Al Fracassa, Jason Fracassa also set Michigan's single-season passing record with 4,433 yards as a senior in 2009. Fracassa is almost 3,000 yards ahead of the next player on the career passing list.
He played both baseball and football in college, first at Northwood University, then at Walsh University, where he set the single-game passing record with 387 yards in a 2013 win over Lake Erie.
32. Iowa: Hunter Dekkers — 10,628 Passing Yards
High school: West Sioux High School (Hawarden, Iowa)
Years: 2016-19
Passing stats: 126 TD
Bottom Line: Hunter Dekkers
Hunter Dekkers was a throwback athlete in high school — an all-state player in football, basketball and baseball who set the Iowa career records for both passing yardage and touchdown passes with 126.
Dekkers also led West Sioux High to Class 1A state titles in 2017 and 2018. He signed with Iowa State, where he's the heir apparent at quarterback once All-Big 12 pick Brock Purdy graduates.
31. Vermont: Cam Coloutti — 10,635 Passing Yards
High school: Fair Haven School (Fair Haven, Vermont)
Years: 2015-18
Passing stats: 105 TD
Bottom Line: Cam Coloutti
Cam Coloutti is in the discussion for not only the best high school quarterback in Vermont history but as the best all-around high school athlete in the state's history.
The state's career passing yardage leader led Fair Haven High to a state football title as a junior, back to the state championship game as a senior, and won a state basketball championship as a senior, averaging 30.3 points in the postseason.
Coloutti is a freshman guard for NCAA Division III Northern Vermont University.
30. Virginia: Phillip Sims — 10,725 Passing Yards
High school: Oscar Smith High School (Chesapeake, Virginia)
Years: 2007-09
Passing stats: 119 TD
Bottom Line: Phillip Sims
Phillip Sims went 48-4 in four years as the starter at Oscar Smith High while setting Virginia state records in passing yards and touchdown passes.
Ranked as the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country for the Class of 2010, Sims started his career at Alabama and won a national championship in 2012 before transferring to Virginia, then to Winston-Salem State.
He played in the Canadian Football League for one season.
29. Alabama: JaMarcus Russell — 10,774 Passing Yards
High school: Williamson High School (Mobile, Alabama)
Years: 1999-2002
Passing stats: 64 (2000-02)
Bottom Line: JaMarcus Russell
Before he became the biggest draft bust in NFL history, JaMarcus Russell was a wunderkind prep quarterback at Mobile's Williamson High and set the Alabama state record for passing yards.
Russell starred at LSU for three seasons before the Oakland Raiders picked him No. 1 overall in the 2007 NFL draft.
Russell was out of the league for good within three seasons.
28. Connecticut: Casey Cochran — 10,767 Passing Yards
High school: Masuk High School (Monroe, Connecticut)
Years: 2008-11
Passing stats: 103 TD, 25 INT (2009-11)
Bottom Line: Casey Cochran
Casey Cochran was a two-time Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year at Masuk High, where he won a state championship as a junior in 2010.
Cochran's career got off to a promising start at UConn, and he started the final four games of his redshirt freshman season, going 3-1 before he was forced to retire due to multiple concussions.
27. Montana: Dane Warp — 10,801 Passing Yards
High school: Havre High School (Havre, Montana)
Years: 2012-15
Passing stats: 101 TD
Bottom Line: Dane Warp
One of the greatest high school athletes in Montana history, Dane Warp rewrote the state record books with his passing skills.
Warp, a 4.0 student in high school, decided to play college basketball instead of football and became one of the greatest players in Carroll College history, leading the Saints to the NAIA championship game as a junior.
He finished college as the winningest player in school history by going 110-29 in his career.
26. Illinois: Tyler Hutchinson — 10,894 Passing Yards
High school: Greenville High School (Greenville, Illinois)
Years: 2011-14
Passing stats: 127 TD, 39 INT
Bottom Line: Tyler Hutchinson
Tyler Hutchinson was a two-time All-State pick at Greenville High, throwing for over 4,216 yards as a junior and 3,855 yards and 56 touchdown passes as a senior.
Hutchinson was the Illinois USA Today Offensive Player of the Year as a senior but chose to play baseball in college, where he played at Heartland Community College before transferring to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
25. Tennessee: Charlie High — 10,978 Passing Yards
High school: Christian Academy of Knoxville (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Years: 2009-12
Passing stats: 131 TD, 22 INT
Bottom Line: Charlie High
Charlie High got almost half of his career passing total as a junior in 2011, when he set the Tennessee single-season record with 5,191 passing yards.
High led Christian Academy of Knoxville to back-to-back state titles and originally intended to walk on at the University of Tennessee before making his way to Tennessee Tech, but never registered any college statistics.
24. Arizona: Spencer Rattler — 11,083 Passing Yards
High school: Pinnacle High School (Phoenix, Arizona)
Years: 2015-18
Passing stats: 116 TD, 33 INT
Bottom Line: Spencer Rattler
Most football fans got to know Spencer Rattler through the hit Netflix show "QB1: Beyond the Lights" and saw him get suspended midway through his senior year. Even missing those games, he still easily set Arizona's passing record.
Now a star for the University of Oklahoma, it won't be long before Rattler is a high NFL draft pick and we see him playing on Sundays.
23. Pennsylvania: Brett Brumbaugh — 11,084 Passing Yards
High school: South Fayette High School (McDonald, Pennsylvania)
Years: 2011-14
Passing stats: 127 TD
Bottom Line: Brett Brumbaugh
Brett Brumbaugh led South Fayette to back-to-back state championships and 32 consecutive wins to close out his high school career, going 16-0 each season.
He was a three-time all-state pick, two-time MaxPreps All-American and went 45-2 overall as a starter.
Brumbaugh, 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, never became a full-time starter at FCS Duquesne University.
22. Oregon: Tim Tawa — 11,357 Passing Yards
High school: West Linn High School (West Linn, Oregon)
Years: 2014-16
Passing stats: 143 TD, 10 INT
Bottom Line: Tim Tawa
Tim Tawa was a three-time Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year in football and once in baseball.
One amazing stat about Tawa's high school career that lets you know exactly what kind of athlete he was — in nine seasons as a member of a varsity team in football, basketball and baseball, he played in the state championship game six times, leading West Linn to its first football state title as as senior in 2016.
Tawa chose to play baseball in college, where he's been a two-time All-Pac-12 pick as a shortstop/outfielder at Stanford.
21. Colorado: Aidan Atkinson — 11,519 Passing Yards
High school: Fairview High School (Boulder, Colorado)
Years: 2016-19
Passing stats: 130 TD, 23 INT
Bottom Line: Aidan Atkinson
As a senior in 2019, Fairview High's Aidan Atkinson broke the Colorado career passing record set by Bear Creek's Justin Holland in 2000 and committed to play for Northwestern.
Atkinson's career has been in limbo since he was arrested on sexual assault and sexual misconduct charges in November 2019. More charges have been added to the case against Atkinson since his arrest, and he's set to face trial in Boulder, Colorado, in February 2021.
20. New York: Greg Paulus — 11,760 Passing Yards
High school: Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse, New York)
Years: 2001-04
Passing stats: 43 (2004)
Greg Paulus led Christian Brothers Academy to an undefeated season and a state title.Christian Brothers Academy
Bottom Line: Greg Paulus
We all know Greg Paulus as one of a long line of All-ACC guards who played basketball for Duke.
But before that, he was a record-setting high school quarterback at Christian Brothers Academy, where he was the National Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior and led his school to an undefeated season and state title.
After his college basketball career was over, Paulus played one season as Syracuse's starting quarterback in 2009.
19. Nevada: Cade McNamara — 12,084 Passing Yards
High school: Damonte Ranch High School (Reno, Nevada)
Years: 2015-18
Passing stats: 146 TD, 35 INT
Bottom Line: Cade McNamara
Cade McNamara was a four-year starter at Damonte Ranch High and a two-time Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year before signing with the University of Michigan, where his older brother Kyle is a wide receiver.
McNamara, who was initially committed to play for Notre Dame, redshirted in 2019 and saw his first significant playing time in 2020 when he rallied Michigan from a 17-0 deficit to beat Rutgers.
McNamara made his first career start the next week in a 27-17 loss to Penn State.
18. New Mexico: Brett Henson — 12,124 Passing Yards
High school: Hatch Valley High School (Hatch, New Mexico)
Years: 2002-04
Passing stats: 166 TD
Bottom Line: Brett Henson
Brett Henson's 166 career touchdown passes at Hatch Valley High are still in the top 10 nationally.
He set the state record with 64 touchdown passes as a junior, then broke his own mark with 70 touchdown passes as a senior.
It's not clear if Henson, who was only 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, ever played football on the collegiate level.
17. Indiana: Jake Schiff — 12,195 Passing Yards
High school: Mater Dei High School (Evansville, Indiana)
Years: 1998-2001
Passing stats: 130 TD
Bottom Line: Jake Schiff
Jake Schiff led Mater Dei High to a state championship as a junior and state runner-up finish as a senior, when he was named Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year.
Schiff also set Indiana's single-season record with 4,468 passing yards in 2001 and has three of the top 10 single-season passing seasons in state history.
Schiff started at Indiana State for two seasons before two broken collarbones in succession ended his football career.
16. Washington: Brett Rypien — 13,058 Passing Yards
High school: Shadle Park High School (Spokane, Washington)
Years: 2011-14
Passing stats: 136 TD, 36 INT
Bottom Line: Brett Rypien
The nephew of former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Mark Rypien, Brett Rypien broke all of Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore's high school records in Washington before going to play for Boise State as well.
Brett Rypien was a four-time All-Mountain West Conference pick and the MWC Offensive Player of the Year in 2018.
He made the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent and has been a backup quarterback with the team the last two seasons.
15. Utah: Austin Kafentzis — 13,079 Passing Yards
High school: Jordan High School (Sandy, Utah)
Years: 2011-14
Passing stats: 115 TD
Bottom Line: Austin Kafentzis
Austin Kafentzis is in the discussion when it comes to the greatest high school football players in Utah history. He's the only four-time, unanimous all-state pick in state history and a two-time Utah Gatorade Player of the Year in 2012 and 2014.
His most amazing high school stat is he is not only the state's career leading passer but also the state's career leading rusher with 6,942 yards.
Kafentzis originally signed with the University of Wisconsin but eventually transferred to BYU and spent three seasons on defense, which seems like a bit of a waste.
14. Oklahoma — Mason Fine, 13,084 Passing Yards
High school: Locust Grove High School (Locust Grove, Oklahoma)
Years: 2012-15
Passing stats: 161 TD
Bottom Line: Mason Fine
The only two-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year, Mason Fine also set the state record with 161 touchdown passes alongside his state record for career passing yards.
Just 5-foot-11, Fine became the most decorated quarterback in University of North Texas history with records for career passing yards (12,505), career touchdown passes (93), pass completions (1,039) and pass attempts (1,655).
His 18 career games with at least 300 yards passing is also a school record.
13. South Carolina: Justin Worley — 13,385 Passing Yards
High school: Northwestern High School (Rock Hill, South Carolina)
Years: 2008-10
Passing stats: 156 TD, 44 INT
Bottom Line: Justin Worley
Justin Worley teamed with future NFL star kick returner/wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson at Northwestern High, where he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2010.
Worley and Patterson teamed up again at the University of Tennessee, where he was a two-year starter at quarterback.
Worley played one year on the Chicago Bears practice squad in 2015.
12. Kentucky: Zach Lewis — 13,462 Passing Yards
High school: Clay County High School (Manchester, Kentucky)
Years: 2005-08
Passing stats: 105 TD
Bottom Line: Zach Lewis
Zach Lewis also set the state record with 1,508 passing attempts at Clay County High and is second in state history with 912 completions.
Lewis was just as effective as a three-year starter at Morehead State, setting the school's career records for passing yards (10,251), touchdown passes (72) and completions (936).
As a junior at MSU, Lewis set the single-season record with 3,585 passing yards.
10. Georgia: Trevor Lawrence — 13,902 Passing Yards (Tied)
High school: Cartersville High School (Cartersville, Georgia)
Years: 2014-17
Passing stats: 161 TD, 21 INT
Bottom Line: Trevor Lawrence
Bottom line: You'd be hard-pressed to find a football fan in the United States who doesn't know who Trevor Lawrence is.
One of the most highly sought-after high school football players of all time out of Cartersville High, Lawrence won two state championships and led Clemson to a national championship as a true freshman.
Lawrence is the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft after announcing he would leave college early following the 2020 season.
10. Louisiana: Brock Berlin — 13,902 Passing Yards (Tied)
High school: Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, Louisiana)
Years: 1997-99
Passing stats: 144 TD
Bottom Line: Brock Berlin
Brock Berlin won three consecutive state titles at Evangel Christian Academy as well as being named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and USA Today Offensive Player of the Year.
One of the most highly recruited players in high school football history, Berlin chose the University of Florida but couldn't beat out Rex Grossman and transferred to Miami for his final two seasons. With the Hurricanes, Berlin started for two years and famously went 5-0 against Florida and Florida State.
He played two seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.
9. Florida: Tucker Israel — 14,082 Passing Yards
High school: Lake Nona High School (Orlando, Florida)
Years: 2011-14
Passing stats: 162 TD, 43 INT
Bottom Line: Tucker Israel
Tucker Israel threw for 10 touchdowns in a single game as a freshman, then broke Tim Tebow's single-season record with 56 touchdown passes as a senior on the way to setting state records for career passing yards and touchdowns.
Israel played in just two games in three seasons at Clemson, backing up Deshaun Watson, Kelly Bryan and Trevor Lawrence before he transferred to Jacksonville State.
8. West Virginia: J.R. House — 14,457 Passing Yards
High school: Nitro High School (Nitro, West Virginia)
Years: 1995-98
Passing stats: 145 TD
Bottom Line: J.R. House
J.R. House set a national record in his final game at Nitro High, throwing 10 touchdown passes in a state championship game win over Morgantown.
During high school, House spent the first semester in West Virginia and the second semester at a high school in Florida to accommodate his burgeoning baseball career.
It was a good investment. He played 20 seasons of professional baseball, including three as a catcher in the majors. He's currently the third base coach for the Cincinnati Reds.
7. Mississippi: Myles Brennan — 15,138 Passing Yards
High school: Saint Stanislaus Catholic School (Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi)
Years: 2013-16
Passing stats: 165 TD, 25 INT
Bottom Line: Myles Brennan
Myles Brennan led Saint Stanislaus to a pair of state runner-up finishes and was an Under Armour All-American and the Biloxi Herald Player of the Year as a senior.
Brennan redshirted one season and was a backup for two more seasons at LSU, including in 2019 to Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow on the way to winning a national championship.
Brennan was named LSU's starter in 2020 but suffered a season-ending injury in the third game.
6. Arkansas: Layne Hatcher — 15,483 Passing Yards
High school: Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Years: 2014-17
Passing stats: 185 TD, 42 INT
Bottom Line: Layne Hatcher
In three years as the starter at Pulaski Academy, Layne Hatcher went 41-1 and won three state championships.
Hatcher, who threw for 757 yards in a single game as a senior, redshirted in 2018 at the University of Alabama and transferred to Arkansas State after the season.
He was named the 2019 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 2,946 yards and 27 touchdowns.
5. North Carolina: Chris Leak — 15,593 Passing Yards
High school: Independence High School (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Years: 1999-2002
Passing stats: 185 TD
Bottom Line: Chris Leak
Chris Leak led Independence High to three consecutive state titles and became one of the most highly recruited high school quarterbacks of all time in the process.
Leak led the University of Florida to a national championship as a senior in 2007, earning Offensive MVP honors in the BCS championship game.
Leak played in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League before becoming a high school football coach in Florida, but resigned amid scandal in 2016.
4. Texas: Grant Gunnell — 16,108 Passing Yards
High school: St. Pius X High School (Houston, Texas)
Years: 2015-18
Passing stats: 195 TD, 28 INT
Bottom Line: Grant Gunnell
Grant Gunnell set Texas state records at St. Pius X High School for passing yards and touchdown passes and was a USA Today All-American in 2018.
Gunnell started three games as a freshman at the University of Arizona, became the full-time starter in 2020 and struggled before he decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal after the Wildcats went 0-5 and closed out the season with a 70-7 loss to rival Arizona State.
3. Missouri: Alex Huston — 16,566 Passing Yards
High school: Glendale High School (Springfield, Missouri)
Years: 2015-17
Passing stats: 202 TD, 46 INT
Bottom Line: Alex Huston
Alex Huston is one of two players on this list coached by Mike Mauk, who also mentored his son, former University of Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk.
Huston, who is only 5-foot-11, threw for a staggering 6,131 yards and 76 touchdowns as a junior and as a senior threw for 824 yards in a single game.
It's not clear why Huston never played college football.
2. California: Jake Browning — 16,775 Passing Yards
High school: Folsom High School (Folsom, California)
Years: 2012-14
Passing stats: 229 TD, 40 INT
Bottom Line: Jake Browning
Jake Browning was a two-time California Gatorade Player of the Year and set the national record with 229 career touchdown passes and the national single-season record with 91 touchdown passes as a senior.
Browning became the University of Washington's career passing leader and was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2016.
He's been on the practice squad for the Minnesota Vikings the last two seasons.
1. Ohio: Maty Mauk — 18,932 Passing Yards
High school: Kenton High School (Kenton, Ohio)
Years: 2008-11
Passing stats: 219 TD, 63 INT
Bottom Line: Maty Mauk
Along with holding the national record for passing yards, Maty Mauk also holds national records for pass completions (1,353), pass attempts (2,110) and total offense (22,681 yards).
Mauk was indefinitely suspended for alleged drug use following his first season as a full-time starter at the University of Missouri in 2014, when he went 11-3 and threw for 2,648 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
Mauk finished his career at Eastern Kentucky in 2016.
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