By Lenny Moon
The opportunity for Blacks to play the quarterback position in the National Football League has been a gradual process that came equipped with an innate resistance for the slot referred to as the “field general”. The quarterback is unquestionably the leader of their offense and in most instances the entire team. Blacks have always played the position and excelled as the signal-caller even during the era when a quarterback called their own plays (but not in the NFL). In a society that often doesn’t subscribe to equity (especially in leadership roles), the Black attempting to play the quarterback position constantly collided with the ironclad wall designed to keep them on the outside of it. Fast forward the clock to the third decade of the 21st Century and there were a record 15 of the 32 NFL franchises were led by a Black quarterback on opening day of the 2024 campaign. Collectively five of this contingent has three years of experience or less, with Washington’s Jaden Daniels and Chicago’s Caleb Williams check in as rookies. There are four Heisman Trophy winners in this grouping and two other Finalist. This edition will focus on Part II of the two segment NFC Black Opening Day-starters with Part III-AFC (along with Part IV-AFC of the series) will follow on future presentations. The NFC quarterbacks presented below are in alphabetical order, with Jaden Daniels (Washington), Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia), Jordan Love (Green Bay) and Kyler Murray (Arizona) were previously featured in Part I of this series.
In the tradition of high quality quarterbacks from the northern part of the smallish state of Louisiana that’s given the football world the likes of Terry Bradshaw (4-time S-Bowl champ), Bert Jones (NFL MVP ’76), James “Shack” Harris (NFL Pro Bowl MVP ’74) among others, the Shreveport / Bossier city area more recent sent another down the pipeline. Rayne Dakota “Dak” Prescott is actually from Haughton, La ( short drive from Bossier City) got the attention of the football world by leading his high school team to the 2010 1-AAAA championship by passing for 39 TDs and rushing for 17 more scores. Although he received offers from LSU as well as nearby Louisiana Tech, Prescott opted for neighboring state Mississippi State University. While in Starkville, Dak propelled his Bulldogs to their first ever #1 ranking in 2014 competing in the always tough Southeastern Conference. After authoring most of the passing records at MSU and procuring the MVP of the 2015 Senior Bowl, Dak was taken in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys (only 2.5 hr drive from his hometown).
Prescott’s arrival in the Metroplex coincided with the injury riddled end of incumbent QB Tony Romo’s career and took full advantage of his opportunity. Dak promptly tied the most wins in NFL history by a rookie (13), highest completion percentage (69%) and the highest passer rating (104.9). All rookie records within the NFL annals. He culminated his maiden voyage on the big stage by procuring the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2016 season. Entering the current, campaign, the 9-yr NFL veteran signal caller has attached his name to a whopping 20 Cowboys passing records in the history of the storied Lone Star State franchise.
If one was to research the term “resilient”, then there’s a strong possibility that the image of Eugene “Geno” Smith III would appear on your screen. The Miramar, Florida native exploded on the prep scene by earning 1st Team All-State in the football rich community, evolving to the top rated player in Broward County (competing on the Florida Class 6A level) and earned the status of being recognized as a Parade All-American. He chose West Virginia University over offers such as Alabama, Florida State, and Boston College to name a few. Beginning with his sophomore season, Smith began to show signs of arriving on the collegiate level by starting all 13 games, throwing for 2,763 yds with 24 TDs vs 7int and earning 2nd Team All-Big East Conference in 2010. The next two seasons for the Mountaineers, Geno showed signs that he was a prospect for the NFL. The 6-3 signal caller threw for 8,590 yds, 73 TDs vs only 13 int and completed 69% of his tosses while starting all 13 games both seasons. The NFL came calling, with the New York Jets selecting him with the 39th pick of the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Smith’s professional career in the Gotham City was somewhat of a roller coaster ride. Although he started all 16 games and threw for 3,046 yds, he tossed 12 TDs vs 21 int with the Jets barely missing the playoffs during his rookie campaign while finishing 8-8. It went downhill from there for the Florida native, having brief stints with the Giants and Chargers prior to signing with Seattle in 2019 to be a backup to future hall of famer Russell Wilson. Entering his seventh season in the NFL, it appeared that Geno’s fate in the league would be second or third on the depth chart. Whoever coined the phrase “patience is a virtue”, must have had Smith in mind. When Wilson was traded to Denver ahead of the 2022 football season, the resilient Smith took full advantage by starting all 17 games, throwing for 4,282 yds with 30 TDs vs 11 int while completing 70% of his tosses. His efforts earning him a Pro Bowl slot as well as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Smith has asserted himself as one of the top frontline signal callers in the NFL, having earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance the following season in 2023 as well.
From his sophomore year in high school back in 2018 in Washington D.C. it was apparent that Caleb Sequan Williams was destined for greatness. Evident by leading his Gonzaga College High to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Championship and the District’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year. He was just getting started. His junior year witnessed him earning Washington Post All-Metro 1st Team for the second consecutive year in 2019. Since the 2020 season was cancelled due to CoVid-19, it was off to college where he enrolled with the Oklahoma Sooners. As a true freshman, Williams was inserted into the Cotton Bowl encounter vs Texas to sub for starter Spencer Rattler who was struggling and down by the score 35-17. When the dust settled, the strong arm versatile freshman led the Sooners to a come from behind 55-48 victory and never looked back. After finishing the season with 27 TDs (21 passing and 6 rushing) in the final seven games, it’s was off to the west coast and USC via the transfer portal. Lincoln Riley, his head coach at OU, had accepted the head coaching position with the Trojans and obviously influenced Caleb’s decision.
This reunion quickly paid dividends as he led the entire NCAA in passing TDs with 42, throwing for a whopping 4,537 yds vs only 4 int, completed 67% of his passes, scored 10 more TDs rushing while winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy Award. His jersey number 13 was retired by USC (as with their seven previous Heisman winners) declared himself eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft and was taken with the 1st pick of the most recent NFL Draft by Chicago. Williams has been the starter for the struggling Bears franchise since opening day.
Although standing a mere 5-10 and sporting a smallish frame for a quarterback, Bryce Young has always posted bigtime productivity with the heart of a lion. A product of Southern California (Mater Dei H.S.), Young earned Player of the Year honors by the Los Angeles Times along with California’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year in 2018 and USA Today High School Offensive Player of the Year his senior campaign. Throwing for 4,528 yds and 58 TDs merited him as the #1 quarterback prospect in the nation. All told, Young threw for an astounding 13,520 yds and 152 TDs and solidified him as a five star recruit. Alabama Crimson Tide ultimately won out over local USC procuring the services of the nation’s top recruit at the quarterback position. It was during his prep days that fellow SoCal high school quarterback sensation and friendly rival C.J. Stroud who starred at Rancho Cucamonga High, and rated the 3rd best QB in the nation. Following their respective highly productive collegiate careers, Young would be selected with the 2023 NFL Draft 1st pick by the Carolina Panthers while Stroud was selected with the 2nd pick by the Houston Texans.
Prior to his arrival to the National Football League, Young would leave his imprint on the collegiate world in grand fashion. After backing up Mac Jones his freshman season, Young would take over the reins during his sophomore campaign. In his first year as a starter for Coach Nick Saban’s “Roll Tide”, he led his troops to a 13-2 record, throwing for 4,872 yds, 47 TDs vs 7 int and completing 67% of his tosses. The awards came raining in, winning the AP Player of the Year, Davey O’Brien Award, Manning Award, Maxwell Award, SEC Offensive Player of the Year and consensus All-American. Of course those were only appetizers to his winning the 2021 Heisman Trophy Award, becoming the first Alabama QB to earn that distinction. He would play one last season in Tuscaloosa, when he led Bama to a 10-2 record to amass a two year slate of 8,356 passing yds, 80 TDs vs only 12 int. He had certainly proven himself starring in the top collegiate conference in the land and declared for the NFL Draft at the end of his junior campaign where he became the 1st pick by Carolina. Following a rocky rookie season in 2023 and an equally challenging beginning of the current campaign, Young appears to be settling in as a frontline NFL signal caller with five consecutive, solid performances with two consecutive victories paired with three one score defeats vs playoff entries Kansas City, Tampa and Philadelphia respectively at press time.
