Ranking Lincoln Riley's NFL QBs… Is Jalen Hurts No. 1?

Caleb Williams became the fourth quarterback under Lincoln Riley to win the Heisman Trophy after a strong 2022 campaign. Williams, the presumptive first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, returns to USC for one more season and is the current frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy again at +400 on the FanDuel Sportsbook. It could make Williams only the second college player to win two Heismans. 

Riley’s first season at USC came after a successful tenure at Oklahoma, where Riley produced three NFL quarterbacks: Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. Hurts earned a $255 million extension with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.

Among the quarterbacks Riley has produced, is Hurts the best?

Mayfield’s senior season at Oklahoma thrust Lincoln Riley onto the national scene as one of the best college coaches in his first season. Mayfield would throw for over 4,600 yards and 43 touchdowns, earning the Heisman. However, he fell to Georgia in the Rose Bowl in a double overtime thriller with a trip to the National Championship on the line.

While Mayfield saw the most college success of Riley’s NFL quarterbacks, he has seen the least NFL success. After a promising start with Cleveland, he quickly stagnated, prompting a blockbuster move that landed the Browns Deshaun Watson. The aftermath saw Mayfield shipped to Carolina, where he failed to establish himself and was released. Mayfield’s next stop was LA, where he surprisingly played well during his brief stint with the Rams. He is signed with the Buccaneers for the 2023 season and has a shot at earning the starting job.

Murray took over for Mayfield in 2018 after serving as his backup in 2017. Murray passed for over 4,300 yards and 42 touchdowns, rushing for another 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. Murray earned Heisman honors, but Oklahoma fell to Alabama in the College Football Playoff. Still, Murray becoming Riley’s second straight Heisman-winning quarterback established the coach as a quarterback manufacturer. 

Murray was drafted first overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL Draft, becoming the Rookie of the Year in his first season. The 2020 and 2021 seasons were successful for Murray, earning him back-to-back Pro Bowl honors. In 2022, after signing a five-year $230 million extension, Murray seemed to regress and later tore his ACL midseason. Murray is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 season.

Hurts arrived in Oklahoma for the 2019 season after transferring from Alabama. Trying to make it three straight Heismans for the Oklahoma program, Hurts balled out in his only season as a Sooner, passing for over 3,800 yards and 32 touchdowns, and adding nearly 1,300 yards on the ground with 20 touchdowns. He finished second in the Heisman race to Joe Burrow, proving his value as a potential NFL quarterback.

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles shocked the football world by selecting Hurts in the second round. With an already-established quarterback in Carson Wentz, many didn’t understand the Eagles’ decision and imagined ways Hurts could be used in the offense aside from quarterback. The Eagles didn’t see it that way. They viewed him as a potential starting quarterback and were proved right.

Hurts started his rookie year as a backup, but after Carson Wentz was benched in Week 14, Hurts took over. The Eagles turned it over to Hurts in 2021, and he led them to the playoffs. In 2022, the Eagles doubled down on Hurts, adding key pieces around him. He became one of the best quarterbacks in the league and was named a finalist for league MVP. The Eagles fell in the Super Bowl to the Chiefs, but Hurts was masterful, passing for over 300 yards and rushing for three touchdowns.