Brock Purdy: From Iowa State Standout to NFL Quarterback

Brock Purdy's journey from a three-star high school quarterback in Arizona to an NFL starter is a testament to his resilience and talent. Before taking the NFL by storm, Purdy honed his skills as the quarterback for the Iowa State Cyclones, leaving a lasting mark on the program.

Early Years and High School Success

Born on December 27, 1999, in Queen Creek, Arizona, Brock Purdy established himself as a football power in Arizona, competing against Chandler Unified School District's more established powerhouse programs. He attended Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona, where he played varsity football starting in 2015. During the 2017 season, he threw for 4,410 yards and 57 touchdowns, setting an Arizona Conference 6A record, while also rushing for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. Despite losing two Arizona state championship games in 2016 and 2017, Purdy's outstanding performance earned him Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year honors after his 2017 season. He achieved a 27-13 record at Perry.

College Career at Iowa State

Purdy's college career at Iowa State was nothing short of remarkable. He entered his freshman year in 2018 as the third-string quarterback. After replacing an ineffective Zeb Noland and an injured Kyle Kempt, Purdy won seven of his first nine starts, finishing with an impressive 169.9 quarterback rating.

2019 Season

During Purdy's sophomore season in 2019, he started all 13 games, compiling a 7-6 record. The year was highlighted by several outstanding performances:

435 passing yards and a school-record 510 total yards, along with three passing and three rushing touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe.
Five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a narrow 42-41 loss to Oklahoma.
372 passing yards with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a win over Kansas.

He passed for a touchdown in 12 consecutive games and completed 39 passes against Oklahoma State, both school records.

Read also: Discover Brock University

Career Records

When his Iowa State career was all said and done, Purdy set 32 school records. For his career, Purdy threw for 12,170 career passing yards, completing 993 of 1,467 pass attempts. Some of the school records Purdy set include:

Single-game pass attempts (62, 2019 vs. Washington State)
Single-game completions (39, 2019 vs. Oklahoma State)
Single-game TD passes (5, 2019 vs. Oklahoma)
Most TD passes in one quarter (4, 2021 vs. Kansas)
Single-game total offensive yards (510, 2019 vs. Louisiana-Monroe)
Single-game TDs responsible for (6, 2019 vs. Oklahoma)

Purdy led the Big 12 in passing yards that season, throwing for 3,982 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Notable Games

Purdy led Iowa State to several memorable victories, including:

Iowa State 48, Oklahoma State 42 (Oct.)
Iowa State 72, Louisiana-Monroe 20 (Sept.)
Iowa State 41, Kansas 31 (Nov.)
Iowa State 37, Oklahoma 30 (Oct.)
Iowa State 42, West Virginia 6 (Dec.)
Iowa State 34, Oregon 17 (Jan.)
Iowa State 59, Kansas 7 (Oct.)
Iowa State 24, No. 8 Oklahoma State 21 (Oct.)

NFL Career with the San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers selected Purdy with the final pick (262nd overall) of the 2022 NFL draft, earning him the title of "Mr. Irrelevant."

2022 Season

Purdy began his rookie season in the NFL as the third-string quarterback but took the starting role following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Winning all five regular-season games that he started, Purdy played a key role in the 49ers' ten-game winning streak, securing a division title and an NFC Championship Game appearance. In Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Purdy made his NFL debut, taking a knee to close out the game. Two weeks later against the Kansas City Chiefs, he relieved Garoppolo on the 49ers' last drive, throwing for 66 yards and an interception in the 44-23 loss. In Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo suffered a foot injury, causing the 49ers to call upon Purdy once again. Purdy performed efficiently, and finished the game completing 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception during a 33-17 victory. Purdy became the first 'Mr. Irrelevant' to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game. Following Garoppolo's injury, Purdy was named the 49ers' starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2022 season. On December 11, Purdy became the only quarterback in his first career start to beat a team led by Tom Brady, when the 49ers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7. Purdy finished the game with 185 passing yards and two passing touchdowns to go along with a two-yard rushing touchdown. During a Week 16 37-20 victory over the Washington Commanders, Purdy had 234 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. In the next game against the Las Vegas Raiders, he threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception during the 37-34 overtime road victory. On January 12, 2023, the NFL named Purdy as the National Football Conference (NFC)'s Rookie of the Month for December and January. Purdy finished the regular season throwing for 1,374 yards for 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, winning all five of his starts and leading the 49ers to the second seed in the playoffs. In the Wild Card Round against the Seahawks, Purdy became the first 49ers rookie quarterback to start and win a playoff game, while putting him 6-0 in career starts. During the 41-23 victory, he completed 18-of-30 passes for 332 yards and scored four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing), the most by a rookie quarterback in a playoff game. With this victory, Purdy also became the lowest-drafted quarterback to start and win a playoff game, and became the first rookie quarterback since Sammy Baugh in 1937 to have at least 200 pass yards and two pass scores in a playoff win. This also made Purdy the first rookie quarterback to do so since the AFL-NFL merger. With the 49ers' subsequent 19-12 victory in the Divisional Round over the Dallas Cowboys, Purdy became the third quarterback since 1970 to win two playoff games in his rookie season. During the first quarter of the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Purdy suffered an injury to his right elbow. He was replaced by Josh Johnson. Following Johnson's concussion in the third quarter, Purdy reentered the game, though he would only throw two more passes; Purdy was primarily tasked with handing off the ball to his teammates.

2023 Season

Purdy continued as the 49ers' starting quarterback in the 2023 season, where he led them to a repeat division title and led the league in multiple passing categories before an appearance in Super Bowl LVIII. During the season-opening 30-7 road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Purdy completed 19-of-29 passing attempts for 220 yards, two touchdowns (both to Brandon Aiyuk), and a passer rating of 111.3. With the 49ers' win and two touchdown passes on the day, Purdy became the first quarterback in NFL history to win his first six career regular season starts and throw at least two touchdown passes in each of those starts. With a passer rating of 111.3, Purdy also became the first quarterback in NFL history to register a passer rating of 95.0 or higher in each of his first six career regular-season starts. Three weeks later the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers won by a score of 35-16 with Purdy completing 20-of-21 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown, setting a new 49ers franchise record for highest single-game completion rate of 95.2%. The prior franchise record of 90% had been set by Steve Young in Week 8 of the 1991 season. During a Week 5 42-10 victory over the Cowboys, Purdy completed 17-of-24 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns. With this victory, Purdy became the fourth quarterback in NFL history (after Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady) to lead a team that scored 30 points or more in at least 8 consecutive regular season games. The following week against the Cleveland Browns, Purdy suffered his first regular season loss after rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter. During a Week 10 34-3 road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Purdy threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns, setting a new career record passer rating of 148.9. This was the third time in his NFL career that Purdy had thrown at least three touchdowns with a passer rating of 140 or more; the only other NFL quarterback to have done the same in his first two seasons is Kurt Warner. In the next game against the Buccaneers, Purdy completed 21-of-25 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns for a perfect passer rating of 158.3. This was the first time a 49ers quarterback achieved a perfect passer rating since Joe Montana in 1989, and the only time a 49ers quarterback has accomplished that feat with 25 or more attempts in a game. During a Week 15 45-29 road victory over the Cardinals, Purdy led the 49ers to a second consecutive NFC West title as he completed 16-of-25 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns with a passer rating of 135.3. Purdy left the game in the second quarter and was assessed in the medical tent for what head coach Kyle Shanahan believed was a head injury, but Purdy eventually returned to the game after the medical staff assessed that Purdy had a shoulder stinger. At home against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round, Purdy struggled with accuracy in rainy conditions as the 49ers trailed entering the fourth quarter. Despite his struggles, Purdy engineered a 12-play, 69-yard drive that culminated with Christian McCaffrey scoring a go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes left as the 49ers won 24-21. Purdy was 6-of-7 for 47 yards on the game-winning drive and finished the game completing 23 of his 39 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown. In the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, Purdy only completed seven of his 15 pass attempts for 93 yards and an interception as San Francisco trailed 24-7 at halftime. In the second half, Purdy completed 13-of-16 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown.

2024 Season

In Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, Purdy made his 50th career touchdown pass after passing to George Kittle. He also became the fastest quarterback in 49ers franchise history to achieve 50 career touchdown passes. Purdy finished the 2024 season with 3,864 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns to 12 interceptions for a 96.1 passer rating. The 49ers as a whole struggled with injuries in 2024, ending with a 6-11 record and failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Purdy (toe) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports. Mac Jones will make at least one more start, with Purdy perhaps hoping to return for Week 8 at Houston on Sunday, Oct. 26. Purdy now will sit out for the fifth time in the last six contests due to a lingering turf toe injury.

NFL Career Stats

The 2024 season was a disappointment for the 49ers, but the good news is that Purdy still played at a high level. The 2022 seventh-round pick finished fifth in QBR and third in YPA after leading the league in both in 2023. Purdy missed two games and saw his passing TDs dip from 30 to 20, but he also took his rushing to a new level with career highs in carries, yards and TDs. By season's end, he was 10th among QBs in fantasy PPG, which was a slight dip from his eighth-place finish in 2023. Purdy has yet to finish a season better than 17th in pass attempts, but that could change in 2025 after several major defensive departures.

Personal Life

Purdy was born on December 27, 1999, in Queen Creek, Arizona. He is the middle child of Shawn and Carrie Purdy. Shawn was a Minor League Baseball player for eight seasons. His older sister Whittney played softball at Southeastern University. His younger brother Chubba later became the starting quarterback at Perry before being recruited to Florida State as a dual-threat quarterback. As a youth, Purdy played quarterback in a flag football league. For his first two seasons in the NFL, Purdy lived with 49ers teammates Nick Zakelj and Alfredo Gutiérrez.

Nickname

Because he is a starter despite his draft status, Purdy has been nicknamed "Mr.

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