The Best Thing That Happened This Week: SI Named Penn’s QB a Top 10 Draft Prospect

Alek Torgersen. Photo | University of Pennsylvania Athletics

There were plenty of familiar names on the list Sports Illustrated released on Wednesday of top 10 NFL draft prospects at the quarterback position: Deshaun Watson of Clemson, Brad Kaaya of Miami, DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame. And there at the bottom, an anomaly: Penn senior Alek Torgersen, one of only two FCS players on any of SI’s Top 10 position lists this year. Such loft didn’t seem possible after Penn went 2-8 in Torgersen’s sophomore season. But the following year, the six-foot-three, 230-pounder led the Quakers to a 7-3 record, a share of the Ivy League crown, and their first win over perennially mighty Villanova in 104 years. They’d repeat the title in 2016, and Torgersen would end his career as Penn’s all-time leading touchdown passer, all-time total touchdowns responsible for leader and all-time total offense leader, all while setting an Ivy League record for career completion percentage, going 470 for 697, or 67.4 percent. By happy coincidence, the 2017 NFL draft will be held here in Philly in April, right on the Parkway, up against the Rocky steps. Seems fitting. Good luck, kid! We’ll be rooting for you.

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