Where 10 Super Bowl MVPs Went to College

With three titles in the past 12 years and five in total, Tom Brady has won more Super Bowl MVP awards than anyone else. But where did he play in college? Brady spent 1996-99 as the quarterback for the University of Michigan. Coach Lloyd Carr said of Brady, “Tom has very good potential and has done a very good job.”

As starting quarterback, Brady led the Wolverines to a 20-5 record. Brady’s college stats were solid. His 2,427 passing yards in 1998 ranked fourth in the Big 10. The Patriots drafted Brady in the sixth round in 2000.

Although he had offers from Rice and Oklahoma State University, quarterback Patrick Mahomes picked Texas Tech. During his three seasons as a Red Raider, Mahomes had 11,252 passing yards.

His huge passing game landed Mahomes in the first spot in the NCAA for passing yards and total yards in 2016. After the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in 2017, Mahomes led the team to a championship victory in 2020.

As a quarterback, Julian Edelman couldn’t land a single scholarship offer out of high school. But after playing football at a junior college, Edelman moved to KSU, where he played from 2006-08.

In his three seasons at KSU, Edelman racked up 4,997 passing yards and top-7 spots for passing yards, rushing yards, and total yards in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. Edelman switched to wide receiver when the Patriots drafted him, and racked up half of his team’s receiving yards in their championship appearance in 2019.

Nick Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles to their first championship victory in 2018. But it was a long road to MVP for the quarterback. Between 2009 and 2011, Foles played for ASU, where he set a school record of 10,011 yards. The quarterback also completed 66.8% of his passes.

Those stats landed Foles in first place on the leaderboard in the Pacific-12 Conference for pass completion, passing yards, and total yards.

Linebacker Von Miller secured an MVP title when the Broncos won over the Panthers. But back in 2007-10, Miller played for Texas A&M.

Von Miller moved around on the Aggies defensive line — playing as a defensive end before moving to linebacker. And he racked up some impressive stats, including placing first in the NCAA in sacks. In 2010, Miller won the Dick Butkus Award, marking him as the best linebacker in the country. It’s no surprise that the Broncos drafted Miller in the first round in 2011.

In the 2013 season, Malcolm Smith became the first defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP in a decade. Smith’s career as a linebacker started at USC, where he posted solid stats from 2007-10. Smith posted numbers in the top 10 for the Pacific-10 Conference for assisted tackles and interception return yards. He led the division in interception return touchdowns in 2009 and 2010.

Smith’s college career landed him a seventh round draft pick in 2011. And just three years later, he helped the Seattle Seahawks score their first championship win.

Before leading the Baltimore Ravens to a championship victory in 2013, quarterback Joe Flacco played for the University of Delaware. Although Flacco only played for the Blue Hens for two seasons — 2006-07 — he became one of the university’s most impressive athletes.

The quarterback set 20 school records, including most completions in a game and passing yards in a season. Flacco also led the Blue Hens to the FCS National Championship in 2007.

MVP Eli Manning chose his dad’s alma mater, Ole Miss, where he played from 2000-03. In his second year as a Rebel, the quarterback logged 2,948 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions.

Manning led the team to a share of the SEC Western Division title and a win at the Cotton Bowl. Then Eli, like his older brother Peyton, became a first draft pick in 2003. He later led the New York Giants to two championship wins, picking up the MVP title for both.

Aaron Rodgers had to fight his way to Division I football. That’s because in high school, Rodgers tipped the scales at 5’6″ and 125 pounds, according to his coach. So how did Rodgers end up at UC Berkeley and then go on to win Super Bowl MVP with the Green Bay Packers in 2011?

His college career started at Butte College, a junior college in Northern California. Rodgers caught the eye of Cal coaches after leading his team to a 10-1 season and a NorCal Conference Championship. In his 25 games at UC Berkeley, he threw 5,469 passing yards.

Before leading the New Orleans Saints to their first championship victory in 2010 — and picking up the title of Super Bowl MVP — Drew Brees played for Purdue. As quarterback, he helped lead the Boilermakers all the way to the Rose Bowl, along with a Big Ten Championship.

When Brees started out his college career, he had to choose between basketball, baseball, and football — he played all three at his Austin high school. But a state championship win in his senior year sealed Brees’ future. He headed off to Purdue, where he played quarterback from 1997-2000.