Easton Stick is set to make his first career NFL start in place of the injured Justin Herbert for the Los Angeles Chargers as they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday Night Football in Week 15.
Stick is just the latest in a string of FCS quarterbacks to reach the NFL.
Easton Stick’s Storied FCS Career
Stick found his way to the league after lighting up the FCS college football ranks at North Dakota State.
The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) is a step below the FBS fans of the sport are familiar with, but the FCS is still part of the NCAA’s top division for the sport, Division I.
NDSU has become a powerhouse at that level with an FCS record nine national championships, three ahead of the next closest contender. Four of those came during Stick’s time with the program, including three as the starter after he redshirted in 2014 as Carson Wentz led the program to a national title.
Stick took over as the program’s starting quarterback during the 2015 campaign after Wentz suffered a season-ending injury and did not relinquish the job from that point on. Stick led the Bison to a national title that season and two others in 2017 and 2018.
His best statistical season came as a senior in 2018, when he threw for 2,752 yards and 28 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, adding 677 rushing yards for another 17 scores on the ground.
Stick was then selected by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and had seen just two snaps of action in a 2020 game before being thrust into service on Dec. 10 after Herbert suffered what ultimately turned out to be a season-ending finger injury.
MORE: Los Angeles Chargers Depth Chart
After an extensive relief appearance in a 24-7 loss to the Denver Broncos, Stick will make his first career NFL start against the Raiders in Week 15.
He is just the latest in a line of FCS quarterbacks to get a shot at the professional level.
Other Former FCS QBs in NFL
Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
One of the quarterbacks on the opposing side of Thursday night’s clash also hails from the FCS ranks. Garoppolo spent his four collegiate seasons as a standout player at Illinois State, including an uber-productive senior season that saw him throw for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns in 2013.
He was then selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and served as Tom Brady’s backup for three seasons before a trade to the San Francisco 49ers helped kickstart his career. He then signed with Las Vegas this offseason and had an up-and-down start to the year before being benched in favor of Aidan O’Connell.
Garoppolo could see playing time Thursday, however, as O’Connell and the offense have struggled in recent weeks. Head coach Antonio Pierce left the door open for changes at the position this week.
Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Flacco is perhaps the most successful former FCS standout in the league.
After largely sitting on the bench for two seasons at Pitt, he transferred to FCS school Delaware and had to sit out the 2005 season, but he made an immediate impact in 2006 and 2007. His true breakout year came as a senior, throwing for 4,263 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five interceptions before falling in the FCS national title game.
Flacco was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens and has since carved out a successful professional career as well, throwing for more than 40,000 yards and winning Super Bowl 47. He has not seen much playing time of late but recently had a strong showing as the Browns’ starting quarterback.
Josh Johnson, Baltimore Ravens
Johnson made his name at the University of San Diego, where he had a pair of standout seasons and wrapped up his collegiate career throwing for 3,320 yards and 34 touchdowns while rushing for 720 yards and 11 more scores in 2006.
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He was taken in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has largely been a career backup in the league aside from some sporadic starts. He has yet to make an appearance for Baltimore this season.
Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys
Lance, like Stick, also hails from North Dakota State and took over as the program’s starting quarterback after Stick’s departure. He posted a record-setting 2019 season that saw him throw for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns with no interceptions while also running for 1,100 yards and 14 more scores as NDSU won an undefeated national title.
He was then drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and has since made sporadic appearances across his two seasons with the franchise before being traded to Dallas, where he has yet to play.
Carson Wentz, Los Angeles Rams
A third notable quarterback hailing from North Dakota State, Wentz had a standout junior season that saw him throw for 3,111 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while rushing for 642 yards and six more scores in 2014. An injury cut short his senior season, but he was still selected second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016.
Wentz had some early success in his NFL career but has turned into a journeyman of sorts in recent seasons and has appeared just once for the Rams this year.
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