Where Did Jordan Love Go to College? A Look at the Packers QB’s College Career

The Green Bay Packers swooped up a rare Group of Five talent back in 2020 when they decided to draft Jordan Love. And in the process, Love became the first quarterback at his school to be taken in the first round.

Jordan Love’s College Football Career

Utah State saw stardom and potential in Love.

Love, in the process, became a passer who stacked accolades for the Aggies and shattered school records. Some of the notable awards Love gathered included All-Mountain West Conference honors, New Mexico Bowl Most Valuable Player, and a Davey O’Brien Great 8 nominee.

Outside of the awards, Love rewrote the school record books in the following categories: career total yards of offense (9,003), career 300-yard passing games (12), and single-season completions (293), attempts (473), and touchdown passes (32).

But he would’ve never gotten to Logan, Utah if it weren’t for his quiet recruiting period.

Here’s how NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein spoke about Love’s skillset ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

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“Challenging evaluation for quarterback-needy teams balancing traits and potential against disappointing 2019 tape. Staff turnover and new starters across the offense are partly to blame for his regression, but self-made flaws in process were also concerns. Love’s accuracy took a step back, and his delayed reaction from “see it” to “throw it” when making reads is troubling.

“He has the arm to stick throws into tight windows but needs better eye discipline and anticipation to keep windows open. His size, mobility, and arm talent combined with his 2018 flashes could be a winning hand that leads a team into the future or a siren’s song of erratic play and unfulfilled potential.”

How Did Utah State Land Love?

Even while playing alongside future NFL linebacker Krys Barnes and playing for a high school powerhouse at Liberty High in Bakersfield, Calif., Love had a quiet recruiting period.

In fact, Love was only offered by one FBS program: Utah State. Love’s other offers were all from the Big Sky Conference in the FCS: Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington, Sacramento State, and Northern Colorado.

Love even collected prep awards at Liberty. He was the California Interscholastic Federation Division I Offensive Player of the Year and guided the Patriots to the CIF Central Section Division I championship over Clovis High.

The Aggies took in an under-recruited Love, and in the process, he became a school record-breaker.

How Has Love Fared as the Green Bay Packers Quarterback?

Despite just having just one season as a starter under his belt, the Packers saw enough from Love to give him a monster payday.

After the 25-year-old threw for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions while leading the Packers to an upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, Green Bay backed up the Brink’s trunk this offseason.

Love signed a four-year, $220 million contract extension with the Packers, which features an NFL record $75 million signing bonus that is due by December (via three separate $25 million payments). At signing, $100.8 million is fully guaranteed, with $155 million in total guarantees.

The average annual value of Love’s new pact is $55 million, which is tied with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence for the highest salary in the NFL. (It’s worth noting that Burrow received $219.01 million in total guarantees, the second-most in NFL history behind Deshaun Watson’s $230 million.)