Northwestern’s best quarterbacks
Clayton Thorson has the most passing yards in Northwestern history, 10,731 from 2015 to 2018. Aidan Chiles is 9th, with 1,898; 503 more passes Preston Stone for 8th.
Of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks since 2004, Clayton Thorson is 4th.
Northwestern’s quarterbacks this season
- Aidan Chiles8 games, 237.3 a game1,898 at Northwestern, the 9th-most since 2004.1,898passing yards
By decade: 2020s · 2010s · 2004–09
passing yards in Northwestern history
- 1Clayton Thorson2015 – 201810,731
- 2Brett Basanez2002 – 200510,580
- 3Len Williams1990 – 19937,487
- 4C.J. Bacher2005 – 20087,319
- 5Trevor Siemian2011 – 20145,931
- 6Zak Kustok1999 – 20015,822
- 7Mike Greenfield1984 – 19875,803
- 8Sandy Schwab1982 – 19855,679
- 9Steve Schnur1993 – 19965,612
- 10Dan Persa2009 – 20115,181
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), through the 2025 season, which counts bowl games from 2002.
Compare with in · side by side
Every quarterback since 2004
| Place | Player | passing yards | passing touchdowns | wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clayton Thorson2015 – 2018 · 53 games | 10,731 | 61 | 36 |
| 2 | C.J. Bacher2005 – 2008 · 33 games | 7,321 | 43 | 18 |
| 3 | Brett Basanez2004 – 2005 · 24 games | 6,460 | 33 | 13 |
| 4 | Trevor Siemian2011 – 2014 · 44 games | 5,931 | 27 | 24 |
| 5 | Dan Persa2008 – 2011 · 30 games | 5,181 | 34 | 18 |
| 6 | Mike Kafka2006 – 2009 · 27 games | 4,265 | 19 | 16 |
| 7 | Ryan Hilinski2021 – 2024 · 22 games | 2,831 | 10 | 6 |
| 8 | Preston Stone2025 · 13 games | 2,400 | 17 | 7 |
| 9 | Aidan Chiles2026 · still playing | 1,898 | 13 | 6 |
| +1,898 this season · passes Preston Stone for 8th in 3 games at his pace | ||||
| 10 | Ben Bryant2023 · 9 games | 1,807 | 13 | 6 |
| 11 | Jack Lausch2022 – 2024 · 20 games | 1,792 | 7 | 8 |
| 12 | Peyton Ramsey2020 · 9 games | 1,733 | 12 | 7 |
| 13 | Brendan Sullivan2022 – 2023 · 12 games | 1,303 | 10 | 2 |
| 14 | Andrew Marty2019 – 2021 · 14 games | 857 | 8 | 4 |
| 15 | Hunter Johnson2019 – 2021 · 9 games | 856 | 5 | 2 |
| 16 | Aidan Smith2019 · 8 games | 760 | 3 | 1 |
| 17 | Zack Oliver2012 – 2015 · 13 games | 648 | 3 | 6 |
| 18 | Evan Watkins2010 – 2011 · 7 games | 378 | 2 | 4 |
| 19 | Andrew Brewer2006 – 2009 · 28 games | 368 | 1 | 15 |
| 20 | Mike Wright Jr.2024 · 3 games | 354 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | TJ Green2017 – 2019 · 7 games | 236 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 | Cole Freeman2022 · 3 games | 178 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Matt Alviti2014 – 2017 · 13 games | 169 | 1 | 6 |
| 24 | Ryan Boe2024 – 2026 · still playing | 59 | 0 | 7 |
| 25 | Carl Richardson2021 – 2022 · 5 games | 58 | 0 | 1 |
passing yards by decade
2020s
- Ryan Hilinski2021 – 2024 · 22 games2,831
- Preston Stone2025 · 13 games2,400
- › Aidan Chiles2026 · 8 games1,898
- Ben Bryant2023 · 9 games1,807
- Jack Lausch2022 – 2024 · 20 games1,792
2010s
- Clayton Thorson2015 – 2018 · 53 games10,731
- Trevor Siemian2011 – 2014 · 44 games5,931
- Dan Persa2010 – 2011 · 20 games4,957
- Aidan Smith2019 · 8 games760
- Zack Oliver2012 – 2015 · 13 games648
2004–09
- C.J. Bacher2005 – 2008 · 33 games7,321
- Brett Basanez2004 – 2005 · 24 games6,460
- Mike Kafka2006 – 2009 · 27 games4,265
- Andrew Brewer2006 – 2009 · 28 games368
- Dan Persa2008 – 2009 · 10 games224
Also at Northwestern: running backs · wide receivers · tight ends · defenders · kickers · punters · Northwestern record book
Method
- Every quarterback who played at Northwestern since 2004, ranked by passing yards over his games there. Bowl and playoff games count.
- The numbers here start in 2004, so a quarterback who played at Northwestern before then isn't here.
- A decade counts his passing yards at Northwestern in its seasons.
- The record book's numbers are the school's own. Where they and the box scores differ for one player, the box scores are missing a game or count bowls another way.
- A quarterback still playing at Northwestern is counted at tonight's numbers against the record book's, which run through the 2025 season.