FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers
For only the second time in the history of the Super Bowl, two former College Sports Communicators Academic All-American quarterbacks will face one another in the big game.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is playing in his fourth Super Bowl in the last five years, while Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers is playing in his first.
The only other time two AAA QBs have met in the big game was when Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints defeated Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts in SBXLIV in 2010.
A marketing major, Mahomes earned second-team Academic All-American honors while at Texas Tech University (2016). Purdy was a two-time second team Academic All-American (2020, 2022) while majoring in communication studies at Iowa State University.
College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) has operated the Academic All-America program since 1952, making it the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across college sports. It is the second oldest college sports awards program overall, behind only the Heisman Trophy.
“Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy have proven to be the best of the best leading their teams to the Super Bowl, and that’s no surprise to us because of their success as Academic All-Americans in college,” said College Sports Communicators Executive Director Erik Christianson. “Excellence on and off the field, which we celebrate every year with our Academic All-America program, will be on full display on Super Bowl Sunday.”
Mahomes and Purdy are not the only Academic All-Americans in the Super Bowl, scheduled for Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Chiefs led the NFL this season with six former Academic All-Americans on the roster, followed by the Eagles and Lions with four each. In total, 60 NFL players this season were former AAAs, including 30 on playoff rosters.
The 49ers have two former AAA players in the game, including Christian McCaffrey — the most decorated playing in Super Bowl LVIII. He was a two-time first-team Academic All-American (2015, 2016), including being named the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Academic All-American of the Year at Stanford University.
Besides Mahomes, Purdy and McCaffrey, other Academic All-Americans in this year’s Super Bowl include:
•Nick Bolton (Chiefs/University of Missouri) — 2020 Second Team
•Mike Caliendo (Chiefs/Western Michigan University) — 2020 First Team
•Jack Cochrane (Chiefs/University of South Dakota) — 2021 Second Team
•Bryan Cook (Chiefs/University of Cincinnati) — 2021 Second Team
•Drue Tranquill (Chiefs/University of Notre Dame) — 2016 First Team, 2018 Second Team
In three of the past four Super Bowls, an Academic All-American was named the MVP of the game, including Mahomes twice (2020, 2023) and Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington University) of the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Kupp is the only former AAA to be named MVP who was not a quarterback.
