BYU football of the 1980s-1990s developed something of a reputation for itself as a quarterback breeding ground. A dazzling, piercing beacon from the Western Athletic Conference with an unconventional, pass-heavy offensive approach was a magnetic destination for some of the nation's most talented gunslingers.
Robby Bosco, Steve Young, Jim MacMahon, Ty Detmer, Steve Sarkisian and more hyper-talented quarterbacks passed through the LaVell Edwards passing academy out in Provo -- it was such an outstanding crop of passers, that BYU football was coined as "QBU" nationally.
But in a recent interview, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time recalls being rejected by that same BYU football program, and his inclusion could have cemented BYU's legacy of excellent quarterbacks among the best in the history of the sport.
You may have heard of this man: Tom Brady.
When recalling his college recruiting experience, Brady listed BYU as one of the teams that showed no interest in his talents.
"We sent all these different tapes out, ranging from Cal-Berkeley to BYU -- they didn't want me. I know, but they weren't the only one! Trust me, there were many others."
For the new BYU football followers:
— Adam Edmunds (@adamedmunds) July 14, 2026
Fun (and somewhat painful) video clip from my chat with Tom Brady last year...and how BYU passed on him. https://t.co/URSPzQQtA0 pic.twitter.com/RMR59MRpib
It could be easy to rag on BYU for rejecting one of the greatest football players in history -- especially at their signature position. But as he said, the Cougars weren't the only program to pass on him before he ultimately committed to Michigan. And while with the Wolverines, he didn't exactly set the world on fire by posting good, not great counting stats in his junior and senior seasons.
Brady wasn't exactly a hot commodity in the NFL at first, either, being selected in the 6th round by New England. Well, the rest is history seven Super Bowl Championships, three NFL MVP awards, and five Super Bowl MVPs later -- he's one of, if not the greatest quarterback in the history of the game.
Yet BYU wasn't interested.
It's wild to think what could have been for BYU football's legacy as QBU if they had recruited Tom Brady as a high school prospect.
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