When your father has the greatest Cinderella story in the NFL, it gets difficult to build your own legacy. One such player will now break away from that overwhelming influence and chart his own journey. Now named a starting QB, he is tasked with taking his program out of a slump this season. The signal caller will be bowing out of college football after leaving a mark of his own. While his career is nowhere similar to that of his father, it’s also one that’s worth some applause.
Kurt Warner, who has arguably one of the most unbelievable career arcs in gridiron football, has a major reason to celebrate. He shone in his career at Northern Iowa, tallying 2,982 yards, and 19 TDs. But the NFL was still a step too far away. The QB gave up on football briefly after being cut from the Packers camp in 1994, working at a grocery store. It was only after a grad debut in the AFL and NFL Europe that Warner could put on a proper NFL jersey for the first time. And since then, there was no looking back for Kurt Warner, who can now call himself a Super Bowl winner. After his NFL glory, Warner has found a fresh cause to celebrate.
The former QB’s son, E.J. Warner, will be the starting QB for the Fresno State Bulldogs in what will be his debut season with the program. Coming with a massive 8,814 yards and 58 TDs, E.J. beats Carson Conklin and Jayden Mandal for the role. The QB has starting experience of 31 games, over stints at Temple and Rice. In 2023, he led the AAC in passing yards per game for Temple. Already a star in his game, E.J. will now take the Mountain West Conference by storm.
Sources: Fresno State has named veteran transfer E.J. Warner the team’s starting quarterback, and he’ll debut for Fresno in Week 0 at Kansas on Aug. 23. He’s started 31 games at both Temple and Rice over the last three seasons. pic.twitter.com/GOfpi1ZfIx
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 11, 2025
Warner replaces Mikey Keene, who is fighting a one-sided QB1 battle at Michigan. E.J. now stands to end his career on an extremely high note, hoping to take the Bulldogs to a better record under HC Matt Entz. E.J., despite being in the shadow of his father’s miraculous career, is getting a chance to script his own.
The post 8814-YD QB to Start in Week 0, Months After Getting Tired of NFL Legend Dad’s Spotlight appeared first on EssentiallySports.