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, EJ 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, EJ 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, EJ will now take the Mountain West Conference by storm.

Warner replaces Mikey Keene, who is fighting the QB1 battle at Michigan. EJ now stands to end his career on an extremely high note, hoping to take the Bulldogs to a better record under new HC Matt Entz. EJ, despite being in the shadow of his father’s miraculous career, is getting a chance to script his own. EJ has the potential to take Fresno State back to its glory days. The Bulldogs will be relying on his pedigree and skills to become a G5 Powerhouse once again.

What Fresno State is getting in EJ Warner

In the MW conference, a Bulldog QB has been in the top 3 four times in the last 5 years when it comes to passing yards per game. Warner came 5 in the FBS in passing yards per game during his 2023 season at Temple. He missed just one game at Rice last year, which is why is yardage for the season dips to under 3000. But otherwise, that’s been the baseline for him in this career, and Fresno State will make full use of it. “Whoever is named the starter, we will build a game plan around them and play to their strengths,” OC Josh Davis said during fall camp practice.

“I fall asleep studying football, do it all day long. When I go home [or] call home, I talk football. It’s what I do. It relaxes me,” Warner told FOX 26 News. The QB has an extremely low pressure to sack rate, finishing at 5.4 last year at Rice. Warner, when he signed with the Bulldogs, became one of its most reliable players. With three years of starting experience, Fresno State needed someone as seasoned as him to replace someone like Keene. The MWC preseason poll places the Bulldogs at No.5. Now that Warner is leading the charge, that number can stand to change.

EJ Warner has known football his whole life. With Kurt Warner being the NFL miracle, EJ would have had to excel at every step for others to see him as a player worthy of creating his own image. In his collegiate career, EJ has done just that. Whether or not repeats his dad’s arc in th NFL will be a test of time.