Is Arizona’s Nick Foles the most underrated player in college football?

Aug 30, 2011, 8:17 PM | Updated: 9:22 pm

Arizona Wildcat fans know how good Nick Foles is.

Two seasons in Tucson have produced 5,677 yards, 39 touchdowns and appearances in the Holiday and Alamo Bowls, and the senior-to-be is poised to finish his career as one of the best quarterbacks in the school’s history.

However, Foles isn’t exactly a known commodity outside of the Old Pueblo, and ESPN’s Kirk Hebrstreit thinks the QB is the most underrated player in the country.

Things may have been different if the QB hadn’t suffered a knee injury and been a part of a team that lost five straight games to end the season, but the stats would say the QB was hardly at fault.

After all, Foles tossed 11 touchdown passes during the losing skid while averaging 318 passing yards per game, and even led what appeared to be the game-winning drive in the Territorial Cup against Arizona State.

But that’s in the past.

Foles and the Wildcats have a chance to change perception once again this season. While few are expecting big things out of Arizona, it would not be wise to count them out as long as Foles is under center. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the conference — and possibly, the country — and sometimes that’s enough to take an otherwise average team to the next level.

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Is Arizona’s Nick Foles the most underrated player in college football?