Player Career

Clayton Thorson Career Story

Career story, signature performances, transfer context, and season arc are grouped for biography-style searches.

Player Story

Clayton Thorson story

Clayton Thorson built his college career from 2014 through 2018 as a quarterback from Wheaton, IL wearing No. 18, spending time with Northwestern. The clearest part of Clayton Thorson's career was his passing role: 10,729 passing yards, 61 touchdown passes, 1,697 attempts, and 408 rushing yards across 53 career games in the available record. His largest box-score season came in 2016 with Northwestern. Those numbers show where he fit, how often the ball or action found him, and how his role developed over time.

Quarterback careers are usually judged first by volume, efficiency, and scoring chances. His career also includes 408 rushing yards, 24 receiving yards, and 2 tackles, giving the story more than a single-category snapshot. With 53 career games in the available record, his career has enough shape to show both opportunity and production across Northwestern.

The arc is straightforward: Clayton Thorson moved through the depth chart, found a larger role, and turned that opportunity into production that can be understood through standard football numbers.

Career Arc

Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.

  1. 1

    Northwestern

    2014-2018

    Opening stop

Season Value Progression

201420152015201620162017201720182018
SeasonTeamPrimaryEfficiencyUsageDelta
2014 Regular SeasonNorthwestern0
2015 PostseasonNorthwestern1,91955.119.31,919
2015 Regular SeasonNorthwestern1,91955.119.30
2016 PostseasonNorthwestern3,28056.720.81,361
2016 Regular SeasonNorthwestern3,28056.720.80
2017 PostseasonNorthwestern2,86754.317.5-413
2017 Regular SeasonNorthwestern2,86754.317.50
2018 PostseasonNorthwestern3,07152.115.5204
2018 Regular SeasonNorthwestern3,07152.115.50

Signature Performances

Top Games

#1 Featured game

@ Nebraska

Week 8 · W 30-28 · Conference game

Win with balanced pass-rush production and strong creator value.

303

Total Offense

84.9 takeover

303 total offense with 74.8 efficiency.

#2

vs Bowling Green

Week 3 · W 49-7

398

Total Offense

71.8 takeover

Win with 398 yards of offense and 79.2 efficiency.

398 total offense with 79.2 efficiency.

#3

vs Nebraska

Week 4 · L 13-24 · Conference game

292

Total Offense

70.9 takeover

Loss shaped by high passing volume and turnover pressure.

292 total offense with 60.6 efficiency.

#4

vs Michigan State

Week 9 · W 39-31 · Conference game

367

Total Offense

69.8 takeover

Win with 367 yards of offense and 61.6 efficiency.

367 total offense with 61.6 efficiency.

#5

vs Ball State

Week 4 · W 24-19

301

Total Offense

66.8 takeover

Win with 301 yards of offense and 66 efficiency.

301 total offense with 66 efficiency.

Top Seasons

#1 Season by Season Value

2016 Postseason · Northwestern

3,280 primary output · 56.7 efficiency · 20.8 usage

71.6

#2

2016 Regular Season · Northwestern

71.6

3,280 primary · 56.7 efficiency · 20.8 usage

#3

2017 Postseason · Northwestern

62.2

2,867 primary · 54.3 efficiency · 17.5 usage

Milestones

17

250+ passing yards

13

300+ total offense

16

3+ TD games

15

Above avg efficiency