John Paddock

John Paddock (born March 27, 2000) is an American former football quarterback. He played college football at Ball State and Illinois.

Early life Paddock attended Bloomfield Hills High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and committed to play college football at the Ball State University.

College career Ball State In Paddock's first four seasons with Ball State, he appeared in only four games as a backup quarterback, completing 24 of 32 passes for 180 yards and an interception. He earned the starting job ahead of the 2022 season. In week 3, Paddock completed 27 of 44 passing attempts for 227 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in his first win as a starter, shutting out Murray State. He finished the 2022 season completing 286 of 480 pass attempts for 2,719 yards and 18 touchdowns with 14 interceptions, going 5-7 as a starter. After the season, Paddock entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Illinois Paddock transferred to the University of Illinois as a walk-on for his final season. In week 9 of the 2023 season, he entered the game in the fourth quarter down by one score after starter Luke Altmyer went down with an injury. Paddock completed all three of his passes for 85 yards including the game-winning touchdown as he helped Illinois beat Minnesota 27-26. He started the following week, throwing for 507 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in a 48–45 overtime win over Indiana.

Professional career

Paddock signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2024. He was waived on August 25.