Brock Purdy

Early life

Purdy was born on December 27, 1999, in Queen Creek, Arizona. He played high school football for Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. Purdy is the middle child of Shawn and Carrie Purdy. He is of partial Armenian descent through his paternal grandmother. Shawn was a Minor League Baseball player for eight seasons. His older sister Whittney played softball at Southeastern University. His younger brother Chubba later became the starting quarterback at Perry before being recruited to Florida State as a dual-threat quarterback. As a youth, Purdy played quarterback in a flag football league. His father attributed Purdy's later success in part to the faster processing speed required to play flag football; quarterbacks were given seven seconds to dispose of the football before plays were blown dead.

Purdy started his varsity football career during the 2015 season as a sophomore for the newly opened Perry High School. In 2016, the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) adjusted the athletic regions, placing Perry in the 6A Division Premier Region, ranked as the sixth toughest region in the nation. Purdy's performance elevated Perry into the 6A Division AIA State Championship game in 2016 and 2017, losing 65–28 and 48–42, respectively, both to Chandler High School.

Purdy established himself as a football power in Arizona, competing against Chandler Unified School District's more established powerhouse programs such as Chandler High (0–5), Hamilton (4–2) and Basha (2–1). Purdy achieved a 27–13 record at Perry. He was named Gatorade's Football Player of the Year and was The Arizona Republic's high-school player of the year.

Purdy was considered a three-star prospect by 247Sports. He signed his letter of intent to commit to Iowa State University on February 7, 2018, enrolling in June of that year.

College career

Purdy entered his freshman year for the Cyclones in 2018 as the third string to Kyle Kempt and Zeb Noland. He became the starter after Kempt was injured and Noland was ineffective. Overall, Purdy started eight games, completing 146-of-220 passes for 2,250 yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for what would prove to be a career-best 169.9 passer rating (sixth best in all NCAA football), and compiling a 7–2 record for the Cyclones. In addition, he rushed for 308 yards and five touchdowns.

During Purdy's sophomore season in 2019, he started all 13 games, compiling a 7–6 record. The year was highlighted by 435 yards and a school-record 510 total yards, along with three passing and three rushing touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe, five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a narrow 42–41 loss to the then number 9 Oklahoma Sooners, and 372 yards with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in a win over Kansas. He passed for a touchdown in 12 consecutive games and completed 39 passes against a single team, Oklahoma State—both school records. Purdy also led the Big 12 Conference in passing yards with 3,982 and was third in total touchdowns, 27 of them passing, which broke George Amundson's 41-year-old school record of 24 total touchdowns.

During Purdy's junior year in 2020, he and running back Breece Hall led the Cyclones to a 9–3 record (tied with the 2000 season for the best record in program history) and a number 9 national ranking, their highest in school history dating to 1895. Purdy had three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 45–0 shutout of Kansas State, followed two weeks later by completing 20-of-23 passes for three touchdowns and rushing for 38 yards and another touchdown during a 42–6 victory over West Virginia. In the Fiesta Bowl, Purdy passed and rushed for a touchdown in a 34–17 win over Oregon.

In his 2021 senior year, Purdy and Hall again led the Cyclones to a 7–6 record, highlighted by 307 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–21 victory over number 8 Oklahoma State. Purdy also had 356 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech, but Iowa State lost in a 41–38 shootout. The season was a disappointment to an Iowa State team ranked number 7 entering the season, but Purdy's 71.7 percent completion percentage and 3,188 yards again led the Big 12.

Purdy ended his time at Iowa State as a three-time All-Big 12 quarterback, holding 32 school records including career pass attempts, completions, percentage, yards, and both passing (81) and total (100) touchdowns. His 14 games with 300-plus passing yards was nearly triple the previous school record of five by Bret Meyer. Purdy's four years at Iowa State corresponded with the first time the school's football program had seen four consecutive winning seasons since 1923–1927. Purdy graduated from Iowa State in 2021 with a degree in communication studies.

Personal life

Purdy is a devout Christian and openly talks about his faith. Purdy has stated in press briefings and interviews that Christianity plays a major role in his life. Purdy's favorite team as a youth was the Miami Dolphins, and he wears number 13 in honor of Dan Marino.

For his first two seasons in the NFL, Purdy lived with 49ers teammates Nick Zakelj and Alfredo Gutiérrez. Because he is a starter despite his draft status, Purdy has been nicknamed "Mr. Relevant."

In July 2023, Purdy announced his engagement to girlfriend Jenna Brandt. They got married on March 9, 2024. As of July 2025, they have one child.