Paul Michael DeMarco (born April 11, 1989) is an NFL quarterback currently playing for the Toronto Argonauts. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, where he was a four-year starter who currently holds all major passing records for the school. At Arkansas, he won back to back Southwest Conference titles in 2009 and 2010, and led the Razorbacks to double-digit win seasons four years in a row. He won Super Bowl LIV with the Argonauts in January of 2019.
Early Life[]
Paul Michael DeMarco was born to Peter DeMarco Sr. and Susan DeMarco in Sheffield, Arkansas, and attended Sheffield High School, where he was a standout athlete as a quarterback for the Spartans football team and shooting guard for the basketball team. He was the second oldest of seven children; all his fellow siblings played sports in high school and collegiately, and his youngest brother, Andrew, would play quarterback at Arkansas as well.
Though overshadowed by recruits such as Mitch Mustain or Ryan Mallett, DeMarco was considered a top-tier recruit in the state, and after Mustain elected to attend Notre Dame in 2006 and Mallett Texas in 2007, DeMarco became the chief target for quarterback for Arkansas and signed with Houston Nutt's Razorbacks after a senior season in which he led Sheffield High to the state title game.
College Career[]
2007 Season[]
DeMarco joined Arkansas a year after its SWC championship and victory over Temple in the 2007 Texas Bowl; as such, he was expected to redshirt behind starter Casey Dick. However, an injury to Dick in the first game of the season led to DeMarco taking over as a true freshman, in which he led the Razorbacks to a come-from-behind victory over the out-of-conference Tulsa Golden Hurricane, coached by the 2006 Hogs offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn. The next game saw the Hogs travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to face the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, who had won 24 straight games. DeMarco, in his first-ever collegiate start, dazzled in a 55-49 double-overtime shootout, which ended with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown on the first play of second overtime. Despite this ending, the game was hailed as an instant classic and DeMarco would start every game for the remainder of his collegiate career.
The Hogs, led largely by the running back tandem of Darren McFadden, Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis, would not lose again until their defeat by TCU on November 10th, entering that game with an 8-1 record and a No. 7 ranking in the polls. By virtue of that win, TCU would win the SWC that year and earn a berth in the Texas Bowl; Arkansas finished at 10-2 by winning their last two games over Texas Tech and SMU by a combined 57 point margin and were given a berth in the Sugar Bowl against SouthCo runner up LSU, which entered the matchup 11-1, ranked No. 4 and having only lost to Alabama all season. In a major upset, DeMarco led the Razorbacks back from a 17-point halftime deficit to win the Sugar Bowl 45-38 and give Arkansas back-to-back Elite Series Bowl victories and a second consecutive 11-win season.