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Every College Football Team's Greatest Quarterback of All Time (Power 4 Schools)

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Jameis Winston - College Football Rankings, Florida State National Championship

Mike Marteny selects the best quarterback in all 67 Power Four teams' history. Who is the best quarterback in the history of your favorite team?

There are now 67 "Power Four" teams in college football, which accounts for nearly half of the FBS. There have been a lot of different quarterbacks to come through those schools.

How do we go about deciding the best quarterback in each school's history? Is it the one with the most wins? The one with the most yards? How do you rank a one-year rental against others who started for three or four years in a different era? How do we determine national championships? Oklahoma's Jimmy Harris won all 25 games that he started, leading the Sooners to back-to-back championships in 1955 and 1956. Those wins were all part of the 47-game winning streak. Does that make him Oklahoma's best QB of all time?

Crediting a championship to just a quarterback is unfair, especially before the forward pass was a common thing. I will try to balance this the best I can while honoring those who had a great impact on the program. These will be in alphabetical order by school. This isn't a ranking. We're just trying to determine the best at each Power Four school.

 

Alabama - Bryce Young (2020-2022)

Career stats: 65.8% completion, 8,356 passing yards, 80 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 162 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns

We're starting with a tough one. NFL Hall of Famers Bart Starr (1952-1955), Joe Namath (1962-1964), and Ken Stabler (1965-1967) all quarterbacked the Crimson Tide. Starr threw for only 1,903 yards in 43 games and threw twice as many interceptions (20) as touchdowns (10) in his college career.

Namath led the SEC in yards and touchdowns as a sophomore in 1962, but was nowhere close the next two years. He did win a title with Alabama in 1964.

Stabler was the most accomplished of the three in college. He only started for two years, but threw for 2,170 yards. He also threw as many interceptions as touchdowns (18).

Jay Barker led Alabama to a championship in 1992, but it was lean until Nick Saban showed up. Alabama's best quarterbacks came from that era. We still have plenty to choose from.

Alabama was ranked at the top of the AP Poll at least once in every season from 2008 to 2022 -- a stretch of 15 consecutive seasons. Saban was the coach for all of those. The Tide won five national championships in those 15 years. Our Alabama hero comes from one of those teams.

Jalen Hurts wasn't really Jalen Hurts as we now know him until his year at Oklahoma. Tua Tagovailoa only started for two seasons, and only one of those was highly impressive.

AJ McCarron is Alabama's all-time leader in passing yards (9,019), but he started 40 games to get there. We're going to go with Alabama's only Heisman-winning quarterback, Bryce Young.

Young didn't win a championship as a starter, but his two-year run leading the Tide was impressive. He threw for an SEC-best 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns in his Heisman campaign of 2021. Despite only starting 27 games, Young is second in passing yards in Alabama history.

 

Arizona - Khalil Tate (2016-2019)

Career stats: 58% completion, 6,318 passing yards, 57 passing touchdowns, 31 interceptions, 2,285 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns

Arizona is still relatively new to the concept of the forward pass as a method of moving the ball. Aside from Tom Tunnicliffe in the early 1980s, Arizona has been a power running team, often with more than one back. In Khalil Tate's case, he was usually more productive than the running backs.

The question with Arizona comes down to whether we value Nick Foles' pocket presence or Tate's scrimmage dominance.

Incumbent Noah Fifita is the best of both worlds and could wind up in the top spot with a successful senior season. He only trails Foles by 828 passing yards, and has already passed him in touchdowns. I still think that most Arizona fans (and college football fans) underrate the passing ability of Tate.

We all remember the 2017 game against Colorado, where Tate set the FBS record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a game with 327.

Did you realize that Tate is fourth in Arizona history in passing touchdowns and sixth in yards despite not being the full-time, unquestioned starter until his junior season? Tate was an elite athlete, but he also had a really good arm.

 

Arizona State - Danny White (1971-1973)

Career stats: 53.2% completion, 5,932 passing yards, 59 passing touchdowns, 36 interceptions, 521 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns

The Sun Devils have had a few NFL quarterbacks come through their school. Jake Plummer, Danny White, Mike Pagel, Brock Osweiler, and Mark Malone all played in Tempe. Former No. 1 pick Jayden Daniels started at Arizona State before heading to LSU.

Arizona State has had two 10,000-yard passers, Andrew Walter and Rudy Carpenter. They dominate Arizona State's passing record book, but we're going to go a bit off the beaten path.

If you don't remember college football before 2000, it was a completely different game. That's what makes Danny White's stats so impressive.

White led the WAC in passing touchdowns in all three of his seasons as a starter. He also led in passing yards in two of the three seasons. He didn't even start until halfway through his sophomore season because White was a star on the Arizona State baseball team.

That was thought to be his future ... until his arm started setting records in football. White set seven NCAA passing records in 2.5 college seasons, leading all of FBS in passing touchdowns in his senior year of 1973.

He took over the Dallas Cowboys when Roger Staubach retired, leading Dallas to three consecutive NFC Championship games in 1980, 1981, and 1982. White was The Arizona Republic's Arizona Athlete of the Century for the 1900s.

 

Arkansas - Ryan Mallett (2009-2010)

Career stats: 60.3% completion, 7,493 passing yards, 62 passing touchdowns, 19 interceptions, -103 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns

Arkansas has only had two quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Lamar McHan in 1954 and Matt Jones in 2005. Jones was drafted as a receiver, not a QB. That's how slim the pickings have been in Fayetteville at quarterback.

Famed coach Houston Nutt quarterbacked the Hogs in 1976 and 1977, but he only threw for 537 yards. KJ Jefferson is the leading passer in Arkansas history and led the Hogs to their only CFP ranking in 2021. However, he played parts of five seasons in Fayetteville.

That's not more impressive than what Michigan transplant Ryan Mallett did in two years. Mallett led the SEC in passing yards and touchdowns in both of his seasons with Arkansas. He turned that success into a third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Jefferson and Brandon Allen have more touchdowns, and Jefferson and Tyler Wilson have more yards, but all of them played at least three seasons in Fayetteville. We'll take the two league-leading seasons from Mallett since there isn't a clear winner of the Arkansas quarterback sweepstakes.

 

Auburn - Pat Sullivan (1969-1971)

Career stats: 55.2% completion, 6,284 passing yards, 53 passing touchdowns, 39 interceptions, 559 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns

Cam Newton's one year in Auburn was a great one. He threw for 30 touchdowns and scored 20 more on the ground. He led the SEC in rushing yards and touchdowns and led Auburn to the national championship. It's hard to argue what Newton did in his one year at Auburn.

Is one year enough to make him the best? Some will argue that the answer is yes. That may be, but I'm going to follow my criteria that I've used during this whole expedition. You need to start for at least two years. Otherwise, Dwayne Haskins would have been crowned for Ohio State.

Stan White is Auburn's all-time leading passer with 8,016 yards, but he threw 12 more interceptions than touchdowns. I don't care what era that is; you can't be the best if you don't take care of the ball.

Bo Nix wasn't nearly as bad as Auburn fans claim, but he threw more touchdowns in his final season at Oregon (45) than he did starting for three years at Auburn (39).

Dameyune Craig and Jarrett Stidham both had two good years as starters for Auburn, but there is one who stood out over them. Especially when you consider the era in which he played.

Pat Sullivan led the SEC in completion percentage and touchdown passes in two of his three seasons as a starter. He led the SEC in passing yards in 1970. That same season, he led all of FBS in yards per attempt and yards per game.

Sullivan's high-flying Auburn offense was ranked in the top 20 of the final AP Poll in all three of his seasons. The Tigers would not do that again in three consecutive years until 1982-1984. Sullivan is Auburn's all-time leader in touchdown passes and still ranks fifth in yardage.

 

Baylor - Robert Griffin III (2008-2011)

Career stats: 67.1% completion, 10,366 passing yards, 78 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 2,254 rushing yards, 33 rushing touchdowns

This was the easiest decision so far in any of these articles. RG3 was Baylor's only Heisman Trophy winner in 2011. It's easy to forget how good Griffin was, even as a freshman.

RG3's first Baylor team went 4-8. The Bears also finished 4-8 in 2009 when Griffin only played three games due to injury. His next two seasons launched a period of success in Waco that hadn't been seen since the 1950s.

Baylor reached the AP top 25 for the first time since 1993 in Griffin's sophomore season. The Bears finished 13th in the AP Poll in Griffin's senior year. That was the highest finish for the Bears since 1986. Baylor went to a bowl game in 2010 for the first time since 1994.

Baylor had more success with Bryce Petty and Charlie Brewer, but Griffin, under the tutelage of Art Briles, is the one who returned Baylor football to prominence.

Griffin is Baylor's only 10,000-yard passer and has the most touchdowns in school history. His completion percentage is also the best in Baylor history. RG3 also ranks sixth in Baylor history in rushing yards.

 

Boston College - Doug Flutie (1981-1984)

Career stats: 53.3% completion, 10,579 passing yards, 67 passing touchdowns, 54 interceptions, 739 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns

There shouldn't be any debate about this one. As good as Matt Ryan was, he was no Doug Flutie. Flutie is Boston College's only Heisman Trophy winner (1984). He is also Boston College's only Maxwell, Walter Camp, and Davey O'Brien winner.

When Flutie finished college in 1984, he was the leading passer in FBS history with 10,579 yards. His iconic Hail Mary pass to beat Miami on Thanksgiving weekend of 1984 is immortalized as a statue outside of Alumni Stadium.

Unlike some on this list, Flutie also went on to have a successful pro career. He spent one year with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL before spending two years each with the Bears and the Patriots. Flutie found a home in the CFL, playing eight seasons in Canada.

He won three Grey Cups (1992, 1996, and 1997) and became the first non-Canadian inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He returned to the NFL in 1998, playing another eight seasons with the Bills, Chargers, and Patriots.

 

BYU - Ty Detmer (1988-1991)

Career stats: 62.6% completion, 15,031 passing yards, 121 passing touchdowns, 65 interceptions, -366 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns

BYU has had some significant NFL players come through its campus. NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young played for BYU. So did the brash Jim McMahon, who became a celebrity with the 1985 Chicago Bears. Taysom Hill, Marc Wilson, and Robbie Bosco all played in the NFL.

All of them pale in comparison to Ty Detmer. To be fair, so did everyone else. When Detmer graduated in 1991, he held 59 FBS passing records. He is still eighth in FBS history in passing yards despite only starting one game in 1988 (he played in 10 games).

Detmer's passing yards record stood for 13 years until Hawaii's Timmy Chang passed him. If Detmer's bowl games counted in his stats, he would be all the way up at fifth in FBS history behind only Case Keenum, Dillon Gabriel, Chang, and Landry Jones.

Detmer led the WAC in passing yards and touchdowns in all three of his seasons as a starter. His 5,188 passing yards in 1990 stood until 2003 when B.J. Symons of Texas Tech broke it. It is still the ninth-best total in FBS history.

Detmer won BYU's only Heisman Trophy that season. Detmer led FBS in passing yards again as a senior, though his 4,031 yards were a disappointment after his record-breaking 1990 season.

It took 16 seasons for someone to catch Detmer in career touchdown passes. Hawaii's Colt Brennan passed him in 2007. Including bowl stats, Detmer would still be eighth in FBS history in career touchdown passes.

 

California - Jared Goff (2013-2015)

Career stats: 62.3% completion, 12,200 passing yards, 96 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions, -114 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

This race may have been closer than you think. Cal had Kyle Boller, Steve Bartkowski, Craig Morton, and Aaron Rodgers come through the program.

Rodgers is probably the most famous and the most accomplished as a professional, but he only played two years at Cal. He started at community college in 2002 before transferring to Cal. He left after his junior year for the NFL.

Goff was the first true freshman ever to win the starting job for the Golden Bears. He started 37 games in three seasons for Cal. His 4,719 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns in 2015 both set Pac-12 conference records that still stand. Goff is fifth in Pac-12 history in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

 

Central Florida - Daunte Culpepper (1996-1998)

Career stats: 65.7% completion, 9,341 passing yards, 72 passing touchdowns, 32 interceptions, 1,003 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns

Central Florida has only been part of FBS for 30 seasons, but it has put three quarterbacks into the NFL. We'll let UCF claim Dillon Gabriel since he threw for more than 8,000 of his 18,722 career yards in Orlando and 70 of his 155 touchdown passes.

Gabriel was more famous at Oklahoma and Oregon, but he was in Orlando for longer. Blake Bortles turned his two big seasons into the third pick of the 2014 NFL Draft by Jacksonville.

We are going back to before the recent run of good quarterbacks to the one who put UCF football on the map. It started with his 1997 game against Nebraska in Lincoln when he put up 318 passing yards and scored two touchdowns against the eventual national champions.

Most people didn't even know that Central Florida was a real school until Daunte Culpepper got off that bus in September 1997. In 1998, Culpepper set a new FBS record by completing 73.6% of his passes. That record stood for 10 years until Colt McCoy broke it.

Bowl stats weren't included in those days, but if you add those in, Culpepper became just the second player in FBS history with more than 10,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a career. That happens a lot now, but it didn't in Culpepper's time.

 

Cincinnati - Desmond Ridder (2018-2021)

Career stats: 62.1% completion, 10,239 passing yards, 87 passing touchdowns, 28 interceptions, 2,179 rushing yards, 28 rushing touchdowns

When people think of prominent Cincinnati passers, they think of Nick Van Exel, who led the Bearcats to the Final Four in 1992. The only problem is that Nick the Quick didn't play football.

This one was also a relatively easy decision. Gino Guidugli is the career leader in passing yards for Cincinnati with 11,453, but Ridder's impact on the program was far greater.

Ridder was an elite dual-threat quarterback who led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff in 2021. A team from the American Conference crashed the CFP party, which was not supposed to happen. It was also the precursor to the abomination of playoff expansion.

On top of Ridder's elite passing stats, he is third in Cincinnati history in rushing touchdowns, trailing only DeMarco McCleskey and Michael Warren II.

 

Clemson - Trevor Lawrence (2018-2020)

Career stats: 66.6% completion, 10,098 passing yards, 90 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 943 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns

This is a tough one. Homer Jordan led Clemson to a national championship in 1981. Woody Dantzler became the first FBS quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season. Charlie "Clipboard Jesus" Whitehurst never lost to South Carolina in four tries.

Tajh Boyd is the program leader in yards (11,904) and touchdown passes (107). Deshaun Watson led Clemson to a title and leads the program with 267.4 passing yards per game. So, how did we land on Lawrence?

Lawrence went 38-2 as a starter for Clemson, leading the Tigers to a national championship as a freshman. He led them to their first 15-0 season and got Clemson back to the championship game again as a sophomore.

Lawrence missed a couple of games in 2020 due to COVID, but he still led Clemson to the College Football Playoff for the third consecutive season.

Watson has the better stats and had two incredible seasons, but Lawrence was arguably the more consistent player. He only threw 17 interceptions in 40 games. Watson threw 17 in the 2016 season alone.

 

Colorado - Shedeur Sanders (2023-2024)

Career stats: 71.8% completion, 7,364 passing yards, 64 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions, -127 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns

Believe it or not, Colorado actually had a football program before Deion Sanders got there. It's true! The Buffaloes toiled in relative obscurity before Bill McCartney got there. His famed rivalry with Nebraska put Colorado on the national map.

Colorado won its only national championship under Darian Hagan. Noted internet loudmouth Joel Klatt is fourth in school history in passing yards.

Before Kordell Stewart became a star with the Steelers, he led Colorado to a third-place finish in the AP Poll in 1994, with the only loss coming to the national champion (Nebraska).

Unlike most schools, Colorado hasn't had a passer who started all four seasons in Boulder. Sefo Liufau started most of his freshman season in 2013, which is why he is Colorado's all-time leader in passing yards (9,763).

Steven Montez and Cody Hawkins also started most of their four seasons in Boulder. Longevity doesn't mean everything. Stewart and Klatt were the gold standard for Colorado quarterbacks before Prime Time hit Boulder and brought his son with him.

It's cool for most to dislike Sanders and the way he rolled into Boulder, but you can't discount his two huge seasons for Colorado. Sanders has the best completion percentage in Colorado history (by far) and led all of FBS at 74% in 2024.

Sanders also led the Big 12 in completions, attempts, yards, yards per game, and touchdown passes that year ... and he wasn't even the most famous person on the team.

 

Duke - Thaddeus Lewis (2006-2009)

Career stats: 58.1% completion, 10,065 passing yards, 67 passing touchdowns, 40 interceptions, -78 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns

Darian Mensah's one year at Duke was easily the best season in team history for a quarterback. Riley Leonard really only played one full season for Duke before transferring to Notre Dame, and that one season wasn't great.

Daniel Jones has been a better player in the pros than he was in college. Jones was good at Duke. Thad Lewis was the best, even if his Duke teams weren't.

Lewis started all four seasons in Durham. He went from a kid who threw more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (11) as a freshman in a winless season to a guy who led the ACC in completions and attempts as a senior. Lewis only threw 14 interceptions in his last two seasons for the Blue Devils.

A lot of that was because of David Cutcliffe, who took over as Duke's coach in 2008. Lewis is the only Duke player to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his career. He is the Blue Devils' all-time leader in touchdown passes as well.

 

Florida - Tim Tebow (2006-2009)

Career stats: 66.4% completion, 9,285 passing yards, 88 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 2,947 rushing yards, 57 rushing touchdowns

Steve Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy in his senior year in 1966 for the Gators. He led the SEC in attempts, completions, and yards in each of his final two seasons. What Spurrier did when he returned to Florida as the head coach was even more impressive. That's when Florida's golden age began.

The Gators were never ranked lower than 13 in the final AP Poll in any of Spurrier's 12 years as head coach. Two of Spurrier's quarterbacks, Chris Leak and Danny Wuerffel, are the only 10,000-yard passers in school history.

Wuerffel's 114 touchdown passes are still 16th in FBS history. Only Ty Detmer had more when Wuerffel graduated. Rex Grossman probably should have won the Heisman in 2001. He led the SEC in passing yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons.

Florida has had many good quarterbacks, but one is clearly above the rest. It's not just The Speech. The stats back it up.

Tebow scored 145 touchdowns in his time at Florida. He led the SEC in completion percentage in all three seasons as a starter. He was also in the top five of the Heisman voting in all three of those years, winning in 2007.

The 88 touchdown passes are tied for second in school history with Leak. His 1.6% interception rate is only topped by Graham Mertz. Tebow has 21 more rushing touchdowns than anyone else in Florida history.

Yes, that includes Emmitt Smith and Errict Rhett. Smith is second with 36 rushing touchdowns. If it seems like Tebow was larger than life, he was when he was in Gainesville.

 

Florida State - Jameis Winston (2013-2014)

Career stats: 66% completion, 7,964 passing yards, 65 passing touchdowns, 28 interceptions, 284 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns

Florida State was always going to be one of the toughest ones. Charlie Ward won Florida State's first Heisman Trophy (and first national championship) in 1993. Chris Weinke won a title in 1999 and Florida State's second Heisman in 2000.

Jordan Travis threw just seven interceptions to 44 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons combined. Danny Kanell, EJ Manuel, Christian Ponder, and Chris Rix were all successful starters for the Seminoles.

The winner here is probably the most polarizing Florida State player ever. His success on the field was overshadowed by his off-the-field antics. Fortunately, he grew up to have some success in the NFL, but we still can't help but feel like it's a disappointment after what we saw from him in 2013.

Jameis Winston had arguably the best freshman season in history that year. Winston led the ACC in yards (4,057), touchdowns (40), and yards per completion (15.8).

He led all of FBS in yards per attempt (10.6) and passer rating (184.8). Winston became the second player in history to win the Heisman Trophy as a freshman and led the Seminoles to the national championship.

His sophomore season in 2014 was almost as good. He again led the ACC in yards (3,907) and completion percentage (65.3), but his 18 interceptions led FBS. Winston's 27 games at Florida State were almost all electric. He scored 72 touchdowns in 27 career games.

Others have better stats, but the two years of Winston were a wild time in Tallahassee, both on and off the field. Winston's 295 yards per game played is still second in ACC history. His career average of 9.4 yards per attempt is still tops in ACC history.

After some antics in his 20s, Winston has now endeared himself to millions of new fans after he covered the World Cup for Fox.

 

Georgia - Aaron Murray (2010-2013)

Career stats: 62.3% completion, 13,166 passing yards, 121 passing touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 396 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns

Georgia has a long list of good-to-great quarterbacks. Zeke Bratkowski was the all-time FBS passing leader until 1961. He is still 10th on Georgia's all-time list. NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton was the quarterback in Athens for three seasons.

Three Georgia passers have topped 10,000 career yards, including one guy who played in the 1990s (Eric Zeier). The recent run of quarterbacks under Kirby Smart, starting with Jake Fromm, Stetson Bennett IV, Carson Beck, and Gunner Stockton, are proven winners.

How do we break this down? Are Zeier's numbers more impressive because he excelled when many teams were only passing out of necessity? Bennett was 29-1 as a starter in his final two seasons in Athens, winning back-to-back national championships.

Is that better than Aaron Murray rewriting the Georgia record book under Mark Richt with an inferior team around him? My decision comes down to those three. This is one of the closer ones we've had.

How good was Murray? He's still 24th in career passing yards and 10th in career passing touchdowns. Murray played well in all four seasons as a starter, leading the SEC in passing yards in his junior year and in touchdowns in his sophomore and junior years. Not many college players have four seasons of at least 3,000 passing yards. Murray does.

 

Georgia Tech - Joe Hamilton (1996-1999)

Career stats: 61.7% completion, 8,882 passing yards, 65 passing touchdowns, 39 interceptions, 1,758 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns

Shawn Jones was the gold standard for Tech quarterbacks. He led the Yellow Jackets back to prominence, including Tech's only national championship since 1952 (1990). Recently, Haynes King was the best of all worlds for Tech. He was a prolific passer and was the leading rusher last season.

Justin Thomas led Tech to a resurgence under Paul Johnson's option offense, but we're going to go with the consistency of Joe Hamilton.

Hamilton led the ACC in completion percentage in all four of his seasons as a starter. His 29 touchdown passes in 1999 led the ACC and helped propel him to a second-place finish in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Hamilton's stats were compiled in the days before bowl stats counted.

He led Tech to two bowl wins in three tries, the only loss coming to Miami in the 2000 Gator Bowl the year before the Hurricanes won the title.

Hamilton added 756 more passing yards and 177 more rushing yards in those bowl games. He accounted for eight more touchdowns (four passing and four rushing) in those three games.

 

Houston - Case Keenum (2007-2011)

Career stats: 69.4% completion, 19,217 passing yards, 155 passing touchdowns, 46 interceptions, 897 rushing yards, 23 rushing touchdowns

This is a tough one. Houston boasts a Heisman Trophy winner in Andre Ware and a quarterback who rewrote the NCAA record books. Most of those records still stand.

Houston is the only school in FBS history that has two quarterbacks with over 100 touchdown passes. It also has three 10,000-yard passers. Amazingly, Ware isn't one of them. Ware only started two years for the Cougars, but his 1989 season was elite.

Ware was my favorite college player at the time. Hey, Barry Switzer had been run out of Oklahoma, and we were in Year 1 of Gary Gibbs. I was a kid and briefly changed allegiances to Ware. He was fun.

Houston followed that up with David Klingler, who rewrote the record book in 1990. Houston was just getting started. Kevin Kolb and Clayton Tune put up big numbers that would be good enough at most schools.

Unfortunately for them, Houston has the most prolific passer in FBS history. Keenum is still the career leader in passing yards, and he is tied with Dillon Gabriel in passing touchdowns.

It took Gabriel 64 games to do what Keenum did in 57. Keenum is the only player in FBS history to have three 5,000-yard passing seasons. The bum only threw for 2,259 yards as a true freshman, or he could have had 20,000 yards!

Keenum led all of FBS in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2009 and 2011. He would have in 2010 as well if it weren't for an injury. As much as I loved Ware (and still love him in the booth), Keenum is the best in Houston and FBS history.

 

Illinois - Kurt Kittner (1998-2001)

Career stats: 54.3% completion, 8,206 passing yards, 64 passing touchdowns, 32 interceptions, 157 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns

This one is tougher than it sounds. Luke Altmyer's last two years in Champaign were impressive, especially the 44 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. Tony Eason's two seasons in Champaign were arguably better due to the stylistic differences in football at the time.

Eason led the Big Ten in completions, attempts, touchdowns, and yards in both of his seasons as a starter. Jack Trudeau picked up where he left off, but with fewer interceptions. Jeff George turned his 1989 season into the first pick of the 1990 draft.

Nathan Scheelhaase, the school's leader in passing yards, only had one outstanding season. He just had the fortune of starting all four seasons. Juice Williams was arguably the most electric player in modern Illinois football.

I have to give this honor to Kittner. Part of it is realizing how bad the Illini were before Kittner's arrival. The Illini only won five games in three years before Kittner took over as the starter in 1999. Kittner led Illinois to two of those wins during the 1998 season, so it was even worse before he got there.

By the end of his reign in Champaign, Kittner led Illinois to its first 10-win season since 1989 (and last until 2024). Illinois finished ranked 12th in the final AP Poll in 2001. It has not finished that high since. Kittner played eight fewer games than Scheelhaase and is just 362 yards behind him.

If Kittner's bowl stats counted, he would be the all-time leading passer for the Illini. He is already way ahead in touchdown passes.

To put into perspective how good Kittner's three full years as a starter were, he threw just one touchdown to seven interceptions as a freshman in 1998. He led the conference in touchdown passes in 1999 and 2001, leading the conference in passing yards as a senior.

 

Indiana - Antwaan Randle El (1998-2001)

Career stats: 49.8% completion, 7,469 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, 37 interceptions, 3,895 rushing yards, 44 rushing touchdowns

Fernando Mendoza won the only national championship and only Heisman Trophy in school history, but he only spent one season in Bloomington. Mendoza's 41 touchdown passes last year leave him in sixth place on Indiana's all-time list ... after just one season!

Curt Cignetti will be the first to tell you that it was a team effort. Mendoza would be the second to tell you, so I feel like I have his permission to select a quarterback who toiled away in relative obscurity, often for bad teams.

Michael Penix Jr. played four years for Indiana, but he only played in 20 games due to injuries. Trent Green and Babe Laufenberg went on to play in the NFL, but neither was a prolific passer in college.

This decision comes down to the efficiency of Nate Sudfeld or the one-man gang that was Antwaan Randle El. Sudfeld is Indiana's all-time passing leader with 7,879 yards in just 38 games. His 61 touchdown passes are 16 more than Ben Chappell's.

Randle El is second in passing yards at Indiana, but he is also second in rushing yards in school history, trailing only the great Anthony Thompson. Randle El was the complete package. He even caught a touchdown pass in college.

His 44 rushing touchdowns are also only second to Thompson. To be second in both passing and rushing yards in school history is an impressive achievement.

 

Iowa - Chuck Long (1981-1985)

Career stats: 64.6% completion, 9,210 passing yards, 64 passing touchdowns, 46 interceptions, -176 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns

Believe it or not, there was a time when Iowa not only knew what a forward pass was, but it was good at throwing them. By far the best was Chuck Long.

Long led the Big Ten in completion percentage in three of his four years as a starter, and led all of FBS in 1984. Long is Iowa's all-time passing yardage leader, and trails only Nathan Stanley in touchdown passes (68).

1985 was a season for the ages for Long and the Hawkeyes. Iowa was ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the entire month of October before losing to Ohio State. Long led Iowa to its first 10-win season in school history in 1985. That helped turn him into the 12th pick of the 1986 draft.

Long played in the NFL for six seasons, but never had the kind of success that he enjoyed at Iowa. The Hawkeyes won at least eight games in all four of Long's seasons as a starter.

 

Iowa State - Brock Purdy (2018-2021)

Career stats: 67.7% completion, 12,170 passing yards, 81 passing touchdowns, 33 interceptions, 1,177 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns

Iowa State's football program had as many winning seasons from 2000 to 2009 as it did from 1965 to 1999. This program was bad for a long time before Dan McCarney got to Ames. Matt Campbell completely turned the program around.

Iowa State's only successful quarterbacks are from the last 25 years or so. The one who stands above the rest is, ironically, known as Mr. Irrelevant 2022. Brock Purdy was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Purdy is Iowa State's leader in passing yards by over 2,500 yards and leads in touchdowns by 17. It's reasonable to believe that Rocco Becht could have caught Purdy if he had finished his career at Iowa State, but that wasn't meant to be.

Purdy won 31 games for the Cyclones in his four seasons, which is also the most in school history. Purdy led the Cyclones to their first top-10 ranking in the final AP Poll in 2020.

 

Kansas - Todd Reesing (2006-2009)

Career stats: 63.8% completion, 11,194 passing yards, 90 passing touchdowns, 33 interceptions, 646 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns

Kansas only has two quarterbacks in its 125-year history who have thrown for more than 6,500 yards. One of them needed six years to do it.

John Hadl played in the NFL for 16 seasons and was a two-time All-American at Kansas. He also holds the school records for longest punt (94 yards) and longest interception return (98 yards). Hadl played quarterback, but he was more of a halfback, defensive back, and punter.

The Jayhawks were good when Gale Sayers and John Riggins were there, but not much after. Kansas didn't have a winning season in the Big 12 until 2005, 10 years after the conference's inception.

Kansas reached its greatest heights in 2007, setting a school record for wins (12) and winning its only BCS Bowl. Reesing was the guy who led that team.

Reesing threw for over 3,000 yards in each of his three seasons as a starter. He is still the Kansas career leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage.

 

Kansas State - Collin Klein (2009-2012)

Career stats: 61.3% completion, 4,724 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 2,485 rushing yards, 56 rushing touchdowns

Kansas State has a long history of dual-threat quarterbacks. Not much has changed. Longtime NFL players Steve Grogan and Lynn Dickey went to Kansas State, but those are about the only pocket passers to last in the Little Apple, and that was 50 years ago.

Incumbent QB Avery Johnson is a candidate for this list. Surprisingly, he and Will Howard (yes, THAT Will Howard) have the same number of attempts, completions, and touchdown passes (48). The difference is that Johnson has thrown far fewer interceptions.

Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson ushered in the golden age of Kansas State football in the late 1990s. The train kept rolling with Dylan Meier and Jake Waters in the 2000s, but by the late part of the decade, the Wildcats were struggling.

Josh Freeman had some success, but it was the next quarterback and new coach Collin Klein who took the honor. Klein only started two years at K-State, but he had 50 rushing touchdowns in those two seasons, by far leading the conference.

He led the Wildcats to their highest AP ranking since 2000 in his senior year. Klein's 56 rushing touchdowns are by far the most in school history.

 

Kentucky - Andre Woodson (2004-2007)

Career stats: 61.9% completion, 9,360 passing yards, 79 passing touchdowns, 25 interceptions, -490 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns

Believe it or not, Kentucky actually has a "Big Three" of quarterbacks. They are the only three in school history with more than 6,000 passing yards. All are over 8,000 passing yards, as far as that goes.

Most think of Tim Couch when it comes to Kentucky quarterbacks. Couch led FBS in passing in 1997, and followed it up with nearly 400 yards more the next season, though he only led the SEC. Couch led the conference in every major passing category (including interceptions) in his two years as a starter.

Kentucky followed Couch with the leading passer in school history, Jared Lorenzen. Lorenzen led the SEC in completions, attempts, yards, and interceptions as a freshman. He never reached those heights again, though he did lead the SEC in passing touchdowns as a junior in 2002.

We're going with the guy who helped turn around Kentucky football. Woodson led Kentucky to a bowl in 2006 for the first time since 1999 and led it to a bowl win for the first time since 1984.

Kentucky reached No. 8 in the AP Poll during the 2007 season, the highest ranking the Wildcats had enjoyed since 1977. Will Levis took Kentucky to greater heights, but his numbers in college weren't great. Woodson had the numbers and the success to take this spot.

 

Louisville - Lamar Jackson (2015-2017)

Career stats: 57% completion, 9,043 passing yards, 69 passing touchdowns, 27 interceptions, 4,132 rushing yards, 50 rushing touchdowns

This one was tough. Louisville has a lot of good quarterbacks. NFL great Johnny Unitas went to Louisville. Chris Redman is the school leader in passing yards and touchdowns. Teddy Bridgewater and Malik Cunningham were terrific.

None compares to the freak of nature that is Lamar Jackson. Jackson's three years in Louisville are only rivaled by Bridgewater's, but Jackson's magic as a ball-carrier puts him over the top.

If you didn't catch Jackson before his MVP days in the NFL, you missed out. He was elite at Louisville as well. Jackson led the ACC in rushing AND passing yards in 2017, but still didn't win the Heisman Trophy.

His Heisman came in 2016, when he led the ACC with 21 rushing touchdowns. He scored 51 total touchdowns that season, and 45 more in his junior season before taking the NFL by storm.

 

LSU - Joe Burrow (2018-2019)

Career stats: 68.5% completion, 8,565 passing yards, 76 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 767 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle honed his skills on the bayou before dazzling the pros with the Giants. Tittle started two years in Red Stick, and amazingly, didn't throw a single interception in college. Of course, he only threw 172 passes. 16 of those were for touchdowns.

JaMarcus Russell turned a strong 2006 season into the first pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, becoming one of the biggest first-pick flops of this generation. LSU has had two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks since. Jayden Daniels, the 2023 winner, only played two years for LSU.

So did Joe Burrow, but Burrow's 2019 season may have been the best in NCAA history. His 5,671 passing yards are tied for fourth in FBS history. The 60 touchdown passes were only topped by Bailey Zappe in 2021.

It's a good thing that bowl stats counted for Burrow. Two of his biggest games of the season were in the 2019 College Football Playoff, where Burrow led LSU to its first title since 2007.

Surprisingly, Burrow isn't even LSU's all-time leader in passing yards. Tommy Hodson, the starter from 1986 to 1989, is. Burrow is the all-time leader in passing touchdowns for the Tigers.

 

Maryland - Taulia Tagovailoa (2020-2023)

Career stats: 66.6% completion, 11,256 passing yards, 76 passing touchdowns, 37 interceptions, 206 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns

The most famous Maryland alum is Boomer Esiason, who led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII and was the NFL MVP in 1988. Several other NFL quarterbacks, including Neil O'Donnell, Scott Zolak, and Frank Reich, also played quarterback for the Terrapins.

None had the success of Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa is Maryland's all-time leader in completion percentage, passing yards (by nearly 4,000 yards), and touchdowns (by 27) ... and he did all of that in 41 games.

I was thinking that this may be a difficult one to choose, but it's easy to forget how good Tagovailoa was on a painfully average (or worse) Maryland team.

 

Miami (FL) - Ken Dorsey (1999-2002)

Career stats: 57.9% completion, 9,565 passing yards, 86 passing touchdowns, 28 interceptions, -79 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns

This was the most difficult one to choose in the ACC. Miami has had a couple of different dynasties, starting in the 1980s with Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson opening up the offense.

Bernie Kosar and Jim Kelly became stars. Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta won Heisman Trophies. Every Miami starting quarterback from 1982 to 1992 was drafted into and played in the NFL.

One-and-dones Cam Ward and Carson Beck etched their names into Miami lore. Despite all of these names, Brad Kaaya is still Miami's career leader in passing yards.

Ward's one season as a Hurricane may be the best single season for a Miami quarterback. His 4,313 yards in 2024 are good enough to land him 17th on Miami's all-time passing yardage list. As good as his one year was, the best Miami quarterback has to be Ken Dorsey.

Even though he didn't win a Heisman, Miami's resurgence around the turn of the century was piloted by Dorsey. He led the Big East in passing yardage all three years as a starter. He led the Hurricanes to a national championship in 2001 and likely should have won the Heisman that year.

Dorsey's 9,565 passing yards are second in school history. His 86 touchdown passes are by far the most in school history (Jacory Harris is second with 70). Kelly and Testaverde are NFL Hall of Famers, but Dorsey's college career was better.

 

Michigan - J.J. McCarthy (2021-2023)

Career stats: 67.6% completion, 6,226 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 632 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns

There have been some famous quarterbacks in Michigan history, but most of them were famous after their time in Ann Arbor. Tom Harmon, father of TV and movie star Mark Harmon, won the 1940 Heisman Trophy and was second in 1939.

Despite those accolades, he only had 1,304 passing yards in his career with 2,134 rushing yards. Jim Harbaugh, Tom Brady, and J.J. McCarthy only started for two seasons.

What matters more: Chad Henne's stats piled up over four years, McCarthy's championship, John Navarre's two really good seasons after an average sophomore campaign, or Denard Robinson's dual-threat ability?

Henne leads Michigan in passing yards (9,715), but Navarre is only 701 yards behind him and started one fewer season. Henne threw 50 more touchdowns than interceptions. Navarre had 40 more touchdowns than interceptions.

Robinson's 4,495 rushing yards are second in school history, only behind Mike Hart. The 42 rushing touchdowns trail only Anthony Thomas (the A-Train) and Blake Corum.

McCarthy won a title, had an elite completion percentage, and threw just nine interceptions in two years as a starter. If you push McCarthy's averages out to three or four years, he catches or surpasses both Henne and Navarre. And, well, he won a title.

 

Michigan State - Connor Cook (2012-2015)

Career stats: 57.5% completion, 9,194 passing yards, 71 passing touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 209 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns

Michigan State was fortunate to have two really good quarterbacks from 2008 to 2015. Kirk Cousins will be the first one who comes to mind for most people, and I get it. He has had a successful pro career and helped put Michigan State back on the football map after some lean years under John Smith.

What may come as a surprise is that Cousins wasn't the best QB in school history. His successor was. Cook is Michigan State's all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. His 22 interceptions in 1,170 attempts equate to a 1.9% interception percentage.

Only Andrew Maxwell is better in school history, and he only threw 530 passes. Not only that, but Cook had the Spartans ranked as high as second in the AP Poll in his senior year in 2015.

Michigan State finished in the top six of the AP Poll in all three seasons that Cook started. The last time that happened in East Lansing was from 1951 to 1953.

 

Minnesota - Asad Abdul-Khaliq (2000-2003)

Career stats: 56.9% completion, 6,660 passing yards, 55 passing touchdowns, 29 interceptions, 1,158 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns

I would not be surprised if Drake Lindsey ends up being Minnesota's selection in another two or three years if he stays in Minneapolis. Minnesota's all-time QB room is kind of lean. The most famous Minnesota QB is Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy.

He was Minnesota's team MVP in 1975 and 1976, leading the Big Ten in passing in 1975. However, Dungy had 10 more interceptions than touchdowns in his Minnesota career and is only 11th on the school's passing list.

Yes, Adam Weber is the school's leader in passing yards. He also started all four of his seasons for the Gophers. Bryan Cupito's numbers are a touch better than Abdul-Khaliq's, but he didn't have the rushing ability.

To really put this into context, you have to understand where Minnesota's football program was when Abdul-Khaliq got there. The Gophers did fairly well under Billy Cockerham at the turn of the century, but Abdul-Khaliq led Minnesota to its first 10-win season since 1905 in his senior season.

The great TD/INT ratio, what he did for the program, and his dual-threat ability give Abdul-Khaliq the slight edge over those leading Minnesota's passing renaissance in the P.J. Fleck era.

 

Mississippi - Jaxson Dart (2022-2024)

Career stats: 65.7% completion, 10,617 passing yards, 72 passing touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 1,498 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns

We all know that Archie Manning played for the Rebels before going to the New Orleans Saints. What most don't know is that the patriarch of two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history threw more interceptions than touchdowns in college.

Ole Miss has had two players pass for more than 10,000 yards in its history. Yes, one is Archie's son. The other didn't even start his college career in Oxford.

The younger of the Manning brothers threw for 10,119 yards in three years at Mississippi, leading the SEC in yards and touchdowns in his senior season. The problem is that Eli Manning is about as swift and elusive as a tree sloth. Jaxson Dart's three years in Oxford were better, and he had another element to his game.

Ole Miss finished two of Dart's three seasons in the top 12 and was ranked in the top 10 for much of each season. Dart led the SEC in passing in 2024 while leading all of FBS in yards per attempt and passer rating.

 

Mississippi State - Dak Prescott (2012-2015)

Career stats: 62.8% completion, 9,376 passing yards, 70 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 2,521 rushing yards, 41 rushing touchdowns

Narrowing down the list of Bulldog quarterbacks with any success in college was the easy part. Picking between Dak Prescott and Will Rogers is the tough part. They were completely different quarterbacks, each the product of an offensive genius.

Rogers is Mississippi State's only 10,000-yard passer. 12,315 of his 14,773 NCAA passing yards came with the Bulldogs. He's ninth on the all-time list, but would still be in 41st place with just his Mississippi State yards.

Prescott led the Bulldogs to their first No. 1 ranking in 2014. Mississippi State was even ranked at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings that year. Prescott was more than a capable passer. He threw for 9,376 yards and only 23 interceptions.

Prescott is 10th in Mississippi State history in rushing yards, but only Nick Fitzgerald and Anthony Dixon have more rushing touchdowns than Prescott. He even caught three touchdowns in his Mississippi State career.

Prescott's combination of sound passing and lethal ground game, not to mention leading the Bulldogs to heights never seen as a program, makes him the choice for the best Bulldog quarterback.

 

Missouri - Chase Daniel (2005-2008)

Career stats: 68% completion, 12,515 passing yards, 101 passing touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 970 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns

Brad Smith was one of the most electric players in the early 2000s. He is still fourth in Missouri history with 8,799 passing yards. Smith is also Missouri's all-time leading rusher with 4,289 yards and 45 touchdowns on the ground.

It would take a special player to move Smith out of the top spot. Surprisingly, Missouri had two special quarterbacks. Chase Daniel and Drew Lock both spent time in the NFL. They are also Missouri's only 10,000-yard passers.

Daniel is 35th on the all-time FBS passing yardage list. Lock is 45th. Daniel is 30th in career touchdown passes. Lock is 32nd. Daniel only started for three years. Lock started all four seasons.

Daniel led Missouri to its first No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll since 1960 in 2007. Missouri finished fourth that year in the AP, the highest finish in school history.

 

Nebraska - Jerry Tagge (1969-1971)

Career stats: 59.9% completion, 4,704 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 579 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns

Most Nebraska quarterbacks weren't quarterbacks, at least not in the sense that we use the term today. They were option coordinators who could run as well as running backs, but were accurate enough to keep the defense off balance by throwing a few passes.

That only changed in recent years. Nebraska still ran the option as recently as 25 years ago. Tommy Armstrong Jr. is the school's leader in passing yards (8,871), but no one is going to call him the best QB in school history.

Adrian Martinez and Taylor Martinez amassed over 10,000 total yards for Nebraska. They're not the best, either. No, this honor has to go to someone from a bygone era from Nebraska's golden years. No, it's not Heisman winner Eric Crouch, either. We're going further back.

Turner Gill's stats hold up well against other Nebraska stars, but he didn't win a title. Both Tommie Frazier and Jerry Tagge won back-to-back national championships. Both had strong teams around them, but Frazier played only four games in 1994 due to blood clots in his leg.

The rest of the team rallied while he was hurt. Frazier returned in time to beat Miami in the Orange Bowl, but that was as much Brook Berringer's team as it was Frazier's.

What was most impressive about Tagge was that he wasn't just a runner. He led the Big 8 in completion percentage all three years as a starter. He led all of FBS in 1970. He also led the Big 8 in passing yards and touchdowns in 1971.

Tagge led FBS in passer rating in both of Nebraska's championship years of 1970 and 1971. Tagge went 33-2-1 in his three seasons at Nebraska (including bowl games). Both of the losses were during his first year as a starter in 1969.

 

North Carolina - Drake Maye (2021-2023)

Career stats: 64.9% completion, 8,018 passing yards, 63 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 1,209 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns

The Tar Heels have had some good players come through their football program, but almost all of them were non-quarterbacks. Marquise Williams was one of the most electric quarterbacks in Carolina history. His 2,453 rushing yards are 13th in school history.

Mitch Trubisky only had one season as a starter in Chapel Hill. That one season was enough to make him yet another poor draft choice for the Bears. That leaves us with two prolific choices from the Mack Brown era of Carolina football to take the honor.

Drake Maye only started two years for the Heels. Sam Howell started all three of his seasons. Both tied for Carolina's most touchdown passes in a season with 38.

Most of the career stats are nearly identical if you go by averages. Howell has the better career passer rating, but I'm going with Maye in a close one.

He finished 10th in the Heisman voting in 2022, and his 4,321 passing yards that season are the best in Carolina history. He followed that with 3,608 more yards in 2023. He led the ACC both seasons. Maye averaged just over 300 yards per start in his career.

That's almost 30 more than Howell did. Maye was also more of a ground threat than Howell. This is one of the closer races in this conference. If Maye had started as a true freshman as Howell did, he may have surpassed Howell's Carolina record of 10,283 passing yards and 92 touchdowns.

 

North Carolina State - Philip Rivers (2000-2003)

Career stats: 63.6% completion, 13,484 passing yards, 95 passing touchdowns, 34 interceptions, 96 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns

This one was easy, especially since Russell Wilson fled to Wisconsin for his senior year. Rivers started 49 games in his four seasons in Raleigh.

His 13,484 passing yards are by far the most in school history (Ryan Finley is second with 10,501 yards) and trailed only Ty Detmer when his collegiate career ended.

The other 19 have passed him within the last 23 years. Rivers led the ACC in passing yards in both his junior and senior seasons. His 72% completion percentage and 170.5 passer rating in 2003 led all of FBS.

Rivers also went on to a very successful NFL career, throwing for 63,984 yards in 18 seasons. He even played two games at the age of 44 last year just to prove to his kids and the kids that he coached that he could do it.

 

Northwestern - Brett Basanez (2002-2005)

Career stats: 57.6% completion, 10,580 passing yards, 44 passing touchdowns, 36 interceptions, 996 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns

There haven't been a lot of famous Northwestern quarterbacks. Dan Persa's two years as a starter in 2010 and 2011 are among the best in school history. It's hard to give him the honor when Northwestern does have two 10,000-yard passers in school history. We'll choose from one of those.

Clayton Thorson is Northwestern's career passing leader at 10,731 yards, but he started six more games than Brett Basanez. Thorson's Northwestern teams were among the best in school history. He led the Wildcats to a bowl in every one of his four years. He even got Northwestern to the Big Ten Championship Game!

So, how do we choose between the two? Thorson leads in nearly every category, but he had a better team around him. Basanez was also a threat as a runner. When it's this close, the tie goes to the runner.

Basanez led the Big Ten in passing attempts and completions in his junior and senior seasons. He led the conference in passing yardage in 2005.

 

Ohio State - C.J. Stroud (2020-2022)

Career stats: 69.3% completion, 8,123 passing yards, 85 passing touchdowns, 26 interceptions, 136 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Despite Ohio State's storied history of quarterbacks, most have been defined by one or two great seasons. Few had sustained careers starting multiple seasons in Columbus.

Dwayne Haskins had arguably the best season in Ohio State history, leading the FBS with 50 passing touchdowns in 2018, but it was his only season as a starter. Troy Smith, Justin Fields, and Terrelle Pryor had two successful seasons.

Cardale Jones, one of the most legendary Ohio State quarterbacks, only started one full season. He just went on a miracle run in 2014 to net the Buckeyes a championship. Braxton Miller's 2014 season that never was is one of the more tragic QB stories.

J.T. Barrett and Art Schlichter both had successful four-year runs as starters. Barrett has the most passing yards in school history (9,434) and the most passing touchdowns (104), but what C.J. Stroud did in his two years as a starter isn't talked about enough.

Haskins may have the best season, but Stroud's two-season run in 2021 and 2022 is legendary. Stroud's only counting play in his freshman season of 2020 was a 48-yard touchdown run late in a blowout win over Michigan State.

Stroud led the Big Ten in passing yards and touchdown passes in both 2021 and 2022, along with yards per attempt and passer rating. He led all of FBS in passer rating with 177.7 in 2022.

Stroud is second in Buckeye history in passing yards and touchdowns, despite only playing 25 games. His 1.4 percent interception percentage is the best in school history.

 

Oklahoma - Baker Mayfield (2015-2017)

Career stats: 69.8% completion, 12,292 passing yards, 119 passing touchdowns, 21 interceptions, 893 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns

Oklahoma has had a lot of really good quarterbacks. Jimmy Harris never lost a game in three years as a starter in Norman, leading the Sooners to back-to-back championships in 1955 and 1956. The Sooners won an FBS-record 47 games in a row under Harris' watch.

USC has more Heisman winners than any other school (eight), but Oklahoma has seven. Four of those were quarterbacks, the most of any school. Steve Davis also led Oklahoma to back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975.

Jamelle Holieway and Josh Heupel added titles as well. None of them is anywhere close to the top of this list. Oklahoma only has two 10,000-yard passers, but both cleared that mark by miles. Surprisingly, Jason White is not one of them. It feels like he played for most of a decade.

Hometown golden boy and Heisman winner Sam Bradford is also not one of them. He's third in OU history with 8,403 yards. Landry Jones is fourth in FBS history with 16,646 passing yards. His 123 passing touchdowns are good for ninth.

Landry has a lot of great stats, but he also started 13 more games than Baker Mayfield. He threw 31 more interceptions. 31! I can recount most of them because they were at really bad times.

Mayfield is 11th in career passing yards and tied for sixth in passing touchdowns when you add his time at Texas Tech. Those aren't eligible for the Oklahoma list, but he was far more efficient, started one fewer season, and won a Heisman.

That's enough for me to put him in front of Jones. The Sooners were good under Jones. They made it into the CFP under Mayfield and finished in the top eight in all three of his seasons as a starter.

 

Oklahoma State - Mason Rudolph (2014-2017)

Career stats: 63.2% completion, 13,618 passing yards, 92 passing touchdowns, 26 interceptions, 28 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns

Oklahoma State's passing history begins and ends with Mike Gundy (at least so far). Gundy started at quarterback for the Pokes from 1986 to 1989. He led the Big 8 in passing yards and passing touchdowns in both 1987 and 1988.

What's so impressive about that? Barry Sanders rewrote the record books during his Heisman campaign of 1988. The 1987 backfield had both Thurman Thomas and Sanders. Those were elite running teams, and Gundy still managed to throw for 4,269 yards and 29 touchdowns in those two seasons.

Oklahoma State's passing offense took off when Gundy took over as the head coach in 2005. By 2008, the Cowboys were a fixture in the top 25. By 2011, Oklahoma State should have been in the BCS Championship Game. Its 2011 snub is what changed college football forever.

Oklahoma State reached its greatest heights as a program under Brandon Weeden, but the best quarterback was Mason Rudolph. Rudolph only started for three seasons, but his 13,618 yards rank 18th on the all-time FBS list. Rudolph's 4,904 yards in 2017 are still the 21st-best season in FBS history.

 

Oregon - Marcus Mariota (2012-2014)

Career stats: 66.8% completion, 10,796 passing yards, 105 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 2,237 rushing yards, 29 rushing touchdowns

Oregon actually has a storied history of quarterbacks. Bill Musgrave, Kellen Clemens, Joey Harrington, Akili Smith, and A.J. Feeley all played in the NFL. Dan Fouts is an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback. Yes, the same Dan Fouts who barely completed 50% of his Oregon passes and led the Pac-8 with 24 interceptions as a freshman.

The recent run of Justin Herbert, Dillon Gabriel, and Bo Nix has done pretty well in the NFL. Statistically, Nix is the most efficient quarterback in Oregon history from his two years in Eugene. He still ranks third on Oregon's all-time yards and touchdown lists. Nix completed a staggering 74.9% of his passes at Oregon.

Does that make him the best? Not quite. Herbert's four-year run as a starter in Eugene was impressive, but there was a guy there before him who had as good a three-year run as any college quarterback.

Marcus Mariota hasn't had the NFL success that Herbert has, but he dominated in college. He even caught two touchdowns in college to go with his impressive passing and rushing stats. Mariota's 4,454 passing yards and 42 touchdowns led the Pac-12 in 2014.

He was crowned Oregon's first (and only) Heisman Trophy winner that season. Mariota threw for at least 30 touchdowns and ran for over 700 yards in each of his three seasons.

The 14 interceptions in 1,167 pass attempts would be the best in school history if Nix hadn't gotten all of the erratic passing out of his system at Auburn before arriving in Eugene.

 

Penn State - Sean Clifford (2018-2022)

Career stats: 61.4% completion, 10,661 passing yards, 86 passing touchdowns, 31 interceptions, 1,073 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns

Penn State has a long list of quarterbacks in recent seasons who were supposed to be the next big thing, starting with Matt McGloin in 2009. From McGloin to Christian Hackenberg to Trace McSorley to Sean Clifford to Drew Allar, all of them had massive hype. None of them lived up to it.

To be fair, they were way overhyped. Before ESPN became SEC shills, it loved Penn State quarterbacks. Every single season. However, Clifford and McSorley were successful enough in their years as starters to become Penn State's 1-2 in nearly every passing category.

Todd Blackledge led Penn State to its last national championship in 1982 and had a good pro career. Kerry Collins lasted for 17 years in the NFL, but was really only a star for one year in Happy Valley. The best Penn State quarterback has to come from the recent run.

We can poke holes in all of these guys, but what other school had a run of 16 years with every starting quarterback starting for at least three seasons? That's impressive continuity. Unfortunately for that group, they will all be remembered for the failure to win the big game.

Some will blame the coaching. Some will blame the players. All are tarnished by that. Allar was going to be the best had he started for three or four years as Clifford and McSorley did. His (and the team's) poor performance in 2025 knocked him down the list.

Allar was the most accurate and made the fewest mistakes, but most of them were at critical times. Clifford was the steadier hand of the three and was the better runner.

 

Pittsburgh - Dan Marino (1979-1982)

Career stats: 57.7% completion, 7,905 passing yards, 74 passing touchdowns, 64 interceptions, -270 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns

Kenny Pickett had one monster season after three pedestrian ones, but it was still enough to give him the lead as Pitt's all-time leading passer. Marino played in eight fewer games than Pickett, and his bowl stats were not included in his career stats.

Alex Van Pelt was the only one I even considered putting ahead of Marino, but Marino's touchdowns on nearly 400 fewer attempts still put him on top. The success of Marino in the NFL revolutionized the professional passing games in the mid-80s.

Marino's 1984 season with the Dolphins is still regarded as one of the best seasons ever by a quarterback. The rules are catered to passers and receivers in the NFL now. Clotheslining a receiver was still legal in 1984. Don't even get me started on targeting...

 

Purdue - Drew Brees (1997-2000)

Career stats: 61.8% completion, 10,909 passing yards, 81 passing touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 906 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns

Purdue has had some good quarterbacks. Mark Herrmann and Scott Campbell were throwing it around the Big Ten before it was cool. Jim Everett led the Big Ten in passing in both of his seasons as a starter, leading the FBS with 331.9 passing yards per game in 1985.

Hall of Famer Bob Griese led the Big Ten in passing yards and touchdowns in both 1965 and 1966. Both of those seasons combined wouldn't add up to one successful season in this era. Gary Danielson was able to have a pro career despite throwing 16 more interceptions than touchdowns at Purdue.

It may come as a surprise that Drew Brees isn't Purdue's all-time passing leader. Curtis Painter is, but he played in five more games. Brees is by far Purdue's leader in touchdown passes and will be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a couple of months.

Brees led the Big Ten in completions, attempts, and yards in all three seasons as a starter at Purdue. He averaged 314 passing yards per game for Purdue, and that's without bowl stats included.

Brees threw for 883 yards and nine more touchdowns in three bowl games. If you add those to his stats as Painter's were, Brees is Purdue's all-time leading passer. Brees finished third in Heisman voting in 1999 and fourth in 2000.

What comes as more of a surprise is how good Brees was at running the ball in college. He even caught two touchdown passes in his career at Purdue!

 

Rutgers - Mike Teel (2005-2008)

Career stats: 57.9% completion, 9,383 passing yards, 59 passing touchdowns, 49 interceptions, -210 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns

Rutgers has had a few successful quarterbacks in its history. Rich Policastro was the first one, who was superb in his two seasons as a starter for the Scarlet Knights. He threw 29 touchdowns to just nine interceptions in an era when interceptions were far more common.

Recently, Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis put up good numbers in his two seasons as a starter. Ray Lucas was the best dual-threat quarterback in school history who also ended up with some good passing numbers.

All are good candidates, but I have to go with the school's all-time leader in passing yards and the guy who led Rutgers football to its greatest success in decades. Mike Teel led Rutgers to four straight bowl games (winning three). It was the first bowl berth for Rutgers since 1978.

Rutgers achieved its highest AP ranking in school history in 2006 at No. 7 and finished with its highest ranking ever (12). It was the first appearance in the AP for Rutgers since 1976.

Some of that had to do with Ray Rice. Gary Nova led Rutgers into the AP Poll in 2012, but that was the last time it was ranked, and it never finished in the final AP Poll.

 

SMU - Kevin Jennings (2022-present)

Career stats: 65% completion, 7,709 passing yards, 55 passing touchdowns, 26 interceptions, 559 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns

SMU is a school with a storied football history, but it has had very few prolific quarterbacks. They called this team the "Pony Express" for a reason. SMU was always built on running the football. Ben Hicks is SMU's career passing yards leader with 9,081 yards in three seasons.

Garrett Gilbert and Shane Buechele had two solid seasons in Dallas after defecting from the Longhorns. Tanner Mordecai had the most success of his three college stops in his two years at SMU, putting up arguably the two best passing seasons in SMU history.

For me, it came down to two quarterbacks, each special in their own right, in SMU history. One was Don Meredith. He was very successful in the NFL and was from a completely different era. Despite only attempting 395 career passes in three seasons, Meredith threw for 3,130 yards.

He led the Southwest Conference in every passing category in 1957, including leading the conference with 1,266 passing yards, 105 completions, and 11 touchdowns. A different era, indeed. The other is the incumbent -- and the only incumbent on this list -- Kevin Jennings.

Jennings is from the Dallas area and has had two successful seasons as the starter. So successful that Jennings is already second in SMU history in passing yards (7,709) and third in passing touchdowns (55).

How do we choose between the older NFL star and the kid living out the dream playing for his hometown school and having success there? I'm giving the nod to Jennings because he will likely be SMU's leader in every passing category by the end of 2026.

 

South Carolina - Connor Shaw (2010-2013)

Career stats: 65.5% completion, 6,074 passing yards, 56 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 1,683 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns

The most famous quarterback in South Carolina history would be famed coach Dan Reeves, who piloted the Gamecocks from 1962 to 1964. He left Columbia as South Carolina's leading passer. 20 players have since passed him. Despite that, South Carolina doesn't have a single 10,000-yard passer.

The part that no one wants to say aloud is that the Gamecocks weren't very good with either Todd Ellis or Steve Taneyhill. Neither of them was a good runner. I feel like we have to go with one of the Steve Spurrier quarterbacks.

He had some good ones, but most of them only lasted for a year or two. We're going with the guy who led South Carolina to its first top-5 finish in the AP Poll, Connor Shaw. Carolina ended the 2013 season ranked fourth in the AP Poll.

The Gamecocks finished in the top 10 of the AP Poll in all three seasons that Shaw started. The Gamecocks' previous best finish was 11th in 1984. Shaw was a perfect 18-0 at home as the starting quarterback.

 

Stanford - John Elway (1979-1982)

Career stats: 62.1% completion, 9,349 passing yards, 77 passing touchdowns, 39 interceptions, -279 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns

There have been some really good quarterbacks to come through Palo Alto. NFL greats John Brodie and Jim Plunkett both played here. So did future NFL starters Trent Edwards and Andrew Luck.

None of them is Stanford's leader in passing yards. That honor goes to four-year starter Steve Stenstrom, who played five seasons in the NFL.

Unlike Luck and Kevin Hogan, Elway's bowl stats did not count in his career totals. Elway led the Pac-10 in passing yards all three seasons as a starter, with 3,242 in his senior season. His 24 passing touchdowns that season led all of FBS!

Elway finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year to Georgia's Herschel Walker. Elway's completion percentage at the time was almost unheard of in the collegiate ranks. He was either first or second in the conference every year as a starter, and finished second in FBS in two of his three seasons.

Elway's numbers may not seem like anything special in this era, but no one was throwing like Elway in the early 1980s. Not even Dan Marino.

 

Syracuse - Donovan McNabb (1995-1998)

Career stats: 58.4% completion, 8,389 passing yards, 77 passing touchdowns, 26 interceptions, 1,561 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns

How starved is Syracuse at quarterback in its history? Kyle McCord's one season in 2024 ranks him eighth in passing yards at the school. One season, albeit a great one!

Eric Dungey is Syracuse's career leader in passing yards, but he was nowhere near as electric as McNabb was. College football fans hadn't seen anything like McNabb at the time. He was like Randall Cunningham at UNLV, except McNabb rarely made mistakes.

McNabb was a terror on the ground as well. He was a world-class athlete who happened to have a cannon for a right arm. McNabb made it to a Final Four in 1996 on the Syracuse basketball team.

On top of that, his football IQ was off the charts. McNabb helped usher in a new era of the NFL. McNabb and Michael Vick walked so Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels could dominate in today's NFL.

 

TCU - Trevone Boykin (2012-2015)

Career stats: 61.2% completion, 10,728 passing yards, 86 passing touchdowns, 37 interceptions, 2,049 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns

TCU has two of the most storied quarterbacks in college football history, Sammy Baugh and Davey O'Brien. Baugh led TCU to the 1935 national championship and went on to break more than a dozen NFL records.

O'Brien became the first quarterback to win both the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award in 1938. He also won the Walter Camp Award that season, becoming the first player to win all three awards in the same year. O'Brien also brought the Frogs their second (and last) national championship in their first undefeated season in 1938.

Both of them are legendary quarterbacks. Baugh's yardage totals in college weren't accurately tracked, but he did throw 39 touchdowns in his TCU career. That's still seventh in TCU history.

I wanted to put Baugh here, but the lack of accurate stats makes that a little harder to do, especially when TCU has three quarterbacks in the modern era who have done some great things as well.

Andy Dalton led TCU to its second undefeated season in 2010, and a finish of second in the AP Poll, the highest finish since 1938. Max Duggan led TCU to the national championship game in 2022, but that was easily his best season.

We went with the guy who had two monster seasons at TCU and started all four seasons. Boykin is TCU's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He led the Big 12 in completions, attempts, yards, and touchdowns in 2014, finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy race.

 

Tennessee - Peyton Manning (1994-1997)

Career stats: 62.5% completion, 11,201 passing yards, 89 passing touchdowns, 33 interceptions, -181 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns

This was an easy one. Tee Martin may have won the title, but Peyton Manning tops him in everything else.

Surprisingly, Manning never led the SEC in passing yards or touchdowns, but he never finished worse than eighth in the Heisman voting in any of his three seasons as a starter. He likely should have won the award in 1997.

Manning is Tennessee's leader in nearly every passing category. He is the only 10,000-yard passer in school history and is still ranked in the top 60 in FBS in passing yards if his bowl stats are included. His 89 passing touchdowns are still 14 ahead of Casey Clausen.

Manning was the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. He went on to win two Super Bowls and an NFL-record five MVP awards. Manning still owns the NFL record for most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season, set in 2013.

 

Texas - Colt McCoy (2006-2009)

Career stats: 70.3% completion, 13,253 passing yards, 112 passing touchdowns, 45 interceptions, 1,571 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne played in Austin for three seasons, but as with many in his era, he threw for less than 1,000 yards in three full seasons. The Texas passing game took off under Mack Brown in the late 1990s.

Major Applewhite was the first to lead Texas back into the top five in the polls. Vince Young won the title in 2005 and ended USC's winning streak, but that season was his only truly brilliant collegiate season.

This has to come down to one of Texas' two 10,000-yard passers and only two four-year starters: Colt McCoy and Sam Ehlinger. McCoy is still 23rd in FBS history in passing yards and 19th in passing touchdowns.

McCoy was the Texas MVP or co-MVP in all four of his seasons as a starter, the only Texas player to hold that honor. His 76.7% completion percentage in 2008 set the FBS record.

Mac Jones broke the record in 2020. Since then, Bo Nix (2023) and Julian Sayin (2025) have passed McCoy. His career 70.3% completion percentage is second only to Hawaii's Colt Brennan among players with more than 1,000 pass attempts.

McCoy led Texas to the 2009 BCS Championship Game, but was hurt early in the first quarter. If not for that injury, Texas may have had two titles within five seasons. McCoy grew up a Texas fan and became the best quarterback in his favorite school's history. How many players can claim that?

 

Texas A&M - Johnny Manziel (2012-2013)

Career stats: 68.9% completion, 7,820 passing yards, 63 passing touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 2,169 rushing yards, 30 rushing touchdowns

Kellen Mond and Jerrod Johnson both had more passing yards and touchdowns than Johnny Football, but Manziel only played in two collegiate seasons. Those two seasons were a whirlwind both on and off the field.

His career began innocently enough, but Manziel broke Archie Manning's SEC record by producing 557 yards of total offense against Arkansas at the beginning of October. Two weeks later, Manziel broke his own record and became the first SEC player with two games of 500 or more total yards of offense in the same season.

By the end of October, Manziel went into Tuscaloosa and beat top-ranked Alabama. A month later, Manziel went on to become the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy (it should have been Adrian Peterson; I will die on that hill), along with the first freshman to win the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien Awards.

Manziel led the SEC in rushing yards (1,410) and rushing touchdowns (21) in 2012. He led the SEC in passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions in 2013.

 

Texas Tech - Graham Harrell (2005-2008)

Career stats: 69.8% completion, 15,793 passing yards, 134 passing touchdowns, 34 interceptions, -182 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns

I want to say that Texas Tech was a tough one since it has three quarterbacks who have thrown for more than 10,000 yards (Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury, and Patrick Mahomes), but this was actually an easy choice.

There have been some great quarterbacks in Lubbock. Billy Joe Tolliver threw for 6,756 yards in an era when teams rarely passed (1,007 attempts in four years). B.J. Symons only started one year in Lubbock, but that 2003 season was one for the ages.

His 5,833 passing yards that season stood until 2021 when Bailey Zappe took it. His 52 touchdowns were second only to David Klingler (since broken by Colt Brennan, Joe Burrow, and Zappe).

Three Texas Tech players (Harrell, Kingsbury, and Symons) are in the top 10 of completions in a single season. Harrell is the record holder with 512 in 2007. At the time he graduated, Harrell was the all-time FBS leader in passing touchdowns.

Sam Hartman has tied him. Kellen Moore, Case Keenum, and Dillon Gabriel passed him. What really makes Harrell's time in Lubbock so impressive is that he only started for three seasons.

Harrell's 15,793 passing yards were second only to Hawaii's Timmy Chang, but all of the players now in front of him (Keenum, Gabriel, Chang, and Landry Jones) all started for at least four seasons. Harrell's three-year run in Lubbock was legendary.

Yes, even more legendary than that of Mahomes (who still holds the FBS record for passing yards in a game with 734). Harrell led all of FBS in attempts, completions, and passing yards in his three seasons as a starter, and led in touchdowns once.

 

UCLA - Brett Hundley (2012-2014)

Career stats: 67.4% completion, 9,966 passing yards, 75 passing touchdowns, 25 interceptions, 1,747 rushing yards, 30 rushing touchdowns

Troy Aikman is the most famous and most successful quarterback in UCLA history, but he was only there for two seasons. He started his career at Oklahoma. His national championship ring came from Oklahoma, not UCLA.

Billy Kilmer is in the NFL Hall of Fame, but he only threw for 1,881 yards and 15 touchdowns in two years as a starter for the Bruins. NCIS star Mark Harmon started two years for the Bruins in the early 1970s, but he only had 100 pass attempts.

Tommy Maddox, Steve Bono, and Jay Schroeder all played in the NFL, but only Maddox had some success at UCLA. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is the leading passer in UCLA history, but he started for five seasons (even though 2020 was only five games).

His per-game averages don't hold up to Cade McNown, Josh Rosen, or Hundley. Hundley played in 10 fewer games than DTR and only trails him by 744 passing yards.

Hundley was also a better runner, which many tend to forget. Wayne Cook is the only player with a better interception rate than Hundley's 2.0%. Rick Neuheisel (yes, THAT Rick Neuheisel) is the only one with a better completion percentage in UCLA history.

 

USC - Matt Leinart (2003-2005)

Career stats: 64.8% completion, 10,693 passing yards, 99 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions, -70 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns

This may be the toughest one to decide on. USC has four 10,000-yard passers in its history. Three USC quarterbacks (Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Caleb Williams) won Heisman Trophies.

A baker's dozen of USC quarterbacks have played in the NFL, not including Frank Gifford, who was USC's quarterback in 1950 and 1951. Matt Barkley started all four years for USC, which explains why he is the school leader in passing yards (12,327) and touchdown passes (116).

What Barkley did can't be ignored. Palmer, who won a Heisman, also started four years, but his numbers still pale compared to Barkley's. Williams was elite in his two years at USC. His 42 touchdowns in 2022 led all of FBS. His 1.1% interception rate is the best in school history.

However, Williams was worse in his senior season, and the USC defense ultimately failed the offense. I'll put Williams a close second to who is the clear No. 1 in my mind, Leinart.

Leinart was a three-year starter for USC, leading the Trojans to an AP national championship in 2003 and a unanimous championship in 2004. USC won 34 consecutive games with Leinart at the helm. The loss to Texas in the 2005 Rose Bowl cost Leinart a third consecutive championship.

 

Utah - Scott Mitchell (1987-1989)

Career stats: 57.4% completion, 8,981 passing yards, 69 passing touchdowns, 38 interceptions, -145 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns

When you ask someone about a Utah quarterback, Alex Smith comes to mind. He led Utah to its first BCS bowl game and launched the career (and debauchery) of Urban Meyer. Perhaps some remember Brian Johnson.

Johnson led the Utes to a win over Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. In truth, Johnson's three seasons and Smith's two seasons as starters weren't all that impressive. They weren't even the best in Utah history before they showed up. That honor belongs to Scott Mitchell.

Most of the country was still running the ball, and one entire conference still ran nothing but the option when Mitchell was around. In 1988, Mitchell threw for 4,322 yards and 29 touchdowns, both best in FBS.

He would have done the same as a senior in 1989 if it weren't for some guy named Andre Ware. Mitchell is Utah's all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

 

Vanderbilt - Diego Pavia (2024-2025)

Career stats: 65.7% completion, 5,832 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 1,663 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns

Yes, I know that Jay Cutler went to Vanderbilt. Pavia threw 10 fewer touchdowns than Cutler in 19 fewer games and far fewer interceptions. The same can be said for the school's leading passer, Kyle Shurmur.

Cutler only had one strong season in Nashville. It was his senior season in which he led the SEC in passing yards. Shurmur never led the SEC in anything. He was just a solid quarterback for three years, which is quite an achievement at Vanderbilt.

Put aside the Pavia circus for a minute. He has the lowest interception rate (1.8%) in Vanderbilt history. In only 26 games, Pavia made it up to sixth in Vanderbilt's all-time passing list, 11th in rushing yards, third in passing touchdowns, and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns.

Before 2025, Vanderbilt hadn't been ranked at the end of a season since 2013 (24th) and hadn't been ranked in the top 15 since 1948. Not only was Pavia exciting on the field, but he also helped Vanderbilt to its best season in nearly 70 years.

 

Virginia - Matt Schaub (2000-2003)

Career stats: 67% completion, 7,502 passing yards, 56 passing touchdowns, 26 interceptions, 58 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns

This was a close one. Brennan Armstrong had one of the best seasons in Virginia history in 2021, but he followed that up with a disastrous 2022. It was so bad that he transferred to North Carolina State.

Armstrong is still Virginia's career leader in passing yards (9,034) and touchdowns (58). Schaub is only two touchdowns behind him and threw far fewer interceptions. I'm not letting Armstrong's fantastic season overshadow what Schaub did for three years as a starter.

He led the ACC in passing touchdowns in 2002 and led the Wahoos to bowl games in 2002 and 2003. Schaub was the last quarterback for Virginia to beat Virginia Tech (2003) until 2019.

Schaub turned his collegiate success into a 16-year NFL career. He led the NFL in passing yards in 2009 and led the Houston Texans to the playoffs in 2012.

 

Virginia Tech - Tyrod Taylor (2007-2010)

Career stats: 57.2% completion, 7,017 passing yards, 44 passing touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 2,196 rushing yards, 23 rushing touchdowns

This one is tougher than you might think. Many Virginia Tech stars, including Michael and Marcus Vick, only lasted two years as starters in Blacksburg. If we're only going by team success, Vick wins this in a landslide.

Don Strock threw for 6,009 yards in an era dominated by running teams, but he threw 18 more touchdowns than interceptions. Kyron Drones was one of the more electric players in school history. I think many people forget how good Tyrod Taylor was in his four years in Blacksburg.

Taylor played both as a freshman and sophomore, but didn't start until halfway through his sophomore season. His last two years in Blacksburg turned him into a household name and got him drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.

Taylor threw for 37 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions in his final two seasons. He scored 10 more rushing touchdowns. Logan Thomas is Tech's career passing leader, but he couldn't run like Taylor and made many more mistakes.

 

Wake Forest - Sam Hartman (2018-2022)

Career stats: 59.1% completion, 12,967 passing yards, 110 passing touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 855 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns

Hartman was ACC royalty before he transferred to Notre Dame for his final season. His Wake Forest passing yards would have him 23rd on the all-time yardage list. His year in South Bend moved him up to sixth.

The 110 Wake Forest touchdowns were good for 20th all-time. He moved into a tie for fourth with his Notre Dame season. Hartman ran Wake's slow mesh offense to perfection and turned that into another 17 rushing touchdowns.

Hartman was granted an extra COVID year, but he still only started four seasons total at Wake. He only played in four games in 2019 due to injury. His school records at Wake Forest will likely stand for a long time. Hartman was a generational talent to come through Winston-Salem.

 

Washington - Michael Penix Jr. (2022-2023)

Career stats: 65.4% completion, 9,544 passing yards, 67 passing touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 100 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns

Washington has had some really good quarterbacks. Warren Moon is enshrined in Canton. Chris Chandler, Jake Browning, Steve Pelluer, Mark Brunell, Jake Locker, Billy Joe Hobert, Marques Tuiasosopo, Hugh Millen, and Brock Huard all had varying degrees of success in the NFL.

Browning is Washington's leader in nearly every passing stat because he started all four seasons in Seattle. Penix only played 28 games in a Washington uniform, yet he only trails Browning by 2,742 yards and 27 touchdowns. Only Cyler Miles has a lower interception rate than Penix's 1.7% in Washington history.

Penix showed flashes of brilliance at Indiana. He finally put it all together with Washington. He led the Huskies to the CFP in 2023 and turned his success in Seattle into a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft.

The main reason that I chose Penix over Browning is that Browning had one huge season as a sophomore. His other three seasons were average.

 

West Virginia - Pat White (2005-2008)

Career stats: 64.8% completion, 6,049 passing yards, 56 passing touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 4,480 rushing yards, 47 rushing touchdowns

West Virginia did actually exist as a university before Rich Rodriguez got there. Oliver Luck, Jeff Hostetler, Mike Timko, and Major Harris led the Mountaineers to some success in the 1980s and early 90s. Chad Johnston led the Mountaineers to 11 wins in 1993.

Marc Bulger led the conference in passing yards in the late 90s. Things really changed when Rich Rod showed up in Morgantown. Rasheed Marshall did a solid job of running the offense in the first years of the Rich Rod era, but what happened from 2005 to 2012 is what established West Virginia as a power.

The Mountaineers only had two quarterbacks during that time, so it has to be one of these guys. Geno Smith is West Virginia's all-time leader in passing yards (11,662) and touchdown passes (98). He turned that into a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

I went with the other guy. The one who really put West Virginia on the map. West Virginia finished in the top 10 of the AP Poll in all of Pat White's sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. He also went 3-1 in bowl games compared to 1-3 for Smith.

Unfortunately, White also started in the most painful loss in West Virginia history: the 2007 Backyard Brawl. That aside, White rushed for at least 950 yards in all four of his seasons. His 4,480 rushing yards trail only Avon Cobourne in West Virginia history.

He trails only the great Steve Slaton in rushing touchdowns. When you add rushing and passing together, White's numbers stack up to Smith's, and he led the Mountaineers to heights not equaled before or since.

 

Wisconsin - Darrell Bevell (1992-1995)

Career stats: 59.1% completion, 12,967 passing yards, 110 passing touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 855 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns

Russell Wilson's one year in Madison was by far the best single season by a Wisconsin quarterback. Is it possible for a graduate transfer to have such an impact on a team as to be named the best quarterback in school history? I struggle with that.

Wilson is 16th in Wisconsin history in passing yards and is tied for eighth in touchdown passes. His 1.4% interception percentage is the best in school history. That one season was impressive, but I tend to think that a guy has to spend at least two years as a starter to have a lasting impact on a team.

If bowl stats had counted when Darrell Bevell was in school, he would be Wisconsin's leader in passing yards. Joel Stave's bowl stats counted, and he is only 206 yards ahead of Bevell.

Bevell was also more efficient and threw 10 more touchdown passes. John Stocco was more efficient, but interceptions were far more common in Bevell's day because defensive rules were much more relaxed than they are now.

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