Dec 13, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota poses with the Heisman Trophy during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis after winning the Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Ranking the 30 best college quarterbacks of all-time.
Having a great quarterback can be the biggest difference between a good team and a great team, and between an also-ran and a championship contender.
With a great quarterback, a team with a middling defense and mediocre offensive players can be elevated to higher levels. More than any other position in football, a great quarterback is the biggest difference maker on the field and can be the cure for a multitude of weaknesses across the rest of a roster.
There is a bigger difference between a great quarterback and a poor quarterback than there is at any other position in the game, and possibly in all of sports.
We are going to be digging deeper into some of the best quarterbacks to ever suit up in the college game. We will be discussing record-breakers and stars who revolutionized the game and changed the way it was played. We’ll discuss others who are great because all they ever did in the college game was win, whether it be individual accolades like the Heisman or the Maxwell Trophies, or national championships, or all of the above.
The greatest quarterbacks that have played the game have resumes that are entirely undeniable, and we are about to pull back the curtains on college football’s top 30 quarterbacks of all-time.
Next: Jim McMahon
Next: Jason White
Next: Andre Ware
Next: Ty Detmer
In 1990, his junior season, he completed 64.2 percent of his 562 pass attempts, and through for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Over the course of his career, which spanned 1988 through 1991, he completed 62.6 percent of his 1,530 passing attempts and threw 121 touchdowns and 65 interceptions.
Detmer was a member of an elite club. He was one of a select number of quarterbacks to win multiple Davey O’Brien Awards, given to the nation’s top quarterback. He was the winner in 1990 and won it again in 1991. He also won the 1990 Heisman Trophy and was a finalist in both 1989 and 1991. He also won the 1990 Maxwell Award, which is awarded to the national player of the year.
Detmer was drafted in the ninth round of the 1992 draft by the Green Bay Packers and did some bouncing around from team to team as a backup quarterback, with his best success coming as a Philadelphia Eagles in 1996 and 1997. In those two years with the Eagles, he passed for almost 4,500 yards and 22 touchdowns in 21 games.
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27
Ty Detmer
Quarterback, BYU
The best quarterback in BYU Cougar history, Ty Detmer passed for the third most yards in NCAA Division I FBS history in his college career with a total of 15,031 yards.
In 1990, his junior season, he completed 64.2 percent of his 562 pass attempts, and through for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Over the course of his career, which spanned 1988 through 1991, he completed 62.6 percent of his 1,530 passing attempts and threw 121 touchdowns and 65 interceptions.
Detmer was a member of an elite club. He was one of a select number of quarterbacks to win multiple Davey O’Brien Awards, given to the nation’s top quarterback. He was the winner in 1990 and won it again in 1991. He also won the 1990 Heisman Trophy and was a finalist in both 1989 and 1991. He also won the 1990 Maxwell Award, which is awarded to the national player of the year.
Detmer was drafted in the ninth round of the 1992 draft by the Green Bay Packers and did some bouncing around from team to team as a backup quarterback, with his best success coming as a Philadelphia Eagles in 1996 and 1997. In those two years with the Eagles, he passed for almost 4,500 yards and 22 touchdowns in 21 games.
Next: Graham Harrell
Next: Colt Brennan
Next: Kellen Moore
Next: David Klingler
Next: John Elway
In 1982 in particular, he was most prolific completing 64.7 percent of his 405 passes for 3242 yards, and 24 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He was the Heisman Trophy runner-up that year to Georgia running back Herschel Walker and was a consensus All-American. That season he was also the Pop Warner Trophy winner, which is awarded to the West Coast’s most outstanding player, the Sammy Baugh Trophy, which is awarded the nation’s top passer, and was the Pac-10 Player of the Year.
The accolades continued to pour in for Elway, even after his college career ended. In 2000, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2013, his number seven jersey was retired by Stanford.
Elway entered the NFL draft in 1983 and was the first overall draft pick by the Baltimore Colts. He never played for the Colts, forcing them to trade him to the Denver Broncos. Elway had an illustrious Hall of Fame career with the Broncos, winning two Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP, the 1987 NFL MVP award, and nine Pro Bowl selections. In 2004, Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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22
John Elway
Quarterback, Stanford
John Elway was one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the Pac-10. In spite of the fact that he didn’t do a lot of winning at Stanford (he saved most of that for the NFL), he did win just about every individual award he could get his hands on.
In 1982 in particular, he was most prolific completing 64.7 percent of his 405 passes for 3242 yards, and 24 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He was the Heisman Trophy runner-up that year to Georgia running back Herschel Walker and was a consensus All-American. That season he was also the Pop Warner Trophy winner, which is awarded to the West Coast’s most outstanding player, the Sammy Baugh Trophy, which is awarded the nation’s top passer, and was the Pac-10 Player of the Year.
The accolades continued to pour in for Elway, even after his college career ended. In 2000, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2013, his number seven jersey was retired by Stanford.
Elway entered the NFL draft in 1983 and was the first overall draft pick by the Baltimore Colts. He never played for the Colts, forcing them to trade him to the Denver Broncos. Elway had an illustrious Hall of Fame career with the Broncos, winning two Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP, the 1987 NFL MVP award, and nine Pro Bowl selections. In 2004, Elway was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Next: Case Keenum
Next: Sam Bradford
Next: Steve Young
Next: Robert Griffin III
Next: Johnny Manziel
Manziel completed 68 percent of his 434 pass attempts, throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He also rushed for 1,410 yards on 210 carries and ran for an additional 21 touchdowns. He topped these passing numbers in his sophomore season, when he threw for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns and ran for another 759 yards and nine touchdowns. In his two-year college career, he was responsible for 93 touchdowns.
In 2012, he was the first freshman to win both the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O’Brien Award. He also won the Manning Award and was named both The Sporting News Player of the Year and the Associated Press Player of the Year, was named First Team All-SEC and was named a consensus All-American. He was also the SEC Freshman of the Year.
Manziel was the 22nd overall draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft.
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17
Johnny Manziel
Quarterback, Texas A&M
Johnny Manziel assembled perhaps the greatest season any freshman has ever had in 2011. That season, “Johnny Football” came out of nowhere for the Texas A&M Aggies and led them to a ranking of fifth in the NCAA by the end of the season.
Manziel completed 68 percent of his 434 pass attempts, throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He also rushed for 1,410 yards on 210 carries and ran for an additional 21 touchdowns. He topped these passing numbers in his sophomore season, when he threw for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns and ran for another 759 yards and nine touchdowns. In his two-year college career, he was responsible for 93 touchdowns.
In 2012, he was the first freshman to win both the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O’Brien Award. He also won the Manning Award and was named both The Sporting News Player of the Year and the Associated Press Player of the Year, was named First Team All-SEC and was named a consensus All-American. He was also the SEC Freshman of the Year.
Manziel was the 22nd overall draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Next: Drew Brees
Next: Charlie Ward
Next: Colt McCoy
Next: Danny Wuerffel
Next: Andrew Luck
Luck completed 67 percent of his 1,064 pass attempts and threw for 9,430 yards and 82 touchdowns against just 22 interceptions. He also holds the record for touchdown passes in a season for the Cardinal, throwing for 37 touchdowns in his senior season. That broke his own record of 32, which he had set in his junior season.
He also holds the top two marks in Pac-12 history for completion percentage. The 71.3% he completed in his senior year broke his own record of 70.7 percent from the year before.
In 2011, Luck won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and a finalist for both the Davey O’Brien Award and the Manning Award. He was also the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was a First Team All-American.
He was the first overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, selected by the Indianapolis Colts. Since then he has been named to three Pro Bowls and led the NFL in passing touchdowns in 2014.
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12
Andrew Luck
Quarterback, Stanford
Andrew Luck was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in Pac-12 history and rewrote the record book for the Stanford Cardinal football program. Not bad for a school that John Elway went to.
Luck completed 67 percent of his 1,064 pass attempts and threw for 9,430 yards and 82 touchdowns against just 22 interceptions. He also holds the record for touchdown passes in a season for the Cardinal, throwing for 37 touchdowns in his senior season. That broke his own record of 32, which he had set in his junior season.
He also holds the top two marks in Pac-12 history for completion percentage. The 71.3% he completed in his senior year broke his own record of 70.7 percent from the year before.
In 2011, Luck won the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and a finalist for both the Davey O’Brien Award and the Manning Award. He was also the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was a First Team All-American.
He was the first overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, selected by the Indianapolis Colts. Since then he has been named to three Pro Bowls and led the NFL in passing touchdowns in 2014.
Next: Matt Leinart
Next: Jameis Winston
Next: Peyton Manning
Next: AJ McCarron
Next: Roger Staubach
Over the course of his career, he completed 63.6 percent of his 494 pass attempts, and threw for 3,799 yards and 18 touchdowns for a school which has never been pass-oriented, and the early 60’s was no different. He also rushed for 635 yards and another 18 touchdowns on the ground.
While at Navy, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Trophy, the UPI College Player of the Year Award, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy, all in 1963. His number 12 was retired by the Naval Academy, and in 1981, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
He was drafted in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, but due to his military commitment was not able to play for the Cowboys until 1969, when he took the field as a 27-year-old rookie.
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7
Roger Staubach
Quarterback, Navy
Roger Staubach’s name belongs on this list of great quarterbacks for more than simply the numbers he produced. Staubach was a winner, from the first time he got on the football field for the US Naval Academy until the last time he suited up for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.
Over the course of his career, he completed 63.6 percent of his 494 pass attempts, and threw for 3,799 yards and 18 touchdowns for a school which has never been pass-oriented, and the early 60’s was no different. He also rushed for 635 yards and another 18 touchdowns on the ground.
While at Navy, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Trophy, the UPI College Player of the Year Award, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy, all in 1963. His number 12 was retired by the Naval Academy, and in 1981, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
He was drafted in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, but due to his military commitment was not able to play for the Cowboys until 1969, when he took the field as a 27-year-old rookie.
Next: Tommie Frazier
Next: Davey O'Brien
Nov 2, 2013; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs helmet on the field during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Amon G. Carter Stadium. West Virginia won 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Next: Cam Newton
Next: Vince Young
Next: Marcus Mariota
In 2014, he was the quintessential dual threat. He threw for 4,454 yards and 42 touchdowns, and ran for another 15 touchdowns for a total of 57 touchdowns scored on the year. Even more stunning, he only threw four interceptions all season, the final one being thrown with 27 seconds left in the final game of the year in the National Championship Game against Ohio State.
Over the course of his three-year career, spanning from 2012 to 2014, he threw for 10,796 yards and 105 touchdowns. He completed 66.8 percent of his 1,167 passes and threw only 14 interceptions, and never threw more than six in a season. He also ran for 31 touchdowns in his career, for a total of 136 all-purpose touchdowns.
Mariota was selected second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL draft.
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2
Marcus Mariota
Quarterback, Oregon
Marcus Mariota was a spectacular talent at quarterback with the Oregon Ducks. He won the 2014 Heisman Trophy by one of the biggest margins in the past 50 years, winning 90.9 percent of the possible voting points. He also won the Maxwell Award, the Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Davey O’Brien Award, and was a consensus All-American that season.
In 2014, he was the quintessential dual threat. He threw for 4,454 yards and 42 touchdowns, and ran for another 15 touchdowns for a total of 57 touchdowns scored on the year. Even more stunning, he only threw four interceptions all season, the final one being thrown with 27 seconds left in the final game of the year in the National Championship Game against Ohio State.
Over the course of his three-year career, spanning from 2012 to 2014, he threw for 10,796 yards and 105 touchdowns. He completed 66.8 percent of his 1,167 passes and threw only 14 interceptions, and never threw more than six in a season. He also ran for 31 touchdowns in his career, for a total of 136 all-purpose touchdowns.
Mariota was selected second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL draft.
Next: Tim Tebow
— Who do you think was the greatest college football quarterback of all-time? let us know in the comments section with your own top 3.