Greatest college football player born in each state
One of the most athletic quarterbacks of his generation, Salt Lake City native Steve Young took over as the starting quarterback at BYU as a junior in 1982, following in the footsteps of the great Jim McMahon.
Young struggled with his accuracy early in his career. As a sophomore understudy to McMahon, Young threw for 731 yards with six touchdowns, but only completed 50 percent of his passes and was intercepted six times. Young also gained 233 rushing yards on 53 carries in limited playing time.
As a junior, Young threw for 3,100 yards and completed 62.7 percent of his passes with 18 TDs, but also threw 18 interceptions. He did run for 407 yards and ten touchdowns, but the Cougars slumped to 8-4 after winning 11 games the previous season.
The lefty calmed down as a senior, and led BYU to an 11-1 record and a No. 7 final ranking in the AP Poll on the strength of a nation-leading 3,902 passing yards and 33 touchdown passes with just ten interceptions. Young also led the nation with 306 completions, a 71.3 percent completion percentage and a 168.5 QB rating, and added 444 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground.
The performance helped Young win WAC Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, and earned him the Davey O’Brien and Sammy Baugh Awards. Young was a consensus All-American and finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Other Notable College Football Players Born in Utah:
- Carnell Lake, DB, UCLA
- Haloti Ngate, DL, Oregon
- Merlin Olsen, DL, Utah State
- Kyle Turley, OL, San Diego State
Next: Vermont