Ranking the 10 best small school college football QBs of all time
By Zach Bigalke
Case Keenum tops the NCAA career passing yards list. What is even more impressive is that this would remain true if you subtracted the yardage from his 2010 season that was cut short by injury. Keenum threw for over 5,000 yards in each of his last three full seasons. The NCAA granted the Houston quarterback a sixth season of eligibility after Keenum tore his ACL in the third game of what would have been his senior season.
Keenum was consistently great. When he came back for his final season in 2011, there was no certainty that he would be the same player as before. He had led the NCAA in passing yardage and touchdowns as a redshirt junior. Upon his return, Keenum replicated the feat while leading Houston to a 13-1 record. Unfortunately, that one loss came to Southern Miss in the C-USA championship game, costing Houston a chance at a BCS bowl appearance.
Keenum graduated with plenty of NCAA records but no championship. Setting his NFL career aside, he was an all-time great among FBS quarterbacks — not just those from small schools. He may have the records. But he comes up just short on this list because he never was able to take Houston to a title of any sort.