Ranking the 10 best small school college football QBs of all time
By Zach Bigalke
Forget for a moment all the questions currently surrounding Colin Kaepernick as he continues to go unsigned by an NFL team this offseason. Instead, let’s focus for a moment on his four electric seasons playing in Chris Ault’s Pistol formation at Nevada. Lest we forget, Kaepernick was the first FBS quarterback in history to post 10,000 passing yards and 4000 rushing yards for a career. He also helped the Wolf Pack emerge as a WAC contender.
As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Kaepernick threw 19 touchdowns against just three interceptions and led the WAC in passing yards per attempt. His completion percentage steadily increased over his career, until as a senior he completed just under 65 percent of his throws. But Kaepernick’s true value was as a dual threat who was as dangerous running as passing the ball. Among all FBS quarterbacks, Kaepernick was the first in history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in three consecutive seasons.
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As a senior, Kaepernick became just the second quarterback after Tim Tebow to throw 20 touchdowns and rush for 20 more in a single season. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. There he went to the Super Bowl in his second season. He then took over as the full-time starter in 2013 and led the 49ers back to the NFC Championship Game.