College Football: Top 10 traditional option quarterbacks of all-time
8. Darian Hagan, Colorado
Darian Hagan signed with Colorado Buffaloes coach Bill McCartney to learn the ropes under star quarterback Sal Aunese. When Aunese was diagnosed with cancer, Hagan took over the starting quarterback role at Colorado.
The California native finished his time in Boulder winning twenty-eight games with only five losses and two ties as a starter from 1989-1991. During his first year as the starter in McCartney’s “I-Bone” offense, Hagan ran and passed for over 1,000 yards. In 1990, Hagan accounted for sixteen touchdowns from scrimmage while guiding the Buffaloes to a share of the national championship (split with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets).
Over his four seasons in the I-Bone offense, Hagan threw for 3,801 yards while tossing twenty-seven touchdowns with nineteen interceptions. Hagan added another 2,007 yards on the ground with twenty-seven rushing touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry. After college, Hagan was drafted in the 9th round of the 1992 NFL Draft playing in both the NFL and CFL before retiring.
Hagan was a feature member of the ESPN 30for30 documentary “The Gospel According to Mac” which discussed the rise and fall of Bill McCartney in the coaching world.