College Football: 25 Greatest Quarterbacks of the 21st century

Aaron Murray largely flopped as a professional football player, bouncing around between several teams after being selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. His college career with the Georgia Bulldogs, though, includes enough accolades to safely be included in the list of top quarterbacks of this century.

Murray began his Georgia playing career as a redshirt freshman in 2010, throwing for 3,049 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in his first season.

Murray’s career numbers are a strong advocate for his inclusion in any “best of” discussion: 13,166 passing yards, 121 touchdowns, 41 interceptions, and a158.5 passer rating. He also rushed for 16 touchdowns in his four years as a Bulldog.

He is the current SEC all-time leading passer both in terms of yards and passing touchdowns, surpassing the numbers of greats like Tennessee’s Peyton Manning, Florida’s Chris Leak, and Ole Miss’ Eli Manning.

Murray’s career numbers are only part of the story, though. The Bulldogs’ strong team success, too, is part of the tale of the tape — especially in Murray’s sophomore and junior seasons. Georgia did not play for a national title, but they finish 12-2 and No. 5 in the final AP poll in Murray’s third year at the helm. The Bulldogs won a total of 36 games in the four seasons of Murray’s career.

Sure, Murray never did finish as a Heisman finalist and he did not have the flair of other quarterback greats in the past two decades, but his impressive durability and his career numbers (especially among SEC greats) earn him a spot on this list.