College football: 30 best college quarterbacks of all-time
30 best college football quarterbacks of all-time: 21. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M football
Career stats:
- 7,820 passing yards
- 63 TDs
- 22 INTs
- 68.9 completion percentage
If this list prioritized nicknames, then “Johnny Football” would rank number one. Unfortunately for Johnny Manziel, it doesn’t. Still, the former Texas A&M quarterback dominated the college scene in a captivating way.
With a redshirt year in his rookie season, Manziel wasn’t exactly expected to give A&M anything more than a much-needed spark. Former signal-caller Ryan Tannehill packed up his bags and headed toward the NFL. Although his departure was a big blow, he was quickly forgotten the moment Manziel took the field.
It was an unbelievable first game Manziel. His 557 yards of total offense took just about everyone’s breath away. It also took away Archie Manning’s 43-year-old record. But while it took over four decades for someone to break that aforementioned record, Manziel would break it again, two games later.
The long and successful first year of Manziel was going better than anyone expected. But, a matchup against number one ranked Alabama was thought to be a whitewash. That was, until Manziel tore them apart with 418 total yards. His season totals of 3,706 passing yards to go along with 26 TDs led him to a Heisman trophy win.
Manziel would go on to have similar success the following year. 4,114 passing yards and 37 touchdowns against only 13 picks solidified his stature in college football forever and cements his placement on this list as well.