Big 12 Football: Top 20 quarterbacks since 2000
By Andrew Tineo
Career Stats: 70.3% completions, 13,253 passing yards, 112 touchdowns, 45 interceptions
Rarely is there an instance where a school finds two gems that are elite throughout their entire tenures with the program. Texas found lightning twice, with Colt McCoy taking over the program after Vince Young left his mark in Austin.
McCoy wasn’t the most prized possession in the 2005 recruiting class, ranking as the 12th best pocket passing quarterback, to go with the 64th best player in the state of Texas. However, that did not matter to him, as he carried the torch that Young had set up.
After a loss to Ohio State, Texas ran the gauntlet, besting the likes of Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State. However, McCoy barely played in the loss to Kansas State and threw three interceptions in a loss to Texas A&M. After being ranked as high as No. 4 in the country, the Longhorns fell to No. 18 and was playing a bowl game against Iowa, a game they ended up winning.
The Horns would have the same dilemma in 2007, with losing back to back contests, this time in the middle of the season. Texas would once again have a 9-3 record while besting No. 12 Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl.
Although Texas was recognized and consistent, McCoy wasn’t exactly catching national headlines.
That all changed in 2008, where the Horns blitzed their first four opponents, including a 52-10 win over Arkansas. McCoy’s accuracy was apparent, as he was not missing throws. His season-long 77 percent completion rate is the best in Big 12 history.
McCoy had three straight performances with 80 percent completions or higher, headlined by a 29-for-32 performance over Missouri. Heading into Lubbock for a top-five showdown, it was the illustrious Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree along the sideline that stunned the Longhorns.
Texas recoverd and throttled the remaining three opponents, but was not enough to make the national championship. Texas would outlast Ohio State, getting revenge from McCoy’s freshman season, to win the Fiesta Bowl.
McCoy finished second in the Heisman voting that season, behind the man below him on this list, Bradford. Although his passing was not up to the level it was the season before and the accuracy wasn’t quite as dominant, a 71 percent completion rate is still elite.
The Longhorns once again ran the slate, beating every team in the regular season by double digits, apart from Oklahoma. In one of the wildest games, Texas held on by the edge of their teeth against Ndamukung Suh-led Nebraska.
Unfortunately for McCoy, that would be his last game he played in full. He was knocked out of the national championship game and Garrett Gilbert was unable to lead the Horns to victory.
The dominance that McCoy displayed after his predecessor set such a high bar was unheard of in the 2000s at that point.