23/05/2023
In the last year of the 20th century, quarterback play in college football seemed to be making a quantum leap. Virginia Tech's Michael Vick was showing us a combination of rushing and passing prowess that we didn't realize was possible, while Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton was combining 3,000-yard passing with 700-yard rushing. Mike Leach was, through Oklahoma's Josh Heupel, introducing the Air Raid offense to its eventual home, the Big 12. Purdue's Drew Brees was, through Joe Tiller's Basketball-on-Grass spread, throwing 70-plus times in Big Ten games.
Everything we thought was evolving at the turn of the century did so, and then some. Quarterback play in the 2000s has evolved to include numbers we never thought imaginable: 3,500/1,000 seasons, 200 passer ratings, completion rates nearing 80%. Where might things go next?
As we wait to find the answer to that question, let's step back and take stock of what we've seen so far by ranking the best quarterbacks of the century to date. We've updated and added to our previous rankings from 2021, going from 60 QBs to 75. That means room for NFL stars like Matt Ryan and Dak Prescott, plus newcomers Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Stetson Bennett. No Caleb Williams, though, since we're only counting players who finished their college careers.
This was, to be honest, an even more difficult task than I imagined. We've seen single-season explosions from the Cam Newtons of the world, and we've seen controlled, four- or five-year fires from Case Keenums and Baker Mayfields that produced seemingly untouchable career totals. How do you compare a Keenum or Kellen Moore to a Newton or Joe Burrow? Very carefully! I'm sure you will not disagree with a single one of the picks below!
Let's get started.
75. Matt Ryan, Boston College
Years: 2004-07
Stats: 9,313 passing yards, 60% completion rate, 56 TD, 37 INT, 11 rushing TD
The ultimate late-career breakout star: Ryan threw for 4,507 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior, leading BC to 11 wins and a brief No. 2 ranking and finishing seventh in the Heisman voting.
74. Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
Years: 2011-13
Stats: 9,817 passing yards, 68% completion rate, 72 TD, 24 INT, 6 rushing TD
He was almost immediately Charlie Strong's best player at Louisville, and his last two seasons -- 7,688 yards, 58 touchdowns and a 23-3 record -- made him a legend.
73. Timmy Chang, Hawai'i
Years: 2000-04
Stats: 17,072 passing yards, 57% completion rate, 117 TD, 80 INT, 6 rushing TD
June Jones' early-2000s Hawai'i teams were late-night must-watches for college football degenerates, and Chang was at the helm for many of them. Only Keenum threw for more yards at the FBS level.
72. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
Years: 2012-15
Stats: 9,376 passing yards, 63% completion rate, 70 TD, 23 INT, 2,521 rushing yards, 41 rushing TD
A perfect QB prototype for the Dan Mullen offense, he went from tantalizing dual threat as a sophomore (1,940 passing yards, 829 rushing yards) to all-around star as a senior.
71. Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
Years: 2008-11
Stats: 9,260 passing yards, 70% completion rate, 75 TD, 27 INT, 1 rushing TD
He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2003, showed up in Stillwater at age 23 and waited three years to win the starting job. But when he did, he made up for lost time, eventually leading the Cowboys to the brink of the national title game.
70. Geno Smith, West Virginia
Years: 2009-12
Stats: 11,662 passing yards, 67% completion rate, 98 TD, 21 INT, 4 rushing TD
A perfect template for Dana Holgorsen's air-it-out attack in the early 2010s, Smith led WVU to an Orange Bowl title in 2011 and briefly into the top 10 in 2012, producing seven 400-yard games along the way.
69. David Greene, Georgia
Years: 2001-04
Stats: 11,528 passing yards, 59% completion rate, 72 TD, 32 INT, 5 rushing TD
The starter for Mark Richt's first four years in Athens, Greene produced consistent numbers and finished his career with a then-record 42 wins, topping Peyton Manning's record.
68. Brad Smith, Missouri
Years: 2002-05
Stats: 8,644 passing yards, 56% completion rate, 56 TD, 32 INT, 4,193 rushing yards, 44 rushing TD
In 2000, Clemson's Woody Dantzler became the first QB to produce 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. Then Smith came along and averaged that for his career.
67. AJ McCarron, Alabama
Years: 2010-13
Stats: 9,019 passing yards, 67% completion rate, 77 TD, 15 INT, 3 rushing TD
We think of early-2010s Bama QBs as game managers, but McCarron showed serious upside when asked. His last four games of 2012's title run: 54-for-76 for 775 yards, 10 touchdowns and 1 interception. He could have produced even bigger numbers if asked.
66. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State
Years: 2014-17
Stats: 9,434 passing yards, 64% completion rate, 104 TD, 30 INT, 3,263 rushing yards, 43 rushing TD
He broke the Big Ten record for most passing TDs and total TDs, won 38 games in 3.5 seasons as a starter, and, perhaps most importantly, went 4-0 against Michigan.
65. Kevin Kolb, Houston
Years: 2003-06
Stats: 12,964 passing yards, 62% completion rate, 85 TD, 31 INT, 21 rushing TD
Art Briles' first muse at the college level, Kolb improved steadily through his four years, and as a senior led the Coogs to their first 10-win season in 16 years.
64. Andy Dalton, TCU
Years: 2007-10
Stats: 10,314 passing yards, 62% completion rate, 71 TD, 30 INT, 1,611 rushing yards, 22 rushing TD
Both Dalton and the Horned Frogs improved incrementally throughout his career, going 11-2, then 12-1 then 13-0, with the program's lone Rose Bowl win, in his last three seasons.
63. Zach Wilson, BYU
Years: 2018-20
Stats: 7,652 passing yards, 68% completion rate, 56 TD, 15 INT, 15 rushing TDs
The best BYU QB since Steve Sarkisian. He first made waves by going 18-for-18 for 317 yards in a bowl romp as a freshman, then he finished his career as a top-10 draft prospect after posting 3,692 yards and a 196.4 passer rating in 2020.
62. Max Duggan, TCU
Years: 2019-22
Stats: 9,618 passing yards, 60% completion rate, 73 TD, 28 INT, 1,856 rushing yards, 28 rushing TD
He almost didn't even end up starting as a senior, but he made the most of his last chance, throwing for 3,698 yards, finishing second in the Heisman voting and leading TCU to the national title game.
61. Matt Barkley, USC
Years: 2009-12
Stats: 12,327 passing yards, 64% completion rate, 116 TD, 48 INT, 6 rushing TD
The Trojans' slow downfall had begun when Barkley entered the lineup, but he did his best to stem the tide and led a 10-win resurgence as a junior in 2011.
60. Kenny Pickett, Pitt
Years: 2017-21
Stats: 12,303 passing yards, 62% completion rate, 81 TD, 32 INT, 20 rushing TD
He began his career with an upset of No. 2 Miami and ended it finishing third in the Heisman voting. Everything came together in an epic senior season (4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns).
59. Aaron Rodgers, Cal
Years: 2003-04
Stats: 5,469 passing yards, 64% completion rate, 43 TD, 13 INT, 8 rushing TD
Unrecruited as a high schooler, the future Green Bay great spent a year at Butte Community College before catching Jeff Tedford's eye and leading the Golden Bears to a thrilling 2004 season.
58. Todd Reesing, Kansas
Years: 2006-09
Stats: 11,194 passing yards, 64% completion rate, 90 TD, 33 INT, 15 rushing TD
"Led Kansas to an Orange Bowl title" is a pretty good lead line for a résumé, yeah? The undersized Reesing led KU to 25 wins over three years as a starter. In the 11 seasons since he left, the Jayhawks have won ... 27 games.
57. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech
Years: 2014-16
Stats: 11,252 passing yards, 64% completion rate, 93 TD, 29 INT, 22 rushing TD
Even by the standards of the typical air-raid quarterback, Mahomes was asked to do a lot. He threw 44 passes per game as a sophomore in 2015, then 49 per game as a junior, and despite his being, you know, Patrick Dang Mahomes, Tech went only 12-13 in that span.
56. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
Years: 2014-17
Stats: 13,618 passing yards, 63% completion rate, 92 TD, 26 INT, 17 rushing TDs
Few quarterbacks have ever thrown a prettier deep ball. The Cowboys won 10 games and finished in the AP top 20 in all three of Rudolph's seasons as a starter. They've averaged eight wins since he left.
55. Joey Harrington, Oregon
Years: 1998-2001
Stats: 6,911 passing yards, 55% completion rate, 59 TD, 23 INT, 18 rushing TD
After averaging about eight wins per year, Mike Bellotti's Oregon program leaped forward when Harrington entered the starting lineup. They went 21-3 in two years and finished 2001 No. 2 in the polls after Harrington's 350-yard Fiesta Bowl performance.
54. Keenan Reynolds, Navy
Years: 2012-15
Stats: 4,001 passing yards, 52% completion rate, 31 TD, 8 INT, 4,559 rushing yards, 88 rushing TD
One of the greatest option QBs of all-time, Reynolds entered the starting lineup midway through his freshman year and immediately transformed the Navy program. The Midshipmen won 11 games with a top-20 finish in his senior season.
53. Brad Banks, Iowa
Years: 2001-02
Stats: 3,155 passing yards, 58% completion rate, 30 TD, 7 INT, 7 rushing TD
A one-year wonder? Sure, but what a year it was. After winning 11 total games in Kirk Ferentz's first three years as Iowa head coach, the Hawkeyes won 11 in 2002 and Banks went from relative unknown to Heisman runner-up to Carson Palmer.
52. David Carr, Fresno State
Years: 1997-2001
Stats: 7,458 passing yards, 63% completion rate, 65 TD, 22 INT, 9 rushing TD
The 2001 Fresno State team captured the imagination like few mid-majors can, rolling to a 6-0 start with wins over Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin. They finished with 11 wins, and Carr was impressive enough to go No. 1 in the 2002 NFL draft.
51. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan
Years: 2006-09
Stats: 12,905 passing yards, 66% completion rate, 102 TD, 36 INT, 2,948 rushing yards, 47 rushing TD
The three-time MAC champion averaged more than 3,000 passing yards and 700 rushing yards per season and helped both Brian Kelly and Butch Jones earn promotions. CMU hasn't won a conference title since he left.
