The 50 best college quarterbacks of all time

Baker is the only person to win the Heisman Trophy and play in the NCAA basketball Final Four. As a football player, he threw for 3,476 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing for 1,503 yards and 15 scores. In 1962 he was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year and would become the top overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Not only was Baugh a three-sport star at TCU (football, basketball, baseball) but he also did everything for the Horned Frogs football team. He was the quarterback as well as their punter and defensive back. He led TCU to two bowl games, including the first Cotton Bowl Classic. He was one of the best overall players at a time when that was crucial.

Bradford played only two full seasons at Oklahoma, but they were two great seasons. His 2008 Heisman Trophy year saw him pass for 50 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, and the Sooners would reach the BCS championship game, where they would lose to Florida. His two-plus year career stats: 8,403 yards and 88 touchdowns. 

Brees thrived in the Boilermakers' spread offense. His final three seasons in West Lafayette saw him throw for 11,560 yards and 90 touchdowns. (He also rushed for 14 touchdowns.) Big wins over Ohio State and Michigan in his senior season gave Purdue its only Big Ten championship in the last 50 years. 

Brennan joined Hawai'i for his sophomore year and just took off. As a junior, he tossed 58 touchdown passes (still a record) and threw for 5,549 yards. For his career, he threw for over 14,000 yards and 131 touchdowns in just three seasons with the Warriors. His biggest moment was leading Hawai'i to a 12-0 record and a berth in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. 

Crouch was a bit of a throwback of sorts. He threw only 29 touchdowns during his Cornhuskers career, but his 59 rushing touchdowns was a record (since broken) for a quarterback. He is one of three quarterbacks to have 3,000 career passing and 4,000 career rushing yards.  Nebraska was 33-5 in Crouch's final three seasons.

Detmer threw for 15,000 yards and 121 touchdowns during his Cougars career and left college as the leader in pass attempts, completions, passing yards, passing touchdowns and passer rating. In his Heisman season of 1990, he threw for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns.

Sure, the turn of the century Hurricanes were completely stacked with talent, but Dorsey still managed to rewrite the record books for passing at a school that's had some great quarterbacks. He went 38-2 as a starter and helped win the 2001 national championship. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2001 and 2002 and won the 2001 Maxwell Award.

Elway didn't have much talent around him during his four years at Stanford, as the Cardinal went just 20-23 during his time there and never reached a bowl game. Still, Elway set many Pac-10 records for passing and finished second in the 1982 Heisman race. While at Stanford, he was also an elite baseball player.

Flutie was the everyman as a quarterback. Standing only 5-foot-10, he threw for over 10,500 yards and 70 TDs and won the 1984 Heisman Trophy (the first quarterback to do so since 1971). He got the Eagles to their first bowl game in 30 years, and their win in the 1984 Cotton Bowl was their first bowl victory since 1940. Of course, his "Hail Flutie" is one of the most famous plays in sports history.

Coming out of nowhere, Fouts set numerous Pac-8 records while at Oregon. In three seasons, he threw for 5,995 yards and 37 touchdowns (yes, and 54 interceptions). He would go on to have a 15-year NFL career helming the same passing-attack style he helped introduce in college.

Tommie Frazier was, simply put, a winner. He won back-to-back national championships with Nebraska and is the lone quarterback to do so without a loss since the 1950s. He was also the only player to win MVP of three straight national championship games. The Huskers went 45-4 during his time in Lincoln. 

RGIII used his mix of his speed and his strong arm to win a Heisman trophy and create excitement in Waco. Griffin III passed for over 10,000 yards and rushed for 2,254 while responsible for 111 touchdowns.

Harrell embodied Texas Tech's high-octane offense. He threw for 15,793 yards and 134 touchdowns (only 34 interceptions) in his college career with 5,705 yards in the 2007 season alone. He holds the record for most completions in a season, most games passing for 400 yards in a season, most career 400-yard games and most seasons with 4,000 yards passing. 

Jackson may join only Michael Vick as the most dangerous athletes to play quarterback in college. He threw for over 9,000 yards and rushed for 4,132 yards in three seasons with 69 passing and 50 rushing touchdowns. He won the Heisman Trophy in his sophomore season, and you could argue his junior season was just as good.

Jones left Oklahoma with 16,646 passing yards and 123 touchdown passes — the yardage total is third best all time. Sure, he made some bad passes at some crucial times and he didn't get the Sooners back into the elite status, but he was one of the most consistent quarterbacks and went 3-1 in bowl games. 

Check out Keenum's last three full seasons as a Cougar: 44 touchdowns; 44 touchdowns; 48 touchdowns. In fact, as a senior Keenum threw for 5,631 yards, 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions in leading Houston to a 13-1 record. For his career, he passed for 19,217 yards and 155 touchdowns.

After spending his freshman season behind Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer, Leinart took hold of the starting job his sophomore season and never looked back. He threw for over 10,600 yards and 99 touchdowns in three seasons and won the 2004 Heisman Trophy award and a now-vacated national championship. USC went 37-2 with Leinart as a starter.

Luck took over the Cardinal starting quarterback job as a freshman and quickly became one of the best signal-callers in the nation. In three seasons, he threw for over 9,400 yards and 82 touchdowns in a pro-style offense. He finished second in the Heisman voting in both 2010 and 2011, becoming just the fourth player to do so. 

Manning had a fantastic career despite following his father at Ole Miss and being the brother of Peyton Manning. Eli took over the Rebels' starting job his sophomore year and tallied 10,119 yards and 81 touchdowns. He set or tied 45 school records.

The son of Archie Manning angered many by not following his dad to Ole Miss, but Peyton did fine in Knoxville. He threw for over 11,200 yards and 89 TDs and was statistically one of the best passers in SEC history. Manning was 39-6 as a starter, but critics point to what he didn't do as a Volunteer (four losses to Florida; no Heisman Trophy; the Vols won the national championship the year after he graduated). 

His college career may have been short, but it was definitely sweet. In just two seasons, "Johnny Football" threw for over 7,800 yards and 63 touchdowns while rushing for 2,169 yards and 30 TDs. He became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy award when he threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 1,410 rushing yards and 21 rushing scores. 

Marino went 33-3 in his first three seasons at Pitt and led the Panthers to top-10 finishes in each of his four years in college. He broke most of the school's passing records and threw a touchdown pass with 25 seconds left in the 1982 Sugar Bowl to beat Georgia. 

Mariota's statistics were downright ridiculous. In his Ducks career, he threw 105 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions and won 36 of 41 games. He also ran for over 2,200 yards and 29 scores and caught two touchdown passes during his time in Eugene. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner set several school and Pac-12 records in just three seasons of play.

Mayfield was a freshman walk-on starter at Texas Tech before transferring to Oklahoma. The move proved smart, as he would throw for over 14,600 yards and 131 touchdowns (plus 21 rushing scores) and win the 2017 Heisman Trophy. He led the Sooners to three Big 12 titles and a trip to two College Football Playoffs.

Counting his redshirt season, McCarron won three national championships while at Alabama, including starting the 2011 and 2012 BCS championship victories. He threw 77 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions, and the Crimson Tide were 36-4 in the three years McCarron was the starter. He finished second for the Heisman Trophy in 2013.

McCoy was a four-year starter at Texas and was one of the best quarterbacks in school history. He finished in the top three in the Heisman voting twice. In his junior year, he threw for 34 touchdowns and ran in 11 more. For his career, he threw for 13,253 yards and 112 touchdowns while also running for 1,571 yards and 20 TDs. 

McMahon began his Cougars career as their punter but would soon have one of the best careers in BYU history. As a junior, he took a stranglehold of the job and would throw for 47 TDs and 4,571 yards and in the Holiday Bowl against SMU, he pulled off one of college football's greatest comebacks. He left BYU owning 70 records. 

McNair played at Division I-AA Alcorn State, but his highlights were still shown with the big boys during his career. He would throw for 15,010 yards and 122 TDs. In his senior season, he tossed 47 touchdowns and threw for more than 5,300 yards. (He also rushed for 904 yards and nine touchdowns while finishing third in the Heisman voting.) 

Moore threw for 14,667 yards and 142 touchdowns (to just 28 interceptions) during his outstanding Boise State career. He went 50-3 as the Broncos starter and in 2009 led the team to a 14-0 record and a Fiesta Bowl win. Those three losses were by a combined five points. 

Namath played before quarterbacks threw all the time, but his leadership caused Bear Bryant to name him the best athlete he ever coached. The Crimson Tide went 29-4 during Namath's career and won the 1964 national championship. Stats don't do justice to his impact, but he did throw for 24 touchdowns and ran for 15 more. 

We all can point to Newton's magical 2010 season. He would throw for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns and would rush for 1,473 yards and 20 more touchdowns in leading Auburn to an undefeated national championship. Newton won the Heisman Trophy and would become the top overall pick in the NFL draft. Even as a freshman at Florida, he ran for three touchdowns in limited action backing up Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. 

When a college quarterback can win an award named after him, he is a pretty great player. O'Brien starred at TCU during the 1930s and won the Heisman Trophy in 1938. He backed up Sammy Baugh until his junior season, and he still owns the record for most rushing and passing plays in a single season.

Plunkett threw for at least 2,100 yards in each of his three seasons as the Cardinal starter. He threw for 7,809 yards in his college career and 63 total touchdowns and won the 1970 Heisman Trophy. He was one of the first Pac-8 quarterbacks to embrace a pass-heavy offense. 

Rivers passed for 13,484 and 95 touchdowns in Raleigh and started 51 consecutive games for the Wolfpack. He set several ACC passing records, including passing touchdowns. He was the MVP of the 2000 MicronPC Bowl, 2003 Gator Bowl and 2003 Tangerine Bowl.

Before he was the "ol' head ball coach," Spurrier was a Heisman-winning quarterback at Florida. He threw for 4,848 yards and 36 touchdowns and is still the only player from a losing team to win Sugar Bowl MVP.

Staubach was a great dual threat while at the Naval Academy. He set a school record of 4,253 total yards (though his career 18 TD passes and 19 interceptions don't fully tell his importance in impact). He is the last player from a military academy to win the Heisman Trophy.

Stewart set several Colorado passing records despite running the Buffaloes option offense. His stats (6,481 pass yards, 33 TDs, 1,289 rush yards, 15 TDs) don't tell the entire story, as he ran the offense to near perfection. Colorado went 25-6-2 in his three seasons as a starter with an 11-1 mark in his final season. (The only loss was to national champion Nebraska.)

Tebow was a backup his freshman year but still was key to the Gators' national championship squad, throwing and rushing for a touchdown in the title game. The next year he became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. In his junior season, Tebow would lead the Gators to another national championship and, while finishing third in the voting, garnered the most first-place votes for the Heisman. He finished his career with over 9,200 yards passing and 2,900 yards rushing with 145 total touchdowns.

Vick wasn't the first dual-threat quarterback, but he revolutionized what the position could be. His redshirt freshman season was sensational, leading the NCAA in passing efficiency, finishing third in the Heisman voting and leading the Hokies to an 11-0 record and a national championship game against Florida State (where he was fantastic). He went 22-2 at Virginia Tech and was one of the most feared offensive players ever.

Ward was such a great athlete that after graduating from Florida State he had a lengthy NBA career, primarily with the New York Knicks. (He also was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers and was a decent tennis player.) He was mainly a starter in his final two seasons, with his senior season being simply magical (Heisman Trophy winner, national championship). His Heisman win is the third largest in history. 

Ware went to Houston after his dream school, Texas, wouldn't promise he could play quarterback. Instead, he ran Houston's run-and-shoot offense to perfection, tossing 75 touchdowns and passing for 8,202 yards. He won the 1989 Heisman Trophy after passing for nearly 4,700 yards and 44 TDs. 

Watson threw for 10,168 yards and 90 touchdowns and rushed for 1,934 yards and 26 TDs in his three years at Clemson. He took the Tigers to two consecutive national championship games, where he left Alabama head coach Nick Saban perplexed. In his last game, he led the final game-winning drive to win Clemson's first title in nearly 40 years. 

Sure, Weinke was a bit older than your typical college quarterback (he was a 25-year-old freshman), but he led the Seminoles to three consecutive national championship games and the 1999 national championship. The following season, he led the nation in passing and won the Heisman Trophy. He was 32-3 as a starter.

White suffered from multiple ACL injuries, which limited his speed and his time on the field. Still, his junior and senior seasons were among the best in college football. In those two years alone, he combined to throw for 7,051 yards and 75 touchdowns and won the 2003 Heisman award. He also led the Sooners to consecutive BCS championship games, but they lost each time.

White passed up a baseball career to quarterback the West Virginia Mountaineers. In Morgantown, he is the only quarterback to ever start and win four bowl games...with two of those being BCS bowls. He piled up 6,051 yards passing (56 TDs) and 4,480 rushing yards with 47 more touchdowns.

Off-field issues dampened Winston's career, but on the field it was one of the best. Florida State went 26-1 in his two seasons in Tallahassee, with the Seminoles winning a national championship and Winston winning a Heisman Trophy. His career stats: 7,964 yards; 65 passing touchdowns; seven rushing touchdowns. 

Not only did Wuerffel have individual success (Heisman Trophy, 10,875 yards and 114 TDs passing), but his Gators also found team success (four straight SEC championships). He became the first quarterback to finish with a passer rating of 170 or better in consecutive seasons. He also is just one of two Heisman Trophy winners to win the Draddy Trophy (now the William V. Campbell Trophy) for the top college football scholar-athlete. 

Young took the baton from Jim McMahon at BYU and ran with it. In his final two years in Provo, he threw for 7,002 yards and 51 touchdowns while rushing for 851 yards and 18 scores. In his final college game, Young caught the game-winning touchdown on a halfback pass. Along the way, he broke many school and WAC records.

Vince Young was just so tough to deal with. In three years in Austin, Young threw for over 6,000 yards and 44 TDs and ran for 3,127 yards and 37 touchdowns. His effort in consecutive Rose Bowls — including the 2006 game when he was amazing in beating USC for the national championship — place him in college football lore.