DraftZoo College Football Players of the Decade: Quarterbacks

The decade is over.  Has been since January 1st if you’re not a big calendar guy.  So it’s time to take a look back at the aughts, or double-Os, or 2000s, or whatever.

For the next two weeks, we’ll be glancing out of our college football car windows at the ‘objects closer than they appear’ and giving you a rundown of the top ten players at every position over the last ten years.  Of course, this next part is very, very important to remember.

This has NOTHING to do with the NFL.  It’s not about how well they’ve performed in their pro careers thus far or how they projected as prospects for the next level.  This is purely about College Football.  Nothing else.  And oh yeah, guys that played only one season in this decade don’t count (Sorry Ladainian).  Basically, anyone from the 2002 NFL Draft on is eligible.

So, without further ado, here are the ten best college quarterbacks of the aughts (yeah, I’m going with aughts).  Enjoy, discuss, and please, for the love of all sanity, tell me why I’m wrong by visiting our CONTACT page.

10.) Rex Grossman, Florida
9164 yards, 77 TDs – 36 INTS, 61% Completion
Yeah, he had a pretty pedestrian senior season. The Gators weren’t anything special in Ron Zook’s first year, and Grossman got right in line with that trend. But he did play an amazing game against Auburn, pulling out a come-from-behind win in overtime on a bum leg. But it’s his sophomore season that lands him here. Before fellow-Gator Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman, Grossman’s second-place finish was quite the taboo. In fact, there are plenty that believe his sophomore totals of 3896 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 66% completion percentage were good enough to win the trophy. His NFL prospects haven’t helped, but Grossman under Steve Spurrier was a top ten quarterback for the aughts.

09.) Pat White, West Virginia
6049 yards, 56 TDs – 23 INTS, 65% Completion
White isn’t your typical quarterback. But you know that. His career passing yardage total won’t wow anyone, especially considering his lengthy career, but this guy did some amazing things. Leading West Virginia into national prominence and a puncher’s chance at the National Title Game is a bigger deal than some think. Then there’s the fact that no other QB in the sport’s history has ever won four bowl games. White was always a nightmare for defensive coordinators with his legs (4480 rushing yards, 47 rushing TDs), and his habit of breaking highlight runs and just plain winning earns him the ninth spot.

08.) Philip Rivers, North Carolina State
13,582 yards, 95 TDs – 34 INTs, 64% Completion
No one on this list threw for more yards than Rivers. And only two guys tossed more touchdowns, so maybe Rivers deserves a loftier ranking. But this is a competitive sport, and a competitive list (it’s pretty damn prestigious, too. Right?). Rivers was a gritty passer in college, who fueled a great run for the Wolfpack, and only once in four years of starting passed for fewer than 3000 yards. Had he won on a bigger stage, he’d be higher, but making NC State relevant is an accomplishment in itself.

07.) Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
8403 yards, 88 TDs – 16 INTs, 68% Completion
Who knows how high Bradford could have risen if he hadn’t dinged his wing as a senior. His freshman season was eye-popping, and I’d venture to say that no frosh has ever been as good from the git go. Then, we all know the sophomore story — 50 TDs, only eight picks, nearly 5000 yards through the air. He became the second second-year player to take home the Heisman, and led OU back to the BCS Title Game. He was a great one, and might have challenged for the top spot with a healthy junior season.

06.) David Greene, Georgia
11,528 yards, 72 TDs – 32 INTs, 59% Completion
That below 60% deal sticks out like a sore thumb, but Greene made up for it… in spades. Anytime you break a record held by Peyton Manning, you’re doing something right, and before Colt McCoy ruined it, Greene was the NCAA’s career leader in wins with 42, eclipsing Manning’s mark. Greene also led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record as a sophomore, including an SEC title and a Sugar Bowl victory. The Dawgs hadn’t been that good since winning it all in 1980, and they haven’t been as good since.

05.) Colt McCoy, Texas
13,253 yards, 112 TDs – 45 INTs
No one else on the list even broke the 100 TD passes barrier, but no one else tossed 45 picks either. Still, the most impressive part of McCoy’s resume will always be the record-setting mark of 45 career wins. That might never be broken in a 12-game season. Then there’s his NCAA single-season record of completing 76.6% of his passes. Colt never managed to win the Heisman, and fate cruelly dismissed him from his only title game appearance, but no one has ever won like this. He’s an all-timer at the college level.

04.) Matt Leinart, USC
10,693 yards, 99 TDs – 23 INTs, 65% Completion
Had Leinart beaten Texas in that fateful Rose Bowl, he might be the top guy on this list. But, alas, he’ll have to settle for fourth. Not bad. He led USC to one national title, and another top-ranking in the AP Poll. We’ll give him 1.5 titles. But his amazing command of the USC offense was more important than most think. Sure, his squads smacked of raw talent, but Leinart’s ability to run the point and fully utilize those skill players made the Trojans the most dangerous team of his era. He ranked in the top 10 in the nation in passer efficiency every year he started.

03.) Vince Young, Texas
6040 yards, 44 TDs – 28 INTs, 62% Completion
Okay, so I’ll admit I’m basing this ranking off of only one season, and really one game. But if you saw Young’s performance against USC in the Rose Bowl, you know I’m on track. Heck, even his first visit to Pasadena was scintillating as Young ran for four scores and tossed another in a one-point win. But his last season saw him put an entire team on his back and make them inVincible. He was the Texas attack that year, and he finished his career with over 3000 rushing yards in three seasons with 37 rushing TDs. He was indomitable, electric, and determined on every play. And there’s no doubt in my mind he deserved that Heisman he didn’t get.

02.) Ken Dorsey, Miami
8758 yards, 76 TDs – 26 INTs, 58% Completion
It’s going to take some real brain-stretching from the younger guys reading this list, but anyone conscious for the Dorsey era in Miami knows why he’s sitting at second. The guy played with ice water in his veins, and judging by his unflappable demeanor, maybe a little bit of valium in his system. Dorsey was the quintessential leader by example and was rewarded for it by presiding over a 34-game winning streak, the sixth-longest in history (and the longest since 1971). His stats weren’t drool-worthy at all times, but he never lost focus on his way to two Heisman finalist seasons, one Maxwell Award, three first team All-Big East selections, and two Offensive Player of the Year awards. Miami still hasn’t fully recovered from his departure.

01.) Tim Tebow, Florida
9285 yards, 88 TDs – 16 INTs, 66% Completion
Yeah, who’d you expect? This will likely be the last time I write about Tim Tebow the college football player, and considering the extensive explaining I’ve already done in this area, I won’t go on for two long. First sophomore to win the Heisman? Check. Only player to run and throw for over 20 TDs in one season? Check. Two national titles? Check. A Babe Ruth-style calling of his shot in a heated speech known only as “The Promise”? Check. Delivering on that promise? Check.

There has never been a player like Tebow before, and it’ll be a long while before we see anyone like him again, if ever. He was a leader, a teammate, a battering ram, a magician, and a champion. He changed the quarterback position in college football with his punishing style and unparalleled determination. He had some great talent at UF, but so did Grossman, Wuerffel, and Leak, and out of the four Tebow’s the only one to ever lead the Gators to an undefeated regular season. He struggled in the SEC Championship loss to Alabama as a senior, but his Sugar Bowl send-off against Cincinnati was the best passing performance I’ve ever seen by an NCAA QB. There’s not a team or coach in the country that wouldn’t have welcomed his presence.

Okay, I lied earlier. I went on too long.

Honorable Mention:  Joey Harrington (Oregon), Carson Palmer (USC), Byron Leftwich (Marshall), Eli Manning (Ole Miss), Colt Brennan (Hawaii), Alex Smith (Utah), Troy Smith (Ohio State), Eric Crouch (Nebraska), Chris Leak (Florida), Chad Henne (Michigan)