Top five Texas college football QBs of the millennium
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (BVM) — The quarterback position is without a doubt the most important on the football field. With times shifting to the spread offense, having the right style of quarterback is key to any team’s success.
In the 84 years in which the Heisman Trophy has been awarded, 36 of the winners have been quarterbacks. Even more impressive, it has been awarded to quarterbacks in 16 of the past 17 years.
Ranking these field generals can be quite a task. But we took a look at a smaller sample size of these successful players: college quarterbacks that manned the position in the state of Texas. There have been so many great Texas quarterbacks that only two of the five we ranked have won the Heisman Trophy during their career.
The five quarterbacks we ranked are: Patrick Mahomes, Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin III, Case Keenum, and Vince Young.
Each player that was selected had their best individual season stats examined. The results were placed into five different categories. Each category had a maximum of 10 points and a minimum of one point. Each player could receive a maximum score of 50. Two players scored 42, which led to a tie. A tiebreaker was implemented to determine who would earn the top spot on the list. In this case, the winner of the Heisman Trophy determined who was No. 1.
Conference prestige and the strength of their opponents was also looked at to help determine increased or decreased scoring in each category.
The categories were:
- Passing yards per game
- Percentage of total offense
- Total touchdowns per game
- Winning percentage
- Passer rating
5. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech (2016)
Total score: 30
Passing yards per game: 421 (Score: 8)
Percent of team’s total offense: 68% (Score: 6)
Total touchdowns per game: 3.5 (Score: 4)
Winning percentage: 54% (Score: 5)
Passer rating: 147.2 (Score: 7)
Games played: 12
Playing only 2½ seasons at Texas Tech, Patrick Mahomes stepped into the spotlight when he took the field against the Baylor Bears on Nov. 25, 2016. When he threw for 598 yards and six touchdowns, it was obvious the Red Raiders had found their signal-caller.
He flew under the radar in the 2017 NFL Draft when he fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Mahomes has prospered in Andy Reid’s offense and is the highest-paid player ever in the history of the NFL. In 2018, he was named the league MVP, last year he led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years and was also named Super Bowl MVP.
4. Vince Young, Texas (2005)
Total score: 34
Passing yards per game: 233.5 (Score: 5)
Percent of team’s total offense: 61% (Score: 6)
Total touchdowns per game: 2.9 (Score: 3)
Winning percentage: 100% (Score: 10)
Passer rating: 163.9 (Score: 10)
Games played: 13
Deemed the most dominant national championship team in the last 20 years, the 2005 Longhorns took the crown from defending national champion USC in the Rose Bowl. Young single-handedly led Texas to victory and iced the game with his iconic fourth-down touchdown run.
After winning the national championship, Young declared for the 2006 NFL Draft. At times he showed glimpses of his college greatness, but his professional career would falter. Nonetheless, Young is one of the greatest quarterbacks to have graced the gridiron in Texas.
3. Robert Griffin III, Baylor (2011)
Total score: 36
Passing yards per game: 330 (Score: 8)
Percent of team’s total offense: 77% (Score: 8)
Total touchdowns per game: 3.6 (Score: 4)
Winning percentage: 65% (Score: 7)
Passer rating: 158.9 (Score: 9)
Games played: 13
After a subpar 2010 season, the Baylor Bears bounced back with a surprising 2011 campaign. With Robert Griffin III manning the quarterback position, the squad opened with a two-point victory over rival TCU. As the season progressed, Griffin and the Bears went toe to toe with the No. 5-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. In one of the most memorable games of the year, Baylor upset OU.
Griffin also captured the Heisman Trophy that year and graced the cover of the NCAA Football 13 video game as well. Following his final collegiate season, Griffin entered the NFL and was the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Redskins. Griffin was a rising superstar in the league. He set records for highest passer rating (102.4) and the highest touchdown to interception ratio (4:1) by a rookie quarterback.
Griffin had a lot of promise, but one injury changed that. Since then, Griffin has been part of the Cleveland Browns and is currently backing up Lamar Jackson on the Baltimore Ravens. Say what you want about Griffin, but he was one of the best signal-callers to come out of Texas.
2. Case Keenum, Houston (2011)
Total score: 42
Passing yards per game: 402.2 (Score: 10)
Percent of team’s total offense: 93% (Score: 9)
Total touchdowns per game: 5.9 (Score: 5)
Winning percentage: 94% (Score: 8)
Passer rating: 174.0 (Score: 10)
Games played: 14
Under Kevin Sumlin, Case Keenum set numerous NCAA passing records. Playing in the new-age offense, the spread, Keenum torched his C-USA opponents every Saturday afternoon.
In his final season, Keenum led the Cougars to an undefeated record. Looking for an at-large berth in the BCS, they marched into the C-USA title game. Facing the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Keenum and No. 7-ranked Houston seemed poised to put up big numbers and show they belonged in a New Year’s Six bowl game.
After coming up short, the Cougars went on to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions in the TicketCity Bowl. Keenum is one of the main reasons that Houston football is relevant today, and he is the second-best quarterback in this grouping.
1. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (2012)
Total score: 42
Passing yards per game: 285 (Score: 9)
Percent of team’s total offense: 70% (Score: 8)
Total touchdowns per game: 3.6 (Score: 7)
Winning percentage: 85% (Score: 8)
Passer rating: 155.3 (Score: 10)
Games played: 13
The best college quarterback in this group is none one other than Johnny Manziel. The only freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy electrified the sport. Manziel capped off one of the best freshman years ever for a quarterback by leading Texas A&M to a Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
In the following season, Manziel and the Aggies went 8-4 in the regular season, but a huge comeback against 2013 ACC runner-up Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl wrapped up an amazing career for “Johnny Football.”
Because he won the Heisman Trophy, he holds the tiebreaker over Case Keenum. Manziel also played in the SEC, which is arguably the best conference in college football.
If you were to factor success in the NFL, this list would likely be inverted with Patrick Mahomes claiming the top spot.
