B/R CFB 250: Top 22 Pro-Style Quarterbacks
Bleacher Report's CFB 250 is an annual ranking of the best players in college football, regardless of NFL potential.ย Brian Leigh and Kynon Codrington have studied, ranked and graded the top athletes in the country, narrowed that list to 250 and sorted by position. Today, we present the Top 22 Pro-Style Quarterbacks.
Are pro-style quarterbacks a dying breed? If not, they're a decaying one. College football values versatility, and with more and more teams adopting uptempo, spread and zone-read principles, the appeal of having a dual-threat quarterback is obvious.
The long-term sustainability of the pocket quarterback depends on those who actively play the position. As long as there are great pro-style players, there will always be pro-style schemes. Only when the last dinosaur dies can the next epoch begin.
Seven of the top nine pocket quarterbacks from last year's CFB 250ย are no longer in school, which threw the position into even more flux this season. Would anyone step up to fill the void? Or would the world keep spinning in the direction of dual-threat QBs?
That is what we're here to find out.
Before we start, please note that these players were gradedย as college quarterbacks,ย not on how they project as NFL quarterbacks.
Targeted skills such as arm strength are important at both levels, but there is a difference between college arm strength and professional arm strength. If a quarterback slings it well enough to hit his marks in the SEC or the Big 12, it doesn't matter that he can't stretch the field against the NFC North. At least not here, it doesn't.
This is all about his college performance.ย ย
Note: If two players finished with the same grade, a subjective call was made based on whom we would rather have on our team right now.
22-17. Nova, Webb, Liufau, Kiel, Doughty, Mason
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22. Gary Nova, Rutgers
Accuracy: 19/25; Arm Strength: 16/20; Pocket Presence: 6/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 15/20; Leadership: 12/15.
Gary Nova used to be a punchline but earned some fans with a scrappy senior season. He is willing and able to push the ball downfield, but he misses so many easy throws and commits so many boneheaded turnovers that itโs hard to ignore the bad for the good.
21. Davis Webb, Texas Tech
Accuracy: 20/25; Arm Strength: 16/20; Pocket Presence: 6/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 16/20; Leadership: 11/15.
Davis Webb has great size (6โ5โ) and flashed impressive arm strength as a freshman in 2013. Before the season, Texas Tech head coachย Kliffย Kingsbury called him "one of those top-five pick talents," per Bruce Feldman of FoxSports.com. But as a sophomore Webb regressed in terms of accuracy and confidence and ended the season on the sideline with an injury. He will have to win his job back from freshman Patrick Mahomes next season.
20.ย Sefo Liufau, Colorado
Accuracy: 20/25; Arm Strength: 15/20; Pocket Presence: 6/10; Mobility: 6/10; Football IQ: 16/20; Leadership: 12/15.
Sefoย Liufauย showed promise as a freshman in 2013 and improved across the board as a sophomore. Heโs an underrated athlete with a good arm, but he doesnโt have a great feel for the pocket, and he commits too many turnovers.
19.ย Gunner Kiel,ย Cincinnati
Accuracy: 21/25; Arm Strength: 17/20; Pocket Presence: 6/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 16/20; Leadership: 11/15.
Gunner Kiel continues to tantalize. He has a great frame (6โ4โ) and a big arm, and he proved early in the season that he could manage a high-scoring offense. But he doesnโt always move well in the pocket and had his first real college season derailed by a nagging rib injury.ย
18. Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky
Accuracy: 21/25; Arm Strength: 16/20; Pocket Presence: 6/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 16/20; Leadership: 12/15.
Brandon Doughty spins an accurate ball and had a great senior season under first-year head coach Jeffย Brohm. He has good size (6'3") and will go down as one of the best quarterbacks in Western Kentucky history, asย Marshall would surely attest.ย
17. Hutson Mason, Georgia
Accuracy: 22/25; Arm Strength: 15/20; Pocket Presence: 6/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 17/20; Leadership: 12/15.
Hutson Mason is what he is: a game manager. He is accurate enough to make a defense pay for stacking the box against the run, but he doesnโt have the arm to stretch the field or stick the ball into tight windows.
16-11. Heinicke, Brissett, Mannion, Thompson, Trickett, Cook
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16.ย Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominionย
Accuracy: 21/25; Arm Strength: 15/20; Pocket Presence: 6/10; Mobility: 6/10; Football IQ: 17/20; Leadership: 13/15.
Taylorย Heinickeย won the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy (the Walter Payton Award) as a sophomore in 2012 and gave Old Dominion a pulse during its FBS transition. He doesnโt have great size (6โ1โ) or arm strength, but he knows how to run an offense.
15. Jacoby Brissett, North Carolina State
Accuracy: 20/25; Arm Strength: 18/20; Pocket Presence: 7/10; Mobility: 6/10; Football IQ: 15/20; Leadership: 12/15.
Jacobyย Brissettย had some great moments during his first season at NC State. The Florida transfer has Ben Roethlisberger tangiblesโ6โ4โ, strong arm, sturdy frame, good mobilityโbut his accuracy cannot be trusted, and neither can his decision-making.
14. Sean Mannion, Oregon State
Accuracy: 21/25; Arm Strength: 17/20; Pocket Presence: 7/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 17/20; Leadership: 12/15.
Seanย Mannionย struggled withoutย Biletnikoffย Award winnerย Brandinย Cooks, a first-round NFL draft pick in 2014. Regardless, his mixture of size (6โ5โ) and arm strength and his resume of production over the past three years is something few active QBs can compete with.
13. Dylan Thompson, South Carolina
Accuracy: 21/25; Arm Strength: 17/20; Pocket Presence: 7/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 16/20; Leadership: 13/15.
Dylan Thompson went from solid backup to quality starter in 2014, helping South Carolina stay competitive despite fielding one of the worst defenses in America. He has a thin frame but one of the biggest arms in the SEC.
12. Clint Trickett, West Virginia
Accuracy: 22/25; Arm Strength: 16/20; Pocket Presence: 7/10; Mobility: 5/10; Football IQ: 17/20; Leadership: 13/15.
Clintย Trickettย bounced back from a rough junior season to salvage his career with a nice year in 2014. He is smart and accurate with the football and might have saved head coach Danaย Holgorsenโsย job by guiding West Virginia to a resurgent season.
11. Connor Cook, Michigan State
Accuracy: 21/25; Arm Strength: 17/20; Pocket Presence: 7/10; Mobility: 6/10; Football IQ: 17/20; Leadership: 13/15.
Connor Cook has turned a stale Michigan State offense into one of the best units in the Big Ten. He has great size (6โ4โ), a strong arm and all the qualities one looks for in a leader, but misses too many throws he should make.
10. Taylor Kelly, Arizona State
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Accuracy
Taylor Kelly throws an accurate ball on short and intermediate passes, which constitute a healthy portion of Arizona State's offense. However, his placement tends to wane on deeper throws. If not for having a 6โ4โ receiver like Jaelen Strong, his vertical efficiency would drop off a cliff.
Arm Strength
A big reason Kelly struggles with deep accuracy is because he struggles with deep balls in general. When he has a clean pocket and time to get his whole weight into a throw, he can drive it down the field with decent velocity. When he doesn't, the ball tends to flutter.
Pocket Presence
Again, Kellyโs effectiveness relies on having a clean pocket. When his blockers do their job in protection, he employs great footwork and makes confident decisions. When they donโt, his footwork regresses, and he doesnโt step into his throws.
Mobility
Kelly falls in the nebulous middle ground between pro-style and dual-threat quarterbacks. He works mostly from the pocket in ASU's timing-based offense, but he is a great athlete who can extend and make plays with his legs.
Football IQ
Kelly has solid football instincts. He anticipates receivers and consistently makes smart reads. He struggled with a foot injury that cost him three games in 2014, but when heโs healthy and trusts his legs, he knows the exact right moment to tuck the ball and run.
Leadership
Itโs hard to argue with Kellyโs results. He led Arizona State to a Pac-12 South championship in 2013 and had it ranked as high as No. 6 in the country during his senior year. Even when he first came back from his injury and didnโt always look right mechanically, he put the Sun Devils in a position to win.
Overall
Kelly is a smart, athletic, instinctive player who has won a lot of games the past three seasons. Nothing about him makes your jaw drop, but the aggregate of his tools makes for a pretty good college quarterback.
9. Christian Hackenberg, Penn State
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Accuracy
Christian Hackenbergย has missed some open receivers this season. Even on the rare occasion where heโs had enough time to throw, he hasnโt placed the ball where it needs to go on short and intermediate routes. He has flashed good accuracy on deep passes, but he must improve the other aspects of his game.
Arm Strength
Hackenbergย is right up there withย Jameisย Winston in terms of arm strength. He still needs some polish, but he makes some throws that nobody else in the country can make. He generates strength from his upper body, which allows him toย maintain power outside the pocketย when his feet arenโt perfectly set.
Pocket Presence
Penn Stateโs offensive line has been horrendous this season, which has more to do withย Hackenbergโsย high sack rate than his pocket presence does. Regardless, the way he handled pressure regressed throughout the year as he tried to force more and more plays.
Mobility
Hackenbergย is big-limbed (6โ4โ, 234 lbs) and clunky as a runner. He throws well on designed rollouts but isnโt a threat to improvise or tuck and run.ย
Football IQ
Hackenbergย learned Bill OโBrienโs system fast enough to start and play well as a true freshman. It hasnโt been as easy to learn James Franklinโs system, but one mustn't ignore how hard it is to start in two systems in two years. That will earn someโbut not allโof his decision-making and turnover issues a free pass.ย
Leadership
When the going got tough in 2014,ย Hackenbergย became visibly frustrated, at times berating teammates on the sideline. Still, he gets credit for holding true to Penn State after the Freeh Report, at which point it would have been easy for him to defect to a safer program. He held his recruiting class, and the future of his program, together.
Overall
Hackenberg was being talked about as a future No. 1 overall draft pick after starting as a true freshman and finishing the season strong. A new coaching staff and a porous offensive line led to drastic regression in 2014, but Hackenberg still cuts the figure of an All-American quarterback if he can work out some of the kinks. All eyes will be on him this offseason.
8. Brad Kaaya, Miami
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Accuracy
Brad Kaayaย has impressed with his accuracy, in many ways serving as an upgrade over Stephen Morris. He throws a catchable ball that hits receivers in stride, allowing speedy playmakers such as Duke Johnson and Phillip Dorsett to rack up yards after the catch. With bigger targets such as tight end Clive Walford, he makes sure toย keep the ball high,ย where only his man can catch it.
Arm Strength
Kaayaย wasnโt known as a huge-armed prospect coming out of high school, but he has been able to get the ball where it needs to go. He has good size (6โ4โ) but is still growing into his frame (209 lbs) and should continue to improve his velocity the next two or three years.
Pocket Presence
No area ofย Kaayaโsย game has been more impressive than his pocket presence. He is a cool customer when things start to break down, and heโs tough against an incoming rush. His footwork is solid and should also improve with experience.ย
Mobility
Kaayaย is a functional athlete, but he is not all that mobile. He is effective on rollouts but does not make a difference beyond the line of scrimmage.ย
Football IQ
Kaayaย struggled with interceptions at the start of the year, throwing nine in his first six games. Four of those, however, came in treacherous road environments (at Louisville and Nebraska), and he appeared to have learned from that baptism by fire, improving as the year went on.
Leadership
It is difficult for a true freshman to earn the respect of a veteran-heavy offense, but that is precisely whatย Kaayaย did. "Are we still considering him a freshman QB?" Duke Johnson askedย Matt Porter of theย Palm Beach Postย in mid-November. "Can we just call him Brad? Freshman QB doesnโt say much for him." He's right, you know.
Overall
Miami was forced to play Kaayaย as a true freshman after injuries, dismissals and slumps wiped out the middling group of players in front of him. In the process, it found more than just a quarterback of the future; it found a quarterback of the present too.
7. Shane Carden, East Carolina
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Accuracy
The mechanics are uglyโreal uglyโbut Shaneย Cardenย gets the ball where it needs to go. He leads the ball in front of receivers so they can run after the catch, which is crucial in a spread scheme such as East Carolinaโs. It says a lot about a quarterbackโs accuracy when his favorite receiver breaks the all-time FBS receptions record.
Arm Strength
Cardenย does not have a rocket arm, but he gets enough juice on his throws that he can thread it into pretty tight windows. Most of that is a product of ball placement, but his velocity helps more than it hurts.
Pocket Presence
Cardenโsย pocket presence is exactly what youโd expect from a third-year senior starter. He feels the rush well, doesnโt panic under pressure, adjusts his feet with poise and always keeps his eyes downfield.
Mobility
Cardenย is more of an athlete than a runner. He is coordinated and smooth but not overly fast, limiting what he can do outside the tackles. He showed a nose for the end zone with three short touchdown runs in two games against ACC competition (Virginia Tech and North Carolina) but is otherwise a strict pocket passer.
Football IQ
Cardenย is a difficult player to outsmart. He solved Bud Fosterโs Virginia Tech defense in an early-season upset of theย Hokies, finishing with 427 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. That and other attack-minded schemes have paid the price against ECU these past three years.
Leadership
ECU players love playing withโand forโtheir senior quarterback. He has been around for a long time and helped restore the Pirates as one of the best Group of Five programs in the country. โWhen [Carden] speaks, guys listen,โ former teammateย Vintaviousย Cooper told R. Cory Smith of theย Raleigh News & Observerย last season. โItโs as simple as that.โ
Overall
Cardenย had East Carolina ranked and flirting with a New Yearโs Day bowl for most of the season. Things spiraled out of control in the final month, but that is not enough to make us forget how good he was in getting the Pirates to that position in the first place.
6. Connor Halliday, Washington State
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Accuracy
Accuracy is the key tenet of Mike Leachโs offense, and Connor Halliday has it to spare. He throws with great timing and ball placement, delivering passes in front of his receivers at the precise moment they break from their routes. Interceptions are (and always have been) an issue, but that is a product of volume and scheme more than accuracy.
Arm Strength
Halliday has a strong arm that allows him to test the deep third. He gets good air under the ball in an offense that relies on vertical concepts. He has a tall, lean frame (6โ4โ, 201 lbs) and a quick release that does not require a windup to generate power.
Pocket Presence
Halliday has nimble feet and a good feel for the rush. He manipulates the pocket and steps into throws despite oncoming defender(s). With so many reps under his belt, he is inured to the feeling of pressure and stays cool when his protection starts to crack.
Mobility
Halliday is not necessarily slow, but he is a clunky, awkward runner who does not pose a threat outside the pocket. He is not one to make defenders miss and struggles to set his feet and throw on the run.
Football IQ
Leachโs offense requires a high football IQ to run. Thereโs a reason so many of hisย protegesย become successful coaches. Halliday is one of the most successful Leach quarterbacks ever, in large part because he can gauge the weak spot in a defense and attack. But he also makes a few too many boneheaded throws that result in interceptions.
Leadership
Halliday is a fiery leader who shows great poise and always wears his heart on his sleeve. He led Washington State to an unexpected bowl game in 2013, although it must be added that the team was a mess this season.
Overall
Halliday ended an up-and-down career with a decidedly โupโ senior season. His 2014 campaign was cut short by a gruesome leg injury, but before that he was posting some historic passing numbers.
5. Bryce Petty, Baylor
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Accuracy
When heโs on, Bryce Petty is one of the most accurate passers in the country. The deep throws he made in the fourth quarter against TCU were phenomenal. However, he was not "on" as often in 2014 as he was as a junior, missing open targets with semi-regularity. The result was a sharp decline in yards per attempt (10.8 to 8.4).ย
Arm Strength
Petty is aย physical freakย with a strong, sturdy frame and a powerful arm. He throws the slant especially well, zipping the ball into his receiversโ hands before opposing defensive backs have time to react. He is built like a linebacker (6โ3โ, 230 lbs) and might have the strongest lower body of any QB on this list. And he knows how to parlay that into arm strength.
Pocket Presence
West Virginia rattled Petty in Baylorโs only loss of the season by forcing him out of his comfort zone with the pass rush. He is typically much better than that, however, using good footwork and athleticism to keep plays alive. He is not afraid to stand in and take a hit.
Mobility
Petty is a great runner for someone who works so well from the pocket. He had 14 rushing touchdowns as a junior, although his workload has been truncated in 2014 (most likely because of the back injury he suffered in Week 1). According toย Bruce Feldman of FoxSports.com, Petty runs a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash, making him a dangerous blend of size and speed.
Football IQ
Petty has a sophisticated understanding of Artย Brilesโ offense but doesnโt always make the right read. He is aggressive taking shots down the fieldโsomething that should be applaudedโbut sometimes locks his eyes on the deep third when a safer, shorter completion might have been best. Despite this, Petty does well not to force the ball into coverage and has a sterling interception rate.
Leadership
Petty has taken Baylor to new heights, leading it to the most successful two-year stretch in program history. Hisย โready for OUโ stuntย was playful but risky; it easily could have backfired had Baylor laid an egg against the Sooners. Instead, Petty led the Bears to their first-ever win in Norman, 48-14.
Overall
Petty did not attain the personal success of Robert Griffin III at Baylor, but he led the team to heights even RGIII never flirted with. He will go down as one of the betterโif not most underratedโquarterbacks in Big 12 history.ย
4. Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
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Accuracy
Garrett Grayson is an accurate thrower who hits his spots at all levels of the field. His accuracy in Colorado Stateโs offense is similar to that of AJ McCarron, who ran the same scheme under Jimย McElwainย at Alabama. Most of his work is done in the middle third, but heย places the ball wellย on vertical throws outside the numbers too.
Arm Strength
Grayson does not have a huge arm, but neither does he have a small one. At 6โ2โ, 220 pounds, his velocity and zip are squarely above-average. There is nothing in Colorado Stateโs playbook that his arm is too weak to runโi.e., his arm is not a hindrance to the offenseโbut he relies on placement more than power when throwing into tight spaces.ย
Pocket Presence
Graysonโs comfort in the pocket and feel for the game took a big step forward this season. He does not allow himself to get flustered when things are breaking down. His footwork and athleticism help a lot in this regard.
Mobility
The system Grayson plays in asks the quarterback to work from the pocket, but that doesnโt mean he canโt run. He posted aย SPARQ rating of 109.77ย at the Nike combine tour in high school, anchoring that score with a 4.63 40-yard dash and a 4.13 shuttle. He is a smooth athlete who extends plays with his legs but doesnโt take his eyes off the action.
Football IQ
Grayson's football IQ is evident on tape and translates to paper. He finished the regular season with a QB rating of 171.26, first among players not named Marcus Mariota. An anonymous professional scout praised Grayson for his decision-making in early November, saying he has "really emerged" during his senior year,ย per NFL.com.
Leadership
Colorado State was 13-35 in the four seasons before Grayson took over as the full-time starter. He took the Rams to the postseason as a junior and led them to 10 wins in 2014. Even if he strugglesโas he did in the first half at Boston Collegeโhe never lets his team feel like itโs out of the game.
Overall
In 2009, Grayson was a 2-star recruit with limited college offers, despite having showed well on the high school camp circuit. Five years later, heโs a redshirt senior leading one of the most efficient offenses in the country. He never let that chip off his shoulder and morphed into a top-five pocket QB.
3. Cody Kessler, USC
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Accuracy
Cody Kessler ranks No. 2 in the country in completion percentage (70.7) despite playing in a pro-style system that does not rely on short, high-percentage routes. He is especially good down the middle of the field, where heย places the ball high enoughย to mitigate risky throws.
Arm Strength
Kesslerโs accuracyย needsย to be up there with the best in the country because he doesnโt have a big arm. He is undersized for the position (6โ1โ, 210 lbs) but doesn't generate torque a la Drewย Breesย or Russell Wilson. Even intermediate-length passes tend to float on him.
Pocket Presence
Here is where Kessler has made the biggest improvement. He was antsy when he first won the job as a sophomore in 2013, but now he has a strong command of the pocket. He feels the rush well and is shifty enough to avoid pressure andย throw from difficult angles.ย
Mobility
Kessler has good footwork in the pocket but isnโt what anyone would call โmobile.โ Heโs a decent athlete (in terms of coordination); heโs just not very fast or smooth.
Football IQ
Timing is one of the most difficult things for a quarterback to master, and Kessler has it down cold. He gets the ball where it needs to be (see: accuracy), when it needs to be there. He anticipates where his receivers are going and knows how to throw them open.
Leadership
Kessler has been through a fair amount of schematic upturn the past two seasons, but he has never looked any worse for it. Former head coach Laneย Kiffinย and current head coach Steveย Sarkisianย were assistants together under Pete Carroll, but it still takes a dependable leader to bridge the gap between two coaching regimes. A few small breaks are all that separated USC (8-4) from a nine- or 10-win season.
Overall
Kessler struggled to gain his footing at the start of 2013 but improved under interim head coach Edย Orgeronย and took off when the new regime came down from Washington this season. Heโs a departure from the strapping, huge-armed template of most USC quarterbacks but brings his own set of unique abilities to the position.
2. Jared Goff, California
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Accuracy
Jared Goff has been a quick study in Sonny Dykesโ spread offense, hitting his marks at all levels of the field. He doesnโt play overly conservative but still ranks toward the top of the country in interception rate, having thrown just seven picks on 509 attempts this season. When his receivers get a step, he sprinkles enough touch on the ball to get itย over the defensive backย but not too far for his intended target.
Arm Strength
Goff his a wiry arm that isnโt overpowering but gets the job done. He is 6โ4โ, 210 pounds and should continue getting stronger as he spends more time in a college weight program. He can stretch the field vertically or to the sidelines, powering the ball with a tight spiral and good zip.ย
Pocket Presence
Cal does not allow many sacks despite dropping back to pass with regularity. A big part of the credit there goes to Goff, who has a great feel for the position and knows when to get the ball out of his hands. He isnโt perfect,ย but heโs far ahead of the learning curve for a player his age.
Mobility
Goff can move the pocket but isnโt a threat as a runner. He has long, skinny legs and is not difficult for defenders to tackle. Backup Lukeย Rubenzerย relieves Goff in select packages, when the Bears want to use a more mobile QB.
Football IQ
Underclassmen have succeeded in Dykesโ offense (and other variants from the Mike Leach coaching tree), but few have done so in more impressive fashion than Goff. He was the less-touted QB from his recruiting class but beat Zach Kline for the job as a true freshman because he picked up the system so quickly. That Cal commits so few turnovers despite playing an attacking brand of offense is a testament to Goff's football IQ.
Leadership
Goff engineered a nice turnaround in his sophomore season. The Bears went 1-11 in 2013 but did not for a second look dispirited this following year. Goff inspires confidence in his teammates and nearly led Cal to a bowl game when doing so seemed impossible. He did enough to win on the road against a good Arizona team before a last-second Hail Mary by the Wildcats.
Overall
Goff has an arm with raving about and plays in the ideal offense for his skill set. Only a true sophomore, he is on pace to compete for some of the FBS career passing records as an upperclassmanโbut only if the NFL doesnโt snatch him up first.
1. Jameis Winston, Florida State
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Accuracy
Jameis Winston has not been as accurate in 2014 as he was in 2013, but heโs made enough good throws to score well. He leads receivers down the field on vertical routes, dropping the ball where they and only they can catch it. He trusts his arm enough toย attack small windowsย in big moments, which has helped Florida State engineer some memorable comebacks.
Arm Strength
Winston has a cannon, plain and simple. He is 6โ4โ, 230 pounds and gets every square inch of that frame behind his throws. Scouts will say his motion is elongatedโthat he has a โbaseball releaseโโbut he doesnโt have a problem getting velocity against pressure. He clocks a 97 mph fastball for the Seminoles baseball team.
Pocket Presence
Good luck trying to blitz FSU. Winston has the rare, innate ability to stand in the pocket until the last possible second and deliver an accurate throw. He is willing to take a hit when necessary, and he sets his shoulders well on designed rollouts.
Mobility
247Sports classified Winston as a dual-threat QB coming out of high school, but he hasnโt run with frequency at Florida State. His running style is awkward and clunky but serviceable, not unlike that of Ben Roethlisberger. He isnโt what one would call โfast,โ but heโs an athlete capable ofย making defenders missย in space.
Football IQ
Winston has thrown (a lot) more interceptions as a sophomore than he did as a freshman. The difference has been a slight regression in his decision-making; too often he tries to make something happen instead of opting for a safer throw. Still, he sees the field as well as any college quarterback, especially in the deep third. He learns from mistakes and adjusts to what a defense gives him, which has led to some huge second halves.
Leadership
Florida State has won the first 26 starts of Winstonโs career. Before him, the most consecutive wins by a QB at the start of his career was 19. His off-field antics landed him a suspension against Clemson, but even though he wasnโt allowed to play, he was vocal and supportive on the sideline. The father of Winstonโs backup, Sean Maguire,ย credited Winstonย for the role he played in prepping his son to start, per Natalie Pierre of AL.com.
Overall
Winston is one of the most successful players in college football history. What else do you want us to say? His off-field issues are myriad, but between the stripes he is a proven winner with a firm place in the mythology of the sport.
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