The Top 50 College Quarterbacks of the 21st Century

When thinking of the greatest college quarterbacks of the 21st century a few names will instantly pop into your head.

Of course depending on all the factors that individualize us those names can range from the likes of Tim Tebow, Vince Young and Matt Leinart to Ken Dorsey, Carson Palmer, Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell, maybe Pat White, Sam Bradford or Philip Rivers.

The point is most of us can agree, to a certain degree, on who the top five to 10 quarterbacks of the last 10 years are, but after that it comes down to opinion, to memory, to bias, to BSC vs. Non-BSC, to winners vs losers, to Heismans, to an endless list of what qualifies someone to be a great college quarterback.

When ranking the top 50 signal-callers of the 21st century, the decisions from first to last were difficult and long debated. You might think it would be hard to come up with 50 names, but after digging around for awhile it was actually harder to narrow it down.

Personal statistics and awards, win-loss record and level of competition are all taken into consideration.

A player's entire collegiate career counts toward the rankings, even years before 2000.

50. Michael Vick, Virginia Tech (1999-2000)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 3,279 / TD: 21 / INT: 12
Rushing Yards: 1,216 / TD: 17

Best Individual Season: 1999

Passing Yards: 1,840 / CMP%: 58.8 / TD: 12 / INT: 5
Rushing Yards: 580 / TD: 8

Michael Vick, huh? His statistics for the 21st century aren't overwhelming, in fact he played better individually in 1999. But if you remember Vick's college days and can move past what came years later, you'll see a young kid who had about as much athleticism as anyone to ever play the game. Vick didn't change college football the way he changed the NFL, but he still did thinks you just didn't see quarterbacks do.

49. Nate Davis, Ball State (2006-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 9,223 / TD: 74 / INT: 22
Rushing Yards: 501 / TD: 10

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 3,591 / CMP%: 64.3 / TD: 26 / INT: 8
Rushing Yards: 312 / TD: 5

Davis started all three of his seasons at Ball State before forgoing his senior season for the NFL. As a junior, he led the Cardinals to a 12-0 regular season and a trip to the Mid American Championship game where they lost to Buffalo. He set a school record with 30 touchdowns as a sophomore and goes down as arguably the best quarterback in school history.

48. Chase Holbrook, New Mexico State (2004-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 11,921 / TD: 85 / INT: 41

Best Individual Season: 2006

Passing Yards: 4,619 / CMP%: 70.0 / TD: 34 / INT: 9

The WAC tends to get left behind when you talk about the best quarterbacks and while that can be understood if you're talking Heisman candidates and top five quarterbacks, that doesn't mean you should leave guys like Chase Holbrook off the list. His best numbers came as a sophomore though and that lowers his place somewhat.

47. Kyle Orton, Purdue (2001-2004)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 8,918 / TD: 61 / INT: 24
Rushing Yards: 333 / TD: 6

Best Individual Season: 2004

Passing Yards: 3,090 / CMP%: 60.7 / TD: 31 / INT: 5
Rushing Yards: 112 / TD: 3

Kyle Orton's career at Purdue really took off his senior season when he doubled his touchdown output from the year before and only threw five interceptions. One of the most impressive parts of Orton's game is that he never threw double-digit interceptions in any year of his career.

46. Timmy Chang, Hawaii (2000-2004)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 16,789 / TD: 114 / INT: 78

Best Individual Season:

Passing Yards: 4,258 / CMP%: 59.5 / TD: 38 / INT: 13

Timmy Chang set the NCAA FBS record for career passing yards at 16,789. He's also thrown more interceptions than any quarterback in college football history so its difficult to find a balance between the good and the bad from his years at Hawaii.

His two major records nearly offset each other, but you can't disregard the guy who threw for more yards than anyone else ever has.

45. Joe Flacco, Delaware (2006-2007)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 7,046 / TD: 41 / INT: 15
Rushing Yards: 76 / TD: 9

Best Individual Season:

Passing Yards: 4,263 / CMP%: 63.5 / TD: 44 / INT: 5
Rushing Yards: 22 / TD: 4

Joe Flacco left Pitt for a better situation at Delaware and ended up setting 20 school records for passing and standing out to NFL scouts despite playing Division I-AA. He led Delaware to the National Championship in 2007, but lost badly to Appalachian State. His 2007 numbers are some of the best single-season stats you'll ever find for a quarterback though.

44. Ricky Santos, New Hampshire (2004-2007)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 13,165 / TD: 123 / INT: 33
Rushing Yards: 1,516 / TD: 30

Best Individual Season: 2005

Passing Yards: 3,797 / CMP%: 70.2 / TD: 39 / INT: 9
Rushing Yards: 505 / TD: 8

Ricky Santos is one of the best Division I-AA quarterbacks in history and led New Hampshire to a 37-14 record. He's third in NCAA history for career passing touchdowns with 123 and career passing yards with 13,165. He was a three-time All-American and the recipient of the Walter Payton Award in 2006. It's hard to compare Division I-AA to the top-tier programs, but respect must be given where it's deserved.

43. Aaron Rodgers, California (2003-2004)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 5,469 / TD: 43 / INT: 13
Rushing Yards: 336 / TD: 8

Best Individual Season: 2004

Passing Yards: 2,566 / CMP%: 66.1 / TD: 24 / INT: 8
Rushing Yards: 126 / TD: 3

Aaron Rodgers came to Cal from Butte Community College in 2003 and earned the starting job by the fifth game of the season. He led the Golden Bears to an 8-6 record and then only lost one regular season game in 2004. Rodgers is considered one of the best active NFL quarterbacks, but he didn't truly blossom at the collegiate level.

42. Tyler Palko, Pittsburgh (2002-2006)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 8,342 / TD: 66 / INT: 25
Rushing Yards: / TD:

Best Individual Season: 2006

Passing Yards: 2,871 / CMP%: 68.3 / TD: 25 / INT: 9

Tyler Palko played as a true freshman in 2002, but had little impact and then red-shirted the following year. From 2004 to 2006, he led the Panthers to a winning season just once, but was consistently one of the best quarterbacks of the Big East. He finished his college career with the second-most touchdown passes in school history.

41. Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan (2006-2009)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 12,905 / TD: 102 / INT: 36
Rushing Yards: 2,948 / TD: 47

Best Individual Season: 2009

Passing Yards: 3438 / CMP%: 69.7 / TD: 29 / INT: 7
Rushing Yards: 713 / TD: 15

Comparing the Mid American Conference to BCS conferences complicates matters because the competition Dan LeFevour faced at Central Michigan isn't in the same league as the competition Tyler Palko faced at Pitt. LeFevour has he most career total touchdowns in NCAA history though and that has to be recognized.

40. Rudy Carpenter, Arizona State (2005-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 10,491 / TD: 81 / INT: 35

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 3,202 / CMP%: 61.8 / TD: 25 / INT: 10

Rudy Carpenter was one of the best quarterbacks in Sun Devils history and started more consecutive games than any QB for Arizona State since Jake Plummer. There aren't a whole lot of Pac-10 quarterbacks with over 10,000 career yards in the last 10 years; that makes up for the fact that his career ended on the losing trail.

39. Josh Freeman, Kansas State (2006-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 8,078 / TD: 44 / INT: 33
Rushing Yards: 343 / TD: 20

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 2,945 / CMP%: 58.6 / TD: 20 / INT: 8
Rushing Yards: 404 / TD: 14

Freeman set numerous single-season and career passing records for Kansas State. He has the most career passing yards in school history and is one of two QBs to account for over 60 touchdowns. In 2008, Freeman emerged as one of the best dual-threat signal-callers in the country.

38. John Beck, BYU (2003-2006)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 11,021 / TD: 79 / INT: 34

Best Individual Season: 2006

Passing Yards: 3,885 / CMP%: 69.3 / TD: 32 / INT: 8

John Beck was the second true freshman to ever start at quarterback for BYU. He was First-Team All-Mountain West both his junior and senior years, leading the Cougars to a 10-2 record in 2006 and finishing the season as a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award.

37. Chase Clement, Rice (2005-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 9,785 / TD: 99 / INT: 34
Rushing Yards: 1,741 / TD: 25

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 4,119 / CMP%: 66.7 / TD: 44 / INT: 7
Rushing Yards: 693 / TD: 12

Statistically, Chase Clement is one of the best quarterbacks in NCAA history and a terrific dual-threat passer who put up some monster numbers in 2008. He's one of the best quarterbacks in Conference USA history; if he'd done it in a major conference against big time competition he might be right up at the top of this list.

36. JaMarcus Russell, LSU (2004-2006)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 6,625 / TD: 52 / INT: 21
Rushing Yards: 79 / TD: 4

Best Individual Season: 2006

Passing Yards: / CMP%: 67.8 / TD: 28 / INT: 8
Rushing Yards: 142 / TD: 1

JaMarcus Russell really made his mark as a junior in 2006, leading the Tigers to a 10-2 regular season and a 41-14 beat down of Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. He had one of the strongest arms of any quarterback in college football history, but the talent didn't come together on the field for long enough.

35. Erik Ainge, Tennessee (2004-2007)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 8,700 / TD: 72 / INT: 35

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 3,522 / CMP%: 62.6 / TD: 31 / INT: 10

Erik Ainge struggled with nagging injuries for the majority of his college career, from neck problems to finger problems and everything else in between. He managed to stay on the field most of the time though, so you have to give him credit for that. Ainge is another player that didn't really hit his stride until his senior year though.

34. Andre Woodson, Kentucky (2004-2007)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 9,360 / TD: 79 / INT: 25

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 3,709 / CMP%: 63.1 / TD: 40 / INT: 11

In 2007, Andre Woodson set an NCAA record with 271 pass attempts without an interception. His 40 touchdowns broke Danny Wuerffel's SEC record for passing touchdowns in one season. Woodson's 79 career passing touchdowns is a Kentucky school record.

33. Mark Sanchez, USC (2006-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 3,965 / TD: 41 / INT: 16

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 3,207 / CMP%: 65.8 / TD: 34 / INT: 10

Mark Sanchez only started for one year at USC, leading the Trojans to a 12-1 record and a victory in the Rose Bowl. If not for a loss to Oregon State, USC might have won a National Championship. Sanchez didn't leave a large sample to judge him by, but his one season at the helm was impressive nonetheless.

32. Max Hall, BYU (2007-2009)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 11,365 / TD: 94 / INT: 30
Rushing Yards: 199 / TD: 7

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 3,957 / CMP%: 69.0 / TD: 35 / INT: 14
Rushing Yards: 110 / TD: 4

Max Hall led BYU to a 32-7 record in three seasons as the the starting quarterback, but earned little recognition nationally due to a combination of a relatively soft schedule and a few tough losses over the years to Utah, FSU and TCU.

31. Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech (2000-2002)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 11,931 / TD: 91 / INT: 39

Best Individual Season: 2002

Passing Yards: 5,017 / CMP%: 67.3 / TD: 45 / INT: 13

Kliff Kingsbury left Texas Tech with 39 school records and was the first Texas Tech quarterback to beat both Texas and Oklahoma. He was also the recipient of the Sammy Baugh Trophy. Along with head coach Mike Leach, he helped bring a tradition of winning to the program that is still there today.

30. Kevin Kolb, Houston (2003-2006)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 12,954 / TD: 85 / INT: 31
Rushing Yards: 751 / TD: 21

Best Individual Season:

Passing Yards: 3809 / CMP%: 67.6 / TD: 30 / INT: 4
Rushing Yards: 141 / TD: 4

Like all Houston quarterbacks, its hard to determine exactly how they stack up against the other top signal callers in recent history. The Cougar's system as well as the level of competition in Conference USA is difficult to compare to the major conferences. Kolb still threw for the fifth-most career yards in NCAA history.

29. Todd Reesing, Kansas (2006-2009)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 11,194 / TD: 90 / INT: 33
Rushing Yards: 646 / TD: 15

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 3,888 / CMP%: 66.5 / TD: 32 / INT: 13
Rushing Yards: 224 / TD: 4

Todd Reesing is a player that tends to get overlooked, but don't be too quick to forget that he led the Jayhawks to a 12-1 record in 2007 and their first ever BCS bowl victory with a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. He holds school records for touchdowns and yards in a single season.

28. Chris Leak, Florida (2003-2006)

Career Stats: (2004-2006)

Passing Yards: 8,788 / TD: 72 / INT: 31
Rushing Yards: 243 / TD: 11

Best Individual Season: 2004

Passing Yards: 3,199 / CMP%: 59.6 / TD: 29 / INT: 12
Rushing Yards: 79 / TD: 2

Chris Leak didn't wow you statistically, although they're comparable to many of the players on this list. Unfortunately for him, you can bet he took a lot of heat at Florida all the way up until his senior year. That's when he silenced all his critics, leading the Gators to the 2007 BCS National Championship. Leak struggled at times, but when it came down to it he got the job done.

27. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas (2009-Present)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 4,519 / TD: 37 / INT: 12

Best Individual Season: 2009

Passing Yards: 3,627 / CMP%: 55.8 / TD: 30 / INT: 7

If you're an Arkansas fan, you're probably disappointed to find Mallet so low on the list, but he can only be judged on what he's done so far in his career, not what he's likely to do. In a year, he might have a claim to be one of the top ten of the 21st century.

26. Matt Ryan, Boston College (2004-2007)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 9,310 / TD: 56 / INT: 37

Best Individual Season:

Passing Yards: 4,507 / CMP%: 59.3 / TD: 31 / INT: 19

As a starter at Boston College, Matt Ryan led his team to 25-7. He is fifth in school history in career yards and completions and also helped the Eagles win the Atlantic Division of the ACC in 2007. He really blossomed as a senior, which doesn't help his cause on this list. If he'd put up the type of numbers he did in 2007 on a yearly basis it would be a different story; but as his career stands, you almost have to look at him as a one year sample.

25. Brad Banks, Iowa (2001-2002)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 3,155 / TD: 30 / INT: 7
Rushing Yards: 595 / TD: 7

Best Individual Season:

Passing Yards: 2,573 / CMP%: 57.8 / TD: 26 / INT: 5
Rushing Yards: 435 / TD: 5

Brad Banks started only one year for Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to an 11-2 victory and the No. 8 postseason ranking. If not for a loss to Iowa State, they would likely have gotten the chance to play for the National Championship.

Banks was the runner up for the Heisman as well and the recipient of the Davey O'Brien Award in 2002. More time at the helm and a title would have made Banks one of the top ten QBs on this list.

24. Alex Smith, Utah (2002-2004)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 5,203 / TD: 47 / INT: 8
Rushing Yards: 1,072/ TD:15

Best Individual Season: 2004

Passing Yards: 2,952 / CMP%: 67.4 / TD: 32 / INT:4
Rushing Yards: 631 / TD: 10

Alex Smith, in some ways, was the precursor to Tim Tebow. He ran Urban Meyer's spread offense in Utah before Meyer moved on to Florida and turned that same system into gold with Tebow's similar skill set.

Smith went 21-1 as a starter, was fourth in the voting for the 2004 Heisman and led the Utes to victories in the Fiesta Bowl and the Liberty Bowl.

23. Chad Henne, Michigan (2004-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 9,740 / TD: 87 / INT: 37

Best Individual Season:

Passing Yards: 2,508 / CMP%: 62.9 / TD: 22 / INT: 8

Chad Henne was the first quarterback to start as a true freshman for Michigan in over 30 years when he took the helm in 2004. The Wolverines finished the year with a crushing 38-37 loss to Texas in the Rose Bowl, but Henne put up one of the best performances you'll ever see from a freshman.

He holds school records in career passing yards, career passing touchdowns and career completions. He took a lot of heat for the program's collapse over the course of his career, but Michigan's failures had more to do with the rest of the roster than the quarterback.

22. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame (2007-2009)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 8,148 / TD: 60 / INT: 27

Best Individual Season: 2009

Passing Yards: 3,722 / CMP%: 68.0 / TD: 28 / INT: 4

Jimmy Clausen doesn't have the illustrious awards or records of some of the other quarterbacks on this list, but he also didn't play with too much talent around him either; that's probably why he declared early for the NFL draft.

Clausen was an All-American in 2009 and one of the top quarterbacks in the country. His most important achievement came in 2008, that's when he led the Irish to a victory over Hawaii to snap Notre Dame's NCAA record nine-game bowl losing streak.

21. B. J. Symons, Texas Tech (2000-2003)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 6,049 / TD: 56 / INT: 26

Best Individual Season: 2003

Passing Yards: 5,833 / CMP%:5.4 / TD: 52 / INT: 22

B.J. Symons only started one season at Texas Tech, but put up the best single-season numbers in history. In 2003, he passed for over 5,800 yards, the highest total in NCAA history as well as 52 touchdown passes, the second highest total in NCAA history.

Its difficult to determine exactly where his best placement on this list is when there is only a one season sample. Was Symons a product of the Tech System or the star quarterback some think he was?

20. Brian Brohm, Louisville (2004-2007)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 10,775 / TD: 70 / INT: 24

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 4,024 / CMP%: 65.1 / TD: 29 / INT: 12

Brian Brohm led Louisville to their first ever BCS victory with a 24-13 win over Wake Forest in the 2007 Orange Bowl. That came after Louisville's best season in 2006 in which both Brohm and teammate Michael Bush were Heisman candidates.

While his best personal season came in 2007, the Cardinals went a disappointing 6-6 and missed the postseason for the first time in a decade.

19. Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt (2002-2005)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 8,697 / TD: 59 / INT: 36
Rushing Yards: 1,256 / TD: 17

Best Individual Season: 2005

Passing Yards: 3,073 / CMP%: 59.1 / TD: 21 / INT: 9
Rushing Yards: 215 / TD: 1

Jay Cutler had the unfortunate pleasure of playing his college football at Vanderbilt. He started 45 games, a school record, and never missed a game due to injury.

The Commodores were 11-35 during his tenure though and kept him out of the national stage until it came time for NFL draft talk. He's the best quarterback in school history and might have been much higher if he'd played for a more competitive program.

18. Matthew Stafford, Georgia (2006-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 7,731 / TD: 51 / INT: 33

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 3,459 / CMP%: 61.4 / TD: 25 / INT: 10

Matthew Staford is one of the best quarterbacks in Georgia school history. Coming in as a true freshman to start all three years he attended; he holds the school record for single-season touchdowns at 25. He also led the Bulldogs to three straight bowl game victories.

A two time All-American, if not for Sam Bradford's out of this world 2008 campaign, Stafford might have had a chance at the Heisman his third and final collegiate year.

17. Eli Manning (2000-2003)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 10,119 / TD: 81 / INT: 35

Best Individual Season: 2003

Passing Yards: 3,600 / CMP%: 62.4 / TD: 29 / INT: 10

Eli Manning left Ole Miss with 45 different single-game, single-season or career school records. He's fifth all-time in the SEC in career passing yards and third in the SEC in career passing touchdowns. In his best season, he led the Rebels to a 10-3 record and a classic victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl.

That year he was the recipient of the Maxwell Award and the SEC Player of the Year. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, but got edged out by Jason White and Larry Fitzgerald.

16. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame (2003-2006)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 11,762 / TD: 95 / INT: 39

Best Individual Season: 2005

Passing Yards: 3,919 / CMP%: 64.9 / TD: 32 / INT: 7

Brady Quinn's tenure as the starting quarterback of Notre Dame is an up and down tale. He shattered the school's passing records, won more games than any other quarterback in school history (29) and was a two time Heisman Trophy Finalist.

Quinn's 17 losses are also the most in school history though and capped his college career with a 41-14 beatdown by LSU in the sugar bowl.

15. Colt Brennan, Hawaii (2005-2007)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 14,193 / TD: 131 / INT: 42
Rushing Yards: 547 / TD: 15

Best Individual Season: 2006

Passing Yards: 5,549 / CMP%: 72.6 / TD: 58 / INT: 12
Rushing Yards: 366 / TD: 5

Colt Brennan holds 30 NCAA Division I college football records, including the record for most passing touchdowns in a single season at 58. His 131 career touchdowns was formerly the all-time record until Graham Harrell broke it in 2008.

Brennan is generally underrated because of the level of competition he faced at Hawaii, but he was still a Heisman Finalist in 2007 and led the Warriors to a 12-0 regular season record that year to earn the No. 10 ranking in the country.

14. Case Keenum, Houston (2007-Present)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 12,950 / TD: 102 / INT: 36
Rushing Yards: 791 / TD: 20

Best Individual Season: 2009

Passing Yards: 5,671 / CMP%: 70.3 / TD: 44 / INT: 14
Rushing Yards: 158 / TD: 4

Case Keenum is somewhat undervalued mostly due to the fact that Houston runs the spread offense and plays in Conference USA. Yes, he doesn't have the same level of competition as some of the other players on this list, but he still has a year to go; that has to be taken into consideration.

He'll likely finish his college career with the NCAA mark for career touchdowns and passing yards.

13. Troy Smith, Ohio State (2003-2006)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 5,720 / TD: 54 / INT: 13
Rushing Yards: 1,197 / TD: 14

Best Individual Season: 2006

Passing Yards: 2,542 / CMP%: 65.3 / TD: 30 / INT: 6
Rushing Yards: 233 / TD: 1

Troy Smith started for only two years at Ohio State and might have been higher on the list if he'd accumulated more stats. As it is, he lost only two games as a starter; the second coming to Florida in the 2007 BCS Championship.

His 2006 Heisman campaign was headlined by a 24-7 beatdown over Texas that got the wheels churning for his eventual victory. Smith's 2,540 Heisman votes was the most ever for a quarterback and third-most at any position.

12. Carson Palmer, USC (1999-2002)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 11,818 / TD: 72 / INT: 43

Best Individual Season: 2002

Passing Yards: 3,942 / CMP%: 63.2 / TD: 33 / INT: 10

Carson Palmer didn't really hit his stride as a quarterback until his senior season in 2002. That was when Norm Chow came in as the new offensive coordinator and helped develop Palmer into the star player everyone remembers.

He won the Heisman Trophy in 2002, setting single-season school records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, and completions. His 11,818 career passing yards were a Pac-10 record at the time and his 72 passing touchdowns set a school record.

11. Pat White, West Virginia (2005-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 6,051 / TD: 56 / INT: 23
Rushing Yards: 4,480 / TD: 47

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 1,724 / CMP%: 66.7 / TD: 14 / INT: 4
Rushing Yards: 1,335 / TD: 14

White is considered by many to be the best quarterback in West Virginia Mountaineers' history. He was a natural leader and playmaker that lit up highlight reels for years. His starting record of 34-8 is the best in school history and sixth best in NCAA history.

He's also holds the NCAA record for rushing yards by a quarterback and is the only Division I QB to win four bowl games.

10. Jason White, Oklahoma (2001-2004)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 7,913 / TD: 81 / INT: 24

Best Individual Season: 2003

Passing Yards: 3,846 / CMP%: 61.6 / TD: 40 / INT: 10

Jason White tore his ACL in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, but came back to win the Heisman in 2003 after leading the Sooners to a 12-0 regular season record. He's one of three quarterbacks in NCAA history to win the Davey O'Brien Award twice, but his history of the school is somewhat soured by postseason defeat.

White took Oklahoma to the BCS title game in both 2003 and 2004, but lost both games. His college career ended with an embarrassing 55-19 loss to USC in the 2004 Championship game.

9. Chase Daniel, Missouri (2005-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 12,515 / TD: 101 / INT: 41
Rushing Yards: 975 / TD: 10

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 4,306 / CMP%: 68.2 / TD: 33 / INT: 11
Rushing Yards: 253 / TD: 4

Chase Daniel holds relatively every passing record for Missouri and his career 13,256 total offensive yards are the most in school history. In 2007 and 2008, he was one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

He led the Tigers to a 12-2 record in 2007, a victory over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl and the No. 4 postseason ranking; the highest mark in school history.

8. Philip Rivers, NC State (2000-2003)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 13,484 / TD: 95 / INT: 34

Best Individual Season: 2003

Passing Yards: 4491 / CMP%: 72.0 / TD: 34 / INT: 7

Philip Rivers left NC State with pretty much every passing record for the ACC. His 51 career starts were an NCAA FBS record. He is fourth all-time in career passing yards and eight all-time in career passing touchdowns. Rivers' career 9.55 yards per attempt average is the best of any quarterback in history.

A somewhat unappreciated quarterback in his time, Rivers was the ACC Player of the Year in 2003, but wasn't invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation despite his stellar season.

7. Colt McCoy, Texas (2006-2009)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 13,253 / TD: 112 / INT: 45
Rushing Yards: 1,589 / TD: 20

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 3,859 / CMP%: 76.7 / TD: 34 / INT: 8
Rushing Yards: 561 / TD: 11

Colt McCoy started four years for the Longhorns, winning 45 games—the most by any quarterback in NCAA history. He was the runner-up for the 2008 Heisman and as a senior won 13 of the top 15 major college player awards including quarterback of the year, offensive player of the year and outstanding football player of the year.

A great pocket passer who could also do with his legs as well, McCoy might have gone down as the top quarterback in Texas history if he hadn't gotten injured in the 2010 BCS Championship and watched his team lose to Alabama from the sidelines.

6. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma (2007-2009)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 8,403 / TD: 88 / INT: 16

Best Individual Season: 2008

Passing Yards: 4,720 / CMP%: 67.9 / TD: 50 / INT: 8

If not for a shoulder injury that robbed him of his junior season and an early exit to the NFL, Sam Bradford might have gone down as the greatest pocket-passer of the 21st century.

His 2008 season with 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions playing in the Big 12 is just ridiculous. It earned him pretty much every major college football award there is; including the Heisman Trophy.

5. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech (2005-2008)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 15,793 / TD: 134 / INT: 34

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 5,705 / CMP%: 71.8 / TD: 48 / INT: 14

Harrell is one of the most decorated passes in NCAA history. He's second all-time in career passing yards and tied for first in career all-purpose touchdowns. His 134 career passing touchdowns is the most in NCAA FBS history.

As a pure passer, he's one of the best in college football history. Harrell is also one of the toughest competitors you'll ever find; he threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns after breaking his throwing hand in a 2008 game.

4. Ken Dorsey, Miami (1999-2002)

Career Stats:

Yards: 9,565 / TD: 86 / INT: 28

Best Individual Season: 2002

Yards: 3369 / CMP%: 56.5 / TD: 28 / INT: 12

Ken Dorsey might not have had the strongest arm or the most talent, but he was winner in the purest sense of the word. He led the Hurricanes to a 38-2 record in his three-plus seasons as the starting quarterback.

A two-time Heisman Trophy Finalist, Dorsey led the Hurricanes to the 2001 National Championship and was a controversial overtime call away from a second straight championship in 2002.

3. Vince Young, Texas (2004-2005)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 4,885 / TD: 38 / INT: 21
Rushing Yards: 2,129 / TD: 26

Best Individual Season: 2005

Passing Yards: 3036 / CMP%: 65.2 / TD: 26 / INT: 10
Rushing Yards: 1050 / TD: 12

Vince Young only played two years at Texas, but definitely left his mark in that short time. As a red-shirt sophomore he led the Longhorns to an 11-1 record and their first Rose Bowl victory.

In 2005, he exploded for one of best season's any dual-threat quarterback has ever had. That earned him the Davey O'Brien Award and one of the most thrilling National Championship victories of the modern era.

2. Matt Leinart, USC (2003-2005)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 10,693 / TD: 99 / INT: 23

Best Individual Season: 2004

Passing Yards: 3,322 / CMP%: 65.3 / TD: 33 / INT: 6

Matt Leinart had big shoes to fill when he became the Trojans new starting quarterback after Heisman winner Carson Palmer and there's little doubt he did even better than his mentor.

He went 36-2 as a starter, led his team to an AP National Championship in 2003, a BCS National Championship in 2004, won the Heisman in '04 and nearly won it again in '05.

1. Tim Tebow, Florida (2006-2009)

Career Stats:

Passing Yards: 9,285 / TD: 88 / INT: 16
Rushing Yards: 2947 / TD: 57

Best Individual Season: 2007

Passing Yards: 3286 / CMP%: 66.9 / TD: 32 / INT: 6
Rushing Yards: 895 / TD: 23

Tim Tebow is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in college football history and has a legitimate claim to being the best that ever played the game.

He was the first sophomore to win the Heisman, a two time Maxwell Award winner, a two time First-Team All-American and led the Gators to the 2008 National Championship.