Ranking the Best College Football QB Seasons Since 2000
Since the turn of the millennium, college football has been littered with incredible season-long performances from star quarterbacks.
For several of these players, the mere mention of their name—Cam Newton and Joe Burrow, in particular—conjures up very specific memories.
Man, he was unstoppable that year.
The main factors are total production, team record and individual impact with a consideration to the context of each season. For example, the typical pace of offenses in 2025 was much faster than in 2005.
10. Vince Young, Texas (2005)
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Since this 2005 campaign, many other players have matched or surpassed his numbers. That much is undeniable.
In the moment, however, Vince Young was legendary.
The first top-level QB to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a season, Young propelled Texas to a memorable national championship in 2005. He punctuated that upset of USC with a last-second touchdown run.
In total, Young completed 65.2 percent of his passes at a sizzling 9.3 yards per attempt. He also tallied 6.8 yards per carry, totaling 38 touchdowns to a modest 10 interceptions while leading the Longhorns to a perfect 13-0 record.
USC's Reggie Bush won the Heisman Trophy, but Young finished as the runner-up with a mountain of other awards—including the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien.
9. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama (2018)
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There is a strong argument that Tua Tagovailoa deserves a higher spot for a hyper-efficient season with Alabama in 2018.
Boasting a 69.0 completion rate, the southpaw torched Bama's opponents for 3,966 yards and 43 touchdowns to six picks. Tagovailoa added 190 yards and five scores on the ground, as well.
What stings is how the season ended. Clemson put together a blowout in the national title, preventing the Crimson Tide's hope for a back-to-back crown.
Tagovailoa, though, had a sensational year in his first as a starter.
8. Jameis Winston, Florida State (2013)
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Aided by an overwhelming defense, the Seminoles mostly cruised to 14-0 and beat Auburn to win a national championship.
Still, that should not diminish Jameis Winston's impact.
A redshirt freshman, he dazzled in his debut with 381 total yards and five touchdowns. That showing at Pitt set the stage for a season in which Winston passed for 4,057 yards, scampered for 219 more and accounted for 44 scores.
Winston came up clutch in the title game, hitting Kelvin Benjamin for a winning touchdown in the closing seconds of FSU's 34-31 triumph.
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7. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (2017)
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An all-time great college quarterback, Baker Mayfield starred at Oklahoma with a trio of top-four Heisman Trophy finishes.
The gunslinger's finest year happened in 2017.
En route to winning that prestigious award, he connected on 70.5 percent of his attempts with 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns to only six interceptions. Mayfield chipped in 311 yards and five scores as a runner, even catching a touchdown.
Also, he planted a flag at midfield in Ohio State's stadium and told Kansas fans to cheer on KU basketball. Truly incredible work from Mayfield.
Oklahoma won a third straight Big 12 title, made the College Football Playoff and vaulted Mayfield toward being the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
6. Lamar Jackson, Louisville (2016)
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In terms of how much fun it was to watch a certain QB, Lamar Jackson is easily one of the highest-ranked players ever.
As a passer, Jackson was imperfect, sure. But he did a great job avoiding killer mistakes and regularly hit explosive plays, throwing for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Most memorably, he made an absurd highlight reel as a runner.
Largely on designed runs—with a dose of dynamic scrambling—he sped, spun, side-stepped and shook defenders in jaw-dropping fashion. Jackson rushed for 1,571 yards and 21 scores, surpassing the 100-yard mark in eight games.
Although a late slide dropped Louisville to 9-4, he hoisted the Heisman Trophy and a slew of other national awards.
5. Kyler Murray, Oklahoma (2018)
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Oklahoma enjoyed a ridiculously great QB run under Lincoln Riley, starting with Mayfield and continuing to Kyler Murray.
After spending a year as Baker's backup, Kyler took the reins in 2018. He matched his predecessor with a 12-2 record, Big 12 title and CFP trip, taking home another Heisman Trophy for the Sooners.
Murray's numbers were gaudier, too.
Beyond a Big 12-best 69.0 completion rate, he passed for 4,361 yards and 42 scores to seven interceptions. Murray, a smaller QB yet electric anyway, also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 scores.
Murray followed in Mayfield's footsteps as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
4. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (2012)
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Johnny Football.
The moment you hear the nickname, you probably have highlights in your head. The game-winning touchdown at Ole Miss, the upset at Alabama or any number of scrambles throughout his prolific 2012 season.
Johnny Manziel burst onto the college scene, rising from an unknown QB to the first-ever freshman to win a Heisman Trophy.
While hitting 68.0 percent of his throws, he racked up 3,706 yards and 26 scores to nine interceptions. He avoided a hundred sacks and broke a thousand tackles—give or take a few—while running for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns, carrying Texas A&M to an 11-2 season.
Manziel is one of the more unforgettable college QBs in history.
3. Tim Tebow, Florida (2007)
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During his freshman year, Tim Tebow built a reputation as a short-yardage bully who helped Florida win a national title. The next season, he assumed the full-time starting role and turned into a four-quarter monster.
Tebow posted a 66.9 completion rate, passing for 3,286 yards—at a strong 9.4 per attempt—and 32 touchdowns with six interceptions.
And he simply wasn't fun to tackle.
While powering his way to 895 rushing yards, Tebow scored 23 more times. That versatility and production sent him to the Heisman Trophy, even as Florida dealt with a couple of tight losses on the path to 9-4.
Tebow followed his breakout sophomore year in style, winning a championship in 2008 and adding a third top-five Heisman finish in 2009.
2. Cam Newton, Auburn (2010)
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Cam Newton, in the kindest possible manner, was unreal.
Basically out of nowhere, he provided an all-time season for Auburn. Following a brief stint at Florida, Newton transferred to a JUCO in Texas and won a national title at Blinn College. He was a coveted QB, but nobody saw this coming from Newton.
The dual-threat star passed for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns with seven interceptions while scampering for 1,473 yards and 20 scores. Newton, the runaway Heisman winner, carried Auburn from unranked to a title contender.
And we mean carried.
Thanks to Newton's spectacular year, Auburn overcame a thin receiving corps and average defense to secure a national championship at 14-0.
1. Joe Burrow, LSU (2019)
10 of 10
On the total opposite side of Newton's situation, Joe Burrow had a stacked group of skill-position players at LSU. Hindsight has helped us see Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson develop into annual All-Pro talents in the NFL.
Nonetheless, the extent of Burrow's excellence is impossible to ignore.
One year earlier, he threw for 2,894 yards and 16 touchdowns to five interceptions with 399 yards and seven scores on the ground. Fine, not great.
Burrow proceeded to shatter records in 2019, leading the nation in completion rate (76.9), passing yards (5,671) and touchdowns (60). Throw in 368 rushing yards, and he became the first to surpass 6,000 of total offense in a season. As you would anticipate, Burrow dominated the Heisman vote.
LSU capped that campaign in the only acceptable way, shredding Oklahoma and Clemson in the CFP to win an emphatic national title at 15-0.
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