The Best College Quarterbacks of the 2010s

"Big Natural" Stoney Keeley counts down his list of the top 10 quarterbacks of the 2010s.

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Another decade of college football is in the books. We’re still trying to process just how good the 2019 LSU Tigers were, and everyone’s already posted their look back at the decade that was (let’s face it – this post is about a month late, but give me a break. Shit happens). So, I figured I’d get in on all the action and list my picks for the top quarterbacks of the 2010s.

Honorable Mentions:

Robert Griffin III
Jalen Hurts
Trevor Lawrence
A.J. McCarron
Kellen Moore

The Best College Quarterbacks of the 2010s

10. Kyler Murray – Murray took the reins for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2018 and proceeded to light up scoreboards all over the Big 12. He posted 4,361 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, 1,001 rushing yards, and 12 rushing touchdowns. It was good enough to get him the Heisman Trophy that year.

9. Deshaun Watson – There’s still apart of me that thinks Watson deserved that 2016 Heisman Trophy over Lamar Jackson. If the Heisman voting took place after the postseason, maybe he would have. Nonetheless, it is what it is. Watson is still a National Championship winning quarterback for the Clemson Tigers. He finished his career with 10,168 passing yards, 90 passing touchdowns, 1,934 rushing yards, and 26 rushing touchdowns.

8. Baker Mayfield – Mayfield’s career numbers (in four seasons with Texas Tech and Oklahoma) are just gaudy – 14,607 passing yards, 131 passing touchdowns, 1,083 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, and a receiving touchdown. His best season came in 2017, when he scored 48 total touchdowns and took home the Heisman Trophy.

7. Johnny Manziel – He may have been an absolute shit show, but damn it if Johnny Football wasn’t an absolute electric factory back at the beginning of the decade. During his tenure with the Texas A&M Aggies, Manziel accumulated 7,820 passing yards and 63 passing touchdowns, with 2,169 and 30 touchdowns on the ground. He famously took down Alabama in 2012, and won the Heisman Trophy that season.

6. Lamar Jackson – Perhaps the most dynamic pure athlete in the history of the position in college football, I feel like Jackson’s case would be a bit stronger had he won more with the Louisville Cardinals (their record with him at quarterback was 25-14). 30 passing touchdowns and 21 rushing touchdowns in 2016 helped win him the Heisman that year. He’d finish his career with 9,043 passing yards, 69 passing touchdowns, 4,132 rushing yards, and 50 rushing touchdowns. Those numbers are ridiculous. Now, he’s the reigning NFL MVP.

5. Tua Tagovailoa – So much pure talent at the quarterback position…such a legendary come-up in the 2017 National Championship game, stepping in for Hurts. But, the Heisman eluded him his entire career with the Alabama Crimson Tide. It shouldn’t take away from his staggering 87 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns, though. He’s in the discussion for the greatest arm of the decade. If he can get healthy, he could be a star in the NFL.

4. Jameis Winston – Winston’s Heisman Trophy and National Championship winning season with the Florida State Seminoles in 2013 was a sight to behold. 4,057 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns, with four more scores on the ground. He finished his two-year career with 7,964 passing yards and 72 total touchdowns. He parlayed that success into being selected first overall in the NFL Draft the following spring.

3. Cam Newton – Newton’s 2010 season with the Auburn Tigers was the stuff of legend. He tallied 2,854 passing yards with 30 passing touchdowns, 1,473 rushing yards with 20 rushing touchdowns, AND a receiving touchdown. He won the Heisman that year, as the Tigers went 14-0, with a National Championship win. No one was going to stop Newton that year – if he produced like that for more than one season, we could be talking about him as the greatest college quarterback of all time.

2. Marcus Mariota – Mariota’s Oregon Ducks featured some of the most prolific offenses in college football history. In his three years with the Ducks, Mariota amassed 10,796 passing yards, 2,237 rushing yards, and 136 total touchdowns (105 passing, 29 rushing, and two receiving). He was the rightful Heisman Trophy winner during the 2014 season, in which the Ducks made it all the way to the National Championship before losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s the greatest dual-threat quarterback of the decade.

1. Joe Burrow – Maybe you guys will call recency bias on me, but I truly believe Burrow just completed one of if not the best quarterback season in college football history. That LSU Tigers offense was historic – Burrow’s 5,671 passing yards is the third most in FBS history. His 60 passing touchdowns are the most in a single season. He won the Heisman Trophy, LSU went undefeated en route to the National Championship, and he’ll likely be the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. That’s the stuff of legend, folks.

So, that’s it. That’s my list. If you think it’s shit, let me know in the comments.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley