‘The U’ Series

Spanning the last 25 years, Saturday Down South has looked at the quality and volume of each SEC program’s NFL Draft picks at the quarterback position to determine which school deserves the title of Quarterback U. Auburn and Texas A&M have had Heisman winners and a couple noteworthy starters, but the overall depth of pro talent established by others keeps the Tigers and Aggies just outside of this list.

Which SEC team deserves the title of Quarterback U?

3. Florida (Draft Picks: Danny Wuerffel, Jesse Palmer, Rex Grossman, Tim Tebow) — Steve Spurrier coached three of these guys, all pocket passers, but the headliner was Tebow, the Gators’ courageous leader in the late 2000s who won two national titles and a Heisman during his career under Urban Meyer as a dual-threat playmaker … Spurrier’s personal favorite was Fun-N-Gun facilitator Wuerffel, a 1996 Heisman winner and national champion … Grossman was a consensus All-American in 2001 and nearly won the bronze statue.

Career totals in Gainesville

  • Tebow: 12,232 yds of offense, 145 total TD
  • Wuerffel: 10,500 yds of offense, 122 total TD
  • Grossman: 9,031 yds of offense, 83 total TD
  • Palmer: 3,631 yds of offense, 37 total TD

2. LSU: (Draft Picks: Josh Booty, Craig Nall, Rohan Davey, Matt Mauck, JaMarcus Russell, Matt Flynn, Zach Mettenberger) — LSU’s seven draft picks at the position is the most at any SEC program since 1989, but several were non-factors at the next level … Nall was a career second-teamer for the Tigers and accounted for five times as many pro touchdown passes (5) than his total in college … Mauck’s legacy was a 2003 national title and his No. 18 jersey now being part of tradition, worn annually by LSU’s best representative of the program on and off the field … Russell, a former No. 1 overall pick in 2007 who won 21 games in 25 starts at LSU, is considered one of the biggest Draft busts of all-time … Mettenberger’s the only quarterback in school history to throw for 2,500 or more yards in back-to-back seasons … He was drafted in the sixth round by Tennessee in 2014.

Career totals in Baton Rouge

  • Russell: 6,704 yds of offense, 56 TD
  • Mettenberger: 5,470 yds of offense, 35 TD
  • Davey: 4,492 yds of offense, 29 TD
  • Mauck: 4,176 yds of offense, 42 TD
  • Booty: 3,868 yds of offense, 24 total TD
  • Flynn: 3,436 yds of offense, 36 TD
  • Nall: 366 yds of offense, 0 TD

1. Georgia (Draft Picks: Eric Zeier, Quincy Carter, David Greene, D.J. Shockley, Matt Stafford, Aaron Murray) — Greene won the SEC Championship in 2002 and graduated as the winningest quarterback in Division I history with 42 wins over a four-year span … That record was later broken by Colt McCoy at Texas … Stafford was the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 overall pick in 2009 and is one of four NFL quarterbacks to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season … Murray, the SEC’s all-time leading passer and four-year starter, tossed a 43-yard touchdown pass on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers for his first NFL completion … In three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2001-03), Carter threw for 5,839 yards with 29 touchdowns in 31 starts.

Career totals in Athens

  • Murray: 13,559 yds of offense, 137 total TD
  • Greene: 11,260 yds of offense, 77 total TD
  • Zeier: 10,841 yds of offense, 71 total TD
  • Stafford: 7,944 yds of offense, 57 total TD
  • Carter: 7,053 yds of offense, 46 total TD
  • Shockley: 4,198 yds of offense, 41 total TD