Every 3,000-Yard Passer in SEC History

Saturday Down South has built an exclusive, searchable database of every SEC quarterback who has thrown for 3,000 yards in a season. We scoured and compared media guides and statistical websites, found and fixed occasional mistakes and omissions, and created a one-of-a-kind database.

One notable caveat: Our interactive database includes 3,000-yard passers from every current SEC team — even if the player didn’t play in the SEC. Those players are noted with an * by their name. Spencer Rattler and Quinn Ewers are noteworthy because they appear in the database multiple times — with and without an * by their name, based on when and where they were at the time they threw for 3,000 yards. Jalen Hurts* didn’t throw for 3,000 yards at Alabama, but he did at Oklahoma, before the Sooners joined the SEC. So he’s included — with the * — along with every other Sooners QB who topped 3,000 yards. (Yes, that’s Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel, the first 3,000-yard passer in Oklahoma football history.)

The big takeaways? One, the database reinforces the belief that the SEC has forever preferred a run-first style of play. That helps explain why there are almost 3 times as many 1,000-yard rushers in SEC history as there are 3,000-yard passers. It also shows the difference in playing styles, as Oklahoma and Mizzou QBs take up 7 of the top 11 spots in an all-inclusive top 20 single-season passing yards list. And all 7 played before the Sooners and Tigers joined the SEC.

The numbers also reveal a recent shift in philosophy: There were 71 3,000-yard passing seasons from 2010-2024 — more than half of the total of 3,000-yard seasons in SEC history.

Perhaps most emphatically, the database shows that Joe Burrow’s single-season passing yards record might be the most unbreakable mark in the entire SEC record book.

Let’s take a deep dive into the complete history of 3,000-yard passers in the SEC entering the 2025 season.

SEC’s 3,000-Yard Passers

Entering the 2025 season, more than 120 QBs at current SEC schools have thrown for 3,000 yards in a season. Here is the complete list of every SEC QB who has thrown for 3,000 yards in a season (* indicates the player was not in the SEC at the time):

Every SEC Team’s First 3,000-Yard Passer

Pick your favorite watering hole in SEC country. You could be tailgating in The Grove, imbibing on Broadway, pregaming at Walk-ons or The Loose Cockaboose outside Willy B. It doesn’t matter where. This is the easiest bar bet you’ll ever win:

Who was the first SEC quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards in a season?

You’ll probably hear Peyton Manning or Tim Couch. Maybe Danny Wuerffel (even though he wasn’t even Florida’s first 3,000-yard passer).

The correct answer? Vanderbilt’s Kurt Page, who threw for 3,178 yards in 1983 — a full 30 years before Alabama produced its first 3,000-yard passer.

Here’s is every SEC team’s first QB to throw for 3,000 yards in a season (* indicates the player wasn’t in the SEC at the time):

Every SEC Team’s Single-Season Record Holder for Passing Yards

In 2021, Bryce Young (Alabama) and Will Rogers (Mississippi State) became the most recent SEC QBs to set their school’s single-season passing yards record.

Here’s every SEC team’s record holder, entering the 2025 season (* indicates the player was not in the SEC at the time):

Top 25 Passing Seasons in SEC History

This chart is for the SEC purists. To qualify, a player had to play in the SEC. Here are the SEC’s Top 25 QBs for passing yards in a season:

What the Top 25 Passing Seasons Would Look Like …

Here’s the Top 25 for most passing yards in a season if we include QBs on current SEC teams who didn’t play in the SEC at the time (* indicates player did not play in the SEC):

3,000-Yard Passing Seasons by SEC School

Oklahoma has more 3,000-yard passing seasons than any SEC team — though the Sooners enter 2025 looking for their first 3K passer in the SEC. Here is every SEC school’s total of 3,000-yard passing seasons, entering 2025:

Chris Wright

Managing Editor

A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.