Fromm or Murray? Ranking every Georgia starting quarterback in the 21st century
By Phil Ervin
Published:
Georgia football. The program that’s perpetually knocking on the door but hasn’t quite made it all the way inside.
Often the man at the front of the pack, banging on the screen? The Bulldogs’ quarterback. We ranked all 12 QBs to attempt 100 or more passes for Georgia since 2000.
Might a new name appear high on this list if we did it again a year from now? JT Daniels and D’Wan Mathis might have something to say about it. Until then …
12. Joe Tereshinski III, 2003-06
A born-and-raised Athens boy with a proud family lineage, Tereshinski had the misfortune of injury and competing with the likes of D.J. Shockley and Matthew Stafford for the starting role. In 40 games, the current Charlotte assistant coach completed 57-of-106 passes for 794 yards, 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
11. Cory Phillips, 1999-2002
From walk-on to starter all the way down to third-stringer, Phillips had plenty of highs and lows during his time as a Dawg. The highs included throwing for 400 yards in 2 of his first 4 starts, including a comeback win over Kentucky his sophomore season.
10. Greyson Lambert, 2015-16
The transfer from Virginia completed 63% of his throws for over 2,000 yards but couldn’t quite beat out Jacob Eason for the full-time starting role.
9. Joe Cox, 2006-09
Cox spent most of his career backing up Matthew Stafford. When he got his shot in 2009, Cox produced mixed results as Georgia went 8-5. He threw for 2,584 yards and 24 TDs that season.
8. Hutson Mason, 2010-14
Mason sometimes doesn’t get enough love for his performance when thrust into action. His patience as Aaron Murray’s backup paid off as a senior when Mason led UGA to a 10-3 finish. He threw for 2,168 yards in 2014, with a sensational 21-to-4 TD/INT ratio.
7. Quincy Carter, 1998-2000
A man well-traveled, Carter ekes out eligibility for these rankings by virtue of playing his junior and final season in 2000. While that year wasn’t great, the former minor league baseball player went on to a lengthy NFL and indoor football career. He threw for 6,447 yards in his career with 35 TD passes.
6. D.J. Shockley, 2002-05
Regarded as coach Mark Richt’s first top recruit, Shockley to this day is one of the most electric players in program history. Was he erratic at times? Sure. But his ability to make big plays and keep drives alive with his feet shouldn’t go under-appreciated. Nor should his numbers: 3,555 yards, 34 TDs with just 9 INTs.
5. Jacob Eason, 2016-17
Things have turned out well for the 2020 4th-round NFL draft pick who transferred back home to Washington following his sophomore season. Before a knee injury and Jake Fromm’s rise bumped Eason down the depth chart, he threw for over 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns as a decorated true freshman. Maybe more than anyone else, Eason helped recreate the buzz of better days ahead.
4. Matthew Stafford, 2006-08
Remember, this is a college ranking. There’s no comparison after these guys left Athens. It’s somewhat surprising to see where Stafford ranks in metrics like passer rating (8th) among Georgia quarterbacks since 2000. But his intangibles, Georgia’s success during his tenure and his 7,731 passing yards still cement him as one of the finest to ever do it for the Dawgs. His yards and 51 TDs rank 4th among QBs on this list.
3. David Greene, 2001-04
Greene finished his career as the winningest quarterback in FBS history and in 2002 led Georgia to its first SEC title since Herschel Walker left two decades earlier. Greene set Georgia’s career records for passing yards (11,528) and TD throws (72), though both records have since been broken.
2. Aaron Murray, 2010-13
How do you pick between a program’s all-time leading passer and one who led it to the National Championship Game? You look at the results. If you’re a Dawgs fan, what would you rather have? Murray’s 13,166 passing yards, 121 touchdowns and 158.6 passer rating or …
1. Jake Fromm, 2017-19
… a College Football Playoff run from the likes of Fromm? In all honesty, it’s really hard to choose between the two. Fromm finished with 8,224 yards and 78 TD passes. He would have put up bigger career numbers had he stayed in college one more year (though he wasn’t catching Murray, who still holds SEC records for career yards and TDs). But Murray might have looked even better had he been surrounded by as much talent as Fromm. It’s a fun debate, but those are hypotheticals. So we give Fromm the slightest of edges here.
Phil Ervin is a veteran college football writer with experience covering both the SEC and Big Ten.
