ESPN analyst ranks top college quarterbacks of the 2000s

ESPN analyst Bill Connelly published a story on Friday ranking the top 90 college quarterbacks of the 21st century.

The list, which Connelly updates on an annual basis, includes 5 newcomers who played in 2024: Dillon Gabriel, Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart and Kurtis Rourke. All now qualify as top-90 college quarterbacks since 2000, according to Connelly’s analysis.

As for the top of the list, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield retained the top spot. Mayfield beat out players like Auburn’s Cam Newton, Florida’s Tim Tebow, LSU’s Joe Burrow and Texas’s Vince Young, amongst others, for the No. 1 spot.

Here’s Connelly’s analysis on Mayfield in the No. 1 spot:

Newton, Young and Burrow had the best seasons. Mayfield had the best career. It began with him walking on at Texas Tech, quickly winning the starting job and throwing for 413 yards in his debut. He lost his job to injury, then traded up, landing at OU. The Sooners hadn’t won an outright conference title since 2010, but he led them to three in a row, with three top-five finishes and two CFP bids. His storybook career ended with him throwing and rushing for 4,938 yards and 48 TDs, winning the Heisman and bringing OU to within an eyelash of the national title game. He was so good that, despite non-prototypical size, the Cleveland Browns couldn’t resist making him the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft.

Oklahoma quarterbacks are extremely well-represented on this list, which is not a surprise given the Sooners’ penchant for winning Heisman Trophies this century. Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Sam Bradford, Landry Jones and Jason White all made the cut. As did Dillon Gabriel and Caleb Williams, who each spent time in Norman before transferring elsewhere.

Here’s what the full top-10 looks like, per Connelly:

1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
2. Cam Newton, Auburn
3. Vince Young, Texas
4. Tim Tebow, Florida
5. Joe Burrow, LSU
6. Deshaun Watson, Clemson
7. Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
8. Lamar Jackson, Louisville
9. Marcus Mariota, Oregon
10. Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Spenser Davis

Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.