The Greatest Number 10 In College Football
I gotta give the Fox College Football social media account some credit, they have put together some interesting and debate sparking graphics with the sports world slowed down to a standstill. And the graphic they posted yesterday got me thinking again.
Perhaps this should also be a discussion on Verbally Committed but, who is the greatest player to wear #10 in college football? Let’s break this down by tiers shall we?
The LOL
Tajh Boyd
I don’t need to explain this one very much. How in god’s good green earth is Tajh Boyd on this graphic? Sure he was good but I think we all now see Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence easily pass him by in terms of great Clemson quarterbacks.
Talented But…
Brady Quinn, Chad Pennington, Marshawn Lynch
These guys in college were certainly talented there is no doubt about that. Marshawn has however enjoyed a more successful career in the NFL than in college and while his best season, his junior year, he helped lead a Cal Bears team to the #14 overall ranking and what still stands as their last 10 win season he was never considered to be a Heisman hopeful.
Chad Pennington was good at Marshall, and perhaps playing at a non-power five school diminished his national popularity. He did finish fifth in the Heisman voting in 1999 but he doesn’t really come to my mind as one of the GOAT’s of college football.
And Brady Quinn, a man still idolized in South Bend, Indiana. There is the the giant mural of “Touchdown Jesus” on campus and then at every McDonalds and hotel in town, there is a picture of Brady Quinn, much like you would find a picture of the President of the United States at every border crossing. But he was the golden child of the golden domers, and while he was good and a campus legend, he’s not the GOAT of the 10’s.
Got the Awards
Troy Smith, Robert Griffin III
Troy Smith won the 2006 Heisman over the aforementioned Brady Quinn and Darren McFadden, because he was the starting quarterback on what was supposedly the best team in Ohio State. That is until Chris Leak, yes that Chris Leak and the beginning of the Urban Meyer led Gators beat them in the BCS title game. Smith was good but not one of the best and brightest of this bunch.
RG3 was stupidly talented in college. He does deserve somewhat of a claim to this award but there’s someone slightly better. I remember watching one of his games where he threw more touchdowns than incompletions. He earned his Heisman, and made Baylor relevant for the first time since…. well he made them relevant. But we have to take into account that Baylor went 10-3 his junior season and won the Alamo Bowl. Great season for Baylor, but not really GOAT #10 worthy.
The Pat White/Steve Slaton Section
Steve Slaton
I’m not going to say much on this one. He isn’t the best on this graphic and Pat White was the other half to this dynamic duo. But I just want to stop and appreciate how good those two were. So enjoy the YouTube clip below.
The Forgotten #10’s
There were certainly some good number 10’s left off this list. I mean they seriously put Tajh Boyd ahead of these people?
Kordell Stewart was an incredible quarterback at Colorado, much better than Tajh Boyd.
Eli Manning turned himself into a number one overall pick at Ole Miss of all places, also better than Tajh Boyd.
How did they forget about the GOAT of GOAT’s? Definitely better than Tajh Boyd. You figuring out the fact that I’m not a huge Tajh Boyd fan here?
The Real GOAT of #10’s
Vince Young
The answer here is Vince Young. It’s a pretty simple answer, the guy was doing things in the mid 2000’s that quarterbacks just simply did not do. He rushed for over 1,000 yards twice as a Sophomore and Junior. In fact he became the first college quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a single season. Remember he did this in 2005, football was much different back then, since then only Johnny Manziel, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have accomplished that, but the game and strategy is much much different. Not even Cam Newton or Tim Tebow accomplished that feat.
He was responsible for 38 touchdowns his junior season while finishing second being Reggie Bush for the Heisman. And of course who can forget him single handedly taking over arguably the greatest college football game ever played against USC in the BCS title game. So let’s not over think this here the correct answer is Vince Young. Again, enjoy the YouTube clip.
Though I still wonder what could of been had the Houston Texans drafted the hometown hero instead of Young falling to Jeff Fisher and the Titans…
Connor Ryan (@connoryan68/@VerbalCommitPod)