Murray, the first overall choice in the NFL Draft a year ago, may be the greatest high school player in Texas history. Murray went 42-0 as Allen's starting quarterback. He received the Gatorade Player of the Year his senior year after leading Allen to three straight UIL State Championships.
The only other quarterback to win the award was Ben Jones, who played for Kilgore College before going on to a career as a coach and administrator. He is the father of current Texas quarterback Sam Jones. Murray led Allen to the state title each year he was there, including a 46-7 victory over Fort Worth Southwood in the state championship game. He finished his high school career with 7,947 yards passing and 60 touchdowns against only five interceptions. He also ran for 1,747 yards and 24 scores.
After graduating from Allen, Murray went on to play at Oklahoma. He started 33 games for the Sooners and finished his college career with 9,476 yards passing and 71 touchdowns vs. only 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,219 yards and 26 scores.
In 2014, Murray won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first freshman to do so since 1999 when Peyton Manning was winning awards. The previous year, he had been voted the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft by his peers.
He is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas.
Six of the nine quarterbacks were selected in the first round, including four in the top ten (Murray, Mayfield, Mahomes, and Robert Griffin III). Surprisingly, the University of Texas has only had one quarterback drafted in the recent decade—Colt McCoy in 2010--and just six offensive players drafted in total. The last Longhorn player picked in any round was wide receiver Roy Williams in 2004.
Kellen Moore is the current starting quarterback for the University of West Alabama. He played under Mack Brown when Brown was the head coach at SMU from 1998 to 2009. Brown brought with him a spread offense that used several different quarterbacks during his tenure there. When asked about who will be the next great Texas quarterback, many people say it's Moore because of his connection with Brown and his ability to learn the offense quickly. However, there are also people who say it could be Tyrone Swoopes because of his physical appearance and strong arm. In fact, many people think that he would have been chosen over Griffin III if not for an injury that prevented him from playing in any games this past season.
The University of Texas announced in January that Swoopes will be their new quarterback after Griffin III decided not to return for another season. At 6'5" and 225 pounds, many people consider him to be a perfect fit for their offense. It's also worth mentioning that he won the job over senior Chris Warren who entered the season as the starter.
So here is my list of the greatest quarterbacks in school history.
Smith, the highest-drafted Duck since Shaw in 1955, enters the NFL with lofty hopes. Smith was a dual-threat quarterback who excelled as both a passer and runner in college. At the next level, the tower, his skillset struggled to transition. He only lasted four seasons and made 17 career starts. However, with an improved offensive system under new head coach Chip Kelly, he could be poised for a comeback.
In the 2015 draft, all 32 teams passed on a quarterback, leaving Smith off the board until the fifth round. The New York Jets took him there. He failed to stick with the team but did play in one game last season when Ryan Fitzpatrick went down. Smith completed 5 of 8 passes for 57 yards with a touchdown throw before being pulled in favor of Matt Simms.
The only other quarterback taken higher by Oregon was Thompson, who went second overall to the Detroit Lions in 1939. He played only two seasons in the NFL before serving in the military during World War II. Upon his return, the Lions released him and he finished his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He was not drafted again after returning from war service, so it can be assumed that he didn't want to continue playing football.
Other notable quarterbacks drafted by Oregon include Marc Wilson (seventh round, 1995) and Ty Detmer (eighth round, 1996).
1983 Six quarterbacks were taken in the first round in the 1983 NFL Draft, which is widely regarded as the best NFL Draft of all time. Seven Hall of Famers were selected in that draft, including three quarterbacks: John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. The other four players selected were Eric Dickerson, Lawrence Taylor, Barry Sanders, and Calvin Johnson.
The 1982 NFL Draft was also very good with five quarterbacks being picked in the first round. Three of those players (Ken O'Brien, Rick Mirer, and Bruce Matthews) are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Doug Flutie went in the second round to Boston for Ryan Perriloux.
In 1981, there were four quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Three of them (Dan Pastorini, Todd Christensen, and Ken O'Brien) are not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jerry Rhome went in the sixth round of the draft by the New York Jets.
In 1980, there were three quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Two of them (Bart Starr and Steve Young) are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Montana went in the third round to Kansas City.
In 1979, there were two quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Both of them (Joe Namath and Ron Jaworski) are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
