Drew Brees' name is currently at or at the top of all NFL passing records, making him the finest quarterback to have come out of Texas. Brees led Westlake to a 28-0-1 record as a starter, including a 16-0 record in 1996, when they defeated Abilene Cooper, 55-15, in the state title game. The Chicago Bears selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft.
Brees is one of only three quarterbacks (Jim Plunkett and Steve Young are the others) to win the Heisman Trophy and be chosen first over all other candidates. He's also one of only two quarterbacks (Plunkett is the other one) to lead his team to victory in the NFL debut game. In 2001, Brees helped lead Southern California to the national championship after guiding the Trojans to a 13-0 record during the regular season. He passed for 3,727 yards and 42 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes during his career at San Diego State before being selected first overall by the Saints.
In four seasons with New Orleans/Los Angeles, Brees has 95 touchdown passes and only 37 interceptions while leading the Saints to a 39-33 record. He signed a $100 million contract extension in 2011 and 2012, making him one of the highest paid players in the league.
Brees is expected to be the main target for new Saints head coach Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. when he returns from injury next season.
Finally, Shane Matthews, a Heisman Trophy nominee in 1991, had six NFL seasons, with only two seasons of throwing for over 1000 yards. The guy who was the winningest quarterback in college football with 45 victories before Kellen Moore overtook him is still the winningest QB in Texas history and the Longhorns' final great quarterback. He died at the age of 40 after being shot by his girlfriend.
Besides Bob Tyler, all other quarterbacks who played in the NFL came from the pro ranks. The last college quarterback to play in an NFL game was Ron Powlus of Mississippi Valley State. He was the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their 1979 season opener but he suffered a knee injury and had to be replaced by Brian Sipe. Powlus returned the next week but he was beaten out by Sipe again. He finished with three passes completed out of 22 attempts for 44 yards while Sipe went 21-of-31 for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The closest any college player has come to appearing in the NFL was when Tony Rice came close to being picked in the 1994 supplemental draft of the NFL. He was not drafted but rather signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, he was cut after one season and did not return to football.
Since then, no more college players have been selected in the NFL draft.
Since 1944, this is a list of the starting quarterbacks for the Texas Longhorns football teams. They are listed in the order that each player began their first game for the Longhorns that season. A player earns a victory if he starts the game and the team wins, regardless of whether the player is injured or permanently withdrawn after the first play.
Seven Longhorns have reached or exceeded the 25-win plateau as starters, and Texas formerly had the all-time college football quarterback career victory leader on campus. While there are many deserving contenders, Horns247 has chosen the Top 10 all-time quarterbacks to play at the University of Texas.
Thompson, Casey That will very certainly be Casey Thompson. After taking over for an injured Ehlinger, the dual-threat quarterback helped Texas sail over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, completing eight of ten passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns (shoulder). Thompson also had two touchdowns versus UTEP earlier this season.
Ehlinger's injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of the Oklahoma game, but head coach Tom Herman said after the bowl game that he expected Ehlinger to be back for spring practice next year. "Casey is going to be our quarterback," Herman said. "We're excited about that and looking forward to having him lead our team."
Herman also said that Ehlinger would have been his pick to start if he hadn't suffered the injury. "Casey has done a great job," Herman said. "He's taken advantage of the opportunity given to him."
In three games this season, Thompson completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,079 yards with 10 touchdowns and only one interception. He also ran for four scores.
The senior from Plano, Texas, started nine games for Texas in 2019, leading the team to a 5-4 record during that time period. He played well down the stretch, including a win over then-No. 12 Ohio State in Austin.
Mike Adams, along with Wane McGarity, was one of the top wide receivers for the Texas Longhorns in the 1990s. Mike Adams, a three-time all-Southwest Conference first-team wide receiver, was the most dominant receiver in Texas football history prior to the 2000s. Adams is still a part of numerous notable Texas records, including: most receptions in a season (94) and most yards receiving in a season (1,747). He finished his career with 12 total touchdowns, which is second only to Roy Williams (13) among Texas wide receivers.
After Adams, there was a period where the position did not produce many standout players. However, this year's team features several wide receivers who could break out of the pack, including Duke Johnson, Jaelen Strong, Devin Duvernay, and Trey Quinn. Senior Deontay Anderson has also been effective as a receiver during his four years in Austin.
The best receiver at Texas is probably still debated but it's safe to say that Adams holds almost every relevant record currently standing. Even though he played more than 20 years ago, we can see some similarities between him and Marquise Goodwin since both were highly recruited quarterbacks who converted to wide receiver after signing with Texas.
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