On Tuesday, ESPN updated their top quarterback of the 2000s list, with Oklahoma football remaining well represented. Not only did the Sooners house the most quarterbacks on the list, but Oklahoma’s own Baker Mayfield sits at the top spot, narrowly beating out Auburn’s Cam Newton and Texas’ Vince Young.
Rival Texas also had Colt McCoy place 12th on the updated list. USC, West Virginia, and Alabama were also well-represented on the list. Meanwhile, 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels became one of the newest quarterbacks to make the list, clocking in at 19.
Baker Mayfield: Takes Top Spot in Best QBs of the 2000s
2017 Heisman Trophy Award winner Baker Mayfield takes the top spot on Bill Connelly’s list of top 80 quarterbacks of the 2000s. Mayfield threw for 14,607 yards and 131 touchdowns against 30 interceptions during his storied college career. He completed 69% of his passes while rushing for 1,083 yards and 21 scores. Despite starting as a walk-on at Texas Tech, Mayfield left for Oklahoma in 2015, where the signal-caller led the Sooners to three straight Big-12 championships. He also made the College Football Playoff twice.
His final season was his best chance at bringing Oklahoma football back to the promised land. With a 12-1 record, the Sooners squared off against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Rose Bowl (CFP). Mayfield threw for 287 yards and two scores against one pick, with OU posting 48 points. However, the Sooners fell to Georgia, 54-48.
Oklahoma Football: Well represented in Top 80 Quarterbacks of the 2000s
Alongside Mayfield, five other Sooners made ESPN’s list of top 80 quarterbacks of the 2000s. Gunslinger Landry Jones clocked in at 43 after a stellar four-year run with the Sooners. He is the all-time leader in career passing yards among Power-Five quarterbacks. 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White places in the 36th spot after two seasons of 35-plus passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts is 27th, Sam Bradford is 15th, and Kyler Murray is 7th.
Hurts spent one year at Oklahoma, accumulating 52 touchdowns in 2019. Bradford won the 2008 Heisman before a knee injury derailed him and the Sooners’ title chances the following season. Lastly, Murray won the Heisman Trophy Award in 2018 while throwing for 42 touchdowns against seven picks. He also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 scores. OU lost to Alabama in the Orange Bowl that season.
More must-reads: