5 Greatest Quarterbacks in Texas Longhorns History

Not many schools are going to have a guy who started for three years and then lost his job as a senior on their top five list. To this day, it’s wild that Chris Simms took over in 2001.

Applewhite was not a gunslinger, he was not a cannon-armed quarterback whose raw talent made you drool. But he was also more than a game manager, as his 8,553 yards and 60 touchdowns prove. Both those totals rank him fourth in school history.

Applewhite led Texas to three straight nine-win seasons and helped the team to its 11th win by re-taking his job in his career finale, earning Holiday Bowl Most Valuable Player honors.

4. James Street (1967-1969)

You won’t find Street’s name in the passing records books at Texas. You will find him the winningest quarterback in history, though, as he went 20-0 as a starter with the Longhorns.

Texas ran the wishbone offense during Street’s time in Austin in the late 1960s. He earned All-Southwest Conference honors three times while winning the conference title in all three seasons.

Street was also named second-team All-American in 1968 and 1969, capping his career by beating Arkansas in “The Game of the Century” by throwing the game-winning touchdown pass with 1:08 left on the clock in a 15-14 win.

3. Bobby Layne (1944-1947)

Layne was the first Texas Longhorns player enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and one of only six players in school history with his jersey number retired. Incidentally, two of the other five rank ahead here.

All well deserved. Layne was a four-time first-team All-Southwest Conference selection from 1944 to 1947. He led the nation in yards passing in 1946 and was a consensus All-American in 1947.

In the Cotton Bowl of ‘46, Layne went 11-of-12 passing and scored every single point: four rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, four field goals.

2. Colt McCoy (2005-2009)

Texas’ all-time leader in yards passing and touchdown passes, McCoy is perhaps the most beloved player in school history. Perhaps.

He won a national championship in 2005 backing up the No. 1 player here then had the season of a lifetime as a senior in 2009. That year, he captured the Maxwell Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, the Unitas Award, unanimous All-American honors and Big 12 Player of the Year.

McCoy led FBS in completion percentage in each of his last two years and led the Big 12 in that category three times.

He took care of the ball, made plays, and led the Longhorns to the national championship game in 2009, falling just short of capturing the trophy.

1. Vince Young (2002-2005)

How does the guy who ranks eighth in yards passing and seventh in touchdown passes check at No. 1 on Texas list of five greatest quarterbacks? Well, if you have to ask that, you weren’t alive during Vince Young era.

Simply put, Young is the most electric player Texas has ever rostered. The 2005 National Championship (2006 Rose Bowl) remains one of the greatest performances in college football history.

In leading the Longhorns to the title, Young threw for 267 yards and ran for 200 more while scoring three touchdowns on the ground. 

Young was so good that the Associated Press named him the second greatest quarterback in the last 100 years of college football.

More Texas Longhorns Rankings

• 10 Greatest Football Players in Texas Longhorns History
• 5 Greatest Running Backs in Texas Longhorns History
• 5 Greatest Wide Receivers in Texas Longhorns History
• 5 Greatest Defensive Players in Texas Longhorns History