Two Former Titans QBs Among Best College Players Since 2000

The Tennessee Titans are hoping Cam Ward performs better than two of the last three quarterbacks the team selected in the first round.

While Ward never won a Heisman Trophy or a national championship, he had a decent collegiate career. However, he fell short compared to some former Titans quarterbacks.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman conducted a list of the 25 best college football players of the century, and he chose former Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota at No. 15.

"A three-star recruit from Hawaii, the soft-spoken 6-4 220-pound Mariota was bigger than you think — and faster too. He made everything look easy. In three seasons, Mariota totaled 134 touchdowns with just 14 interceptions. He took home the 2014 Heisman Trophy, earning over 88 percent of the first-place votes while leading Oregon to the national title game," Feldman wrote.

"In the CFP semifinals against FSU, Mariota threw for 338 yards to go with 62 rushing yards as the Ducks blew out the Noles 59-20. But Oregon lost in the title game, 42-20, against Ohio State. In his career at Oregon, Mariota was 12-3 in games against ranked opponents. All 12 of those wins came by double digits, with the Ducks averaging 48.5 points in those games."

Mariota was the No. 2 overall pick by the Titans in 2015, and while he had some strong moments, including a playoff win, he ultimately lost his starting job to Ryan Tannehill in 2019.

Mariota wasn't the only Titans veteran on the list. Vince Young, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, was ranked No. 7 on Feldman's list.

"Texas hadn’t won a national title in 35 years before Young got rolling. There were some growing pains with Young and the Longhorns early in his career, but coach Mack Brown ended up giving Young the keys to the offense and UT took off. He ran for four touchdowns and 199 yards in a 38-37 win over Michigan in the Rose Bowl to cap the 2004 season, then became the first player to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 in the same season in 2005," Feldman wrote.

"He saved his best game for last when undefeated Texas faced USC, which was riding a 34-game winning streak. The Trojans had a 12-point lead with under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but they just couldn’t stop Young, who ran in two late touchdowns to propel the Longhorns to the win."

Young also had a strong start to his Titans career, winning Rookie of the Year honors and making the Pro Bowl in his first season. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2009, but injuries in 2010 led to the team releasing him in July 2011.

He played one more season as a backup to Michael Vick with the Philadelphia Eagles before ultimately retiring from the NFL in 2014.