It seems like only yesterday that the Big XII was home to the top quarterbacks in the nation, with names such as Bradford, McCoy, Harrell, Daniel, Robinson, and Reesing commanding the country’s best offenses.
That was 2008, when college football in the Big XII had a lot of certainty. Now it’s 2010, and all of those quarterbacks have since graduated and are either on active NFL rosters or have spent a short tenure in the Canadian Football League.
The accolades of those departed stars included one Heisman Memorial Trophy, two BCS National Championship appearances, two BCS bowl wins, 10 total bowl wins, and 162 total victories. It will be quite difficult for the following quarterbacks to fill their predecessors’ shoes — but here’s my ranking of the current Big XII quarterbacks for the 2010 season.
The Big XII QB Board
| Rank | Quarterback | School | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Griffin III | Baylor | 6-3 | 210 |
| 2 | Blaine Gabbert | Missouri | 6-5 | 240 |
| 3 | Garrett Gilbert | Texas | 6-4 | 207 |
| 4 | Landry Jones | Oklahoma | 6-4 | 216 |
| 5 | Steven Sheffield | Texas Tech | 6-4 | 175 |
| 6 | Jerrod Johnson | Texas A&M | 6-5 | 243 |
| 7 | Austen Arnaud | Iowa State | 6-3 | 224 |
| 8 | Brandon Weeden | Oklahoma State | 6-4 | 215 |
| 9 | Zac Lee | Nebraska | 6-2 | 215 |
| 10 | Tyler Hansen | Colorado | 6-1 | 205 |
| 11 | Kale Pick | Kansas | 6-2 | 200 |
| 12 | Carson Coffman | Kansas State | 6-3 | 212 |
#6 Jerrod Johnson, Texas A&M
Aggie fans — and some biased columnists across the country — are really trying to hype Johnson as the Big XII’s top Heisman candidate. But if you look at the facts, Johnson has simply failed to produce in any meaningful game in his career. He reminds me a lot of Reggie McNeal. If your memory is any good, you’ll recall Aggie fans, and some biased regional columnists, insisting McNeal was a far superior quarterback to Texas great Vince Young entering the 2005 season. That didn’t turn out well, and this Johnson hype won’t either.
#5 Steven Sheffield, Texas Tech
Sheffield is an excellent quarterback in a pass-heavy offense, and I would have loved to see what he could do this season had recently departed Texas Tech coach Mike Leach not been canned by school officials. I have serious doubts Sheffield can thrive in an offense led by Tommy Tuberville, who is known for hard-nosed, smash-mouth football.
#4 Landry Jones, Oklahoma
Not a lot to write about Jones, other than that he performed quite well last season under poor conditions amid the plague of injuries Oklahoma endured. I think he can easily be the No. 1 quarterback from the Big XII by season’s end if he leads the Sooners to the Big XII Championship in Dallas.
#3 Garrett Gilbert, Texas
Gilbert will walk onto the fabled field of the 40 Acres this September facing expectations no Texas quarterback has carried since Chris Simms made his first start. I’m not saying Gilbert will follow the roller-coaster career Simms had — merely that the Texas faithful expect the Longhorn train to keep rolling without a hitch. They have been spoiled by their last two orangebloods, Vince Young and Colt McCoy, and may not be prepared for some growing pains from a young Gilbert.
#2 Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
Gabbert returns as the most complete quarterback in the Big XII. Last season he threw for 3,593 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions. He could easily be No. 1 on this list, and Missouri fans could rightfully complain that he isn’t.
#1 Robert Griffin III, Baylor
The electrifying, scrambling quarterback returns from an injury-riddled 2009 with sky-high expectations from the Baylor nation.
He is by far the most athletically gifted quarterback the Big XII has seen since a certain young man from Houston glided his way into history on that 4th-and-5 play in Pasadena.
Griffin will have a lot on his shoulders this season, as he is the only Baylor Bear with truly elite talent. If he can stay healthy in 2010, the Bears might just avoid finishing last in the Big XII South.
