This week saw ESPN statistician Bill Connelly attempt to once again expand his original 2021 ranking of college football’s top 60 quarterbacks of the 21st century to an updated top 90. Three Georgia quarterbacks made the list, beginning with David Greene at No. 76 overall, down from 73 overall in last year’s edition.
“The starter for Mark Richt’s first four years in Athens, Greene produced consistent numbers and finished his career with a then-record 42 wins, topping Peyton Manning’s record,” Connelly wrote.
During his redshirt freshman season and head coach Mark Richt’s first season at Georgia, Greene’s “Hobnail Boot” touchdown pass to Verron Haynes on the road against Tennessee will forever be remembered by Bulldogs fans. Greene led eight fourth-quarter comeback victories at Georgia, and by the time he was finished playing ‘between the hedges,’ held the NCAA record for wins (42). He would break several school records held by Zeier, many surpassed by Aaron Murray, but Greene tops the list because he accomplished something neither of them were able to do – he led the Bulldogs to the SEC title in 2002, their first in 20 years. He also threw a school record 214 consecutive passes without an interception as a senior. Greene’s 2.2% interception percentage (32 in 1,440 attempts), is the best in school history and an SEC record, and his 1.33% during the 2004 season (4 in 299 attempts), is also the best in school history and an SEC record.
Aaron Murray made the list at No. 48, after coming in at No. 40 overall in the original top 50 and No. 47 in last year’s ranking. Connelly said of Murray:
“Murray resurrected the Mark Richt era in Athens, leading the Dawgs to within seconds of the BCS Championship game in 2012 and not only finishing with the most passing yards in the history of the SEC, but finishing nearly 1,000 yards ahead of second-place Drew Lock and nearly 2,000 yards ahead of third-place David Greene.”
Murray chose Georgia over 52 other offers. He would redshirt in 2009 due to a shoulder injury that fall. The following spring saw Murray take over after fellow freshman Zach Mettenberger was dismissed from the team. Murray left Georgia with numerous passing records and is the all-time leading passer and touchdown thrower in the Southeastern Conference, throwing for 13,166 yards and 121 touchdowns with only 41 interceptions while completing 62 percent of his passes. Murray also had 16 rushing touchdowns.
He has the top two marks in program history for touchdown passes in a single season and went 35-17 as a starter for Georgia, going 3-1 against Florida, 3-0 against Georgia Tech, and 4-0 against Tennessee while helping Georgia to a pair of SEC East Division titles. In SEC title losses to LSU and Alabama in 2011 and 2012, Murray completed 34-of-73 of his passes for 428 yards and two touchdowns, three interceptions, and a lost fumble.
A fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2014 NFL Draft, Murray did not attempt a pass in two seasons. He played for the Atlanta Legends of the short-lived Alliance of American Football and made one start for the Tampa Bay Vipers of the short-lived XFL reboot in 2020, completing 16 of 34 pass attempts for 231 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He is now an analyst for ESPN and Sirius XM.
Stetson Bennett came in at No. 42 overall, down from 41 overall last year. ESPN said of Bennett:
“He won the starting job in 2020 and 2021 only because others got injured, but damned if he didn’t make the most of his opportunities. In 2021-22, he produced the second-best Total QBR, completed 67% of his passes and, oh yeah, won a pair of national titles. In four career CFP games, he threw for 1,239 yards and 12 TDs. Not bad for a former walk-on.”
In Georgia’s 65-7 dismantling of TCU in the College Football Playoff title game, Bennett would complete 18-of-25 passes for 304 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in the game, rushing three times for 39 yards and two touchdowns. He would earn offensive game MVP in the game, giving him the honor in all four CFP games he played in.
Bennett surpassed 177 passing yards in the first half against the Horned Frogs, which made the super senior the first Georgia quarterback to ever surpass 4,000 yards in a season. In the first quarter, Bennett passed Aaron Murray’s program record for passing yards in a season (3,893 set in 2012). Bennett decided to use his last year of NCAA eligibility and once again play for the Bulldogs in 2022. That decision proved worthwhile for the former walk-on, who completed 68.1% of his pass attempts for 3,823 yards with 23 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while also rushing for 8 additional scores in Georgia’s first 14 games. Bennett had just over 10 more attempts per game in 2022 than in 2021, and his completion percentage is the best of his collegiate career.
With 8,428 career passing yards, Bennett ended his collegiate career fourth in program history. He is fifth in program history in career touchdown passes (66), finishing one behind Eric Zeier. He is fourth in program history with 8,958 yards accounted for. He is also third all-time in touchdowns responsible for, with 80.
Bennett’s career completion percentage of 64.9 is second-best among Georgia quarterbacks with 300 attempts or more, behind only Hutson Mason (65%). His career of 9.13 yards per attempt is the best in program history. His 2.27 percent interception percentage is third best in program history, behind David Greene (2.22 percent in 1,440 attempts), and Jake Fromm (1.83%). His career passer rating is No. 1 in program history.
