2007 CFN All-Americans & Top Players - QBs

CFN 2007 All-Americans and Top 25 Players - Quarterbacks

2007 CFN All-Americans

Quarterbacks

CFN 2007 All-Americans and Top 25 Players
2007 Preview | Running Backs | Wide Receivers
Tight Ends | Off. Tackles | Guards | Centers 

2007 CFN Preseason First Team All-American

Colt Brennan, Sr. Hawaii
Brennan is the absolute, 100%, NFL-caliber real deal running a high-octane offense at peak efficiency. After throwing for 5,549 yards and 58 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, he'll have to be even crisper and sharper with plenty of holes on the line and new running backs who won't take the heat off like Nate Ilaoa did.  His NCAA record-setting stats are ridiculous: nine games last year with 400 yards or more, finishing up with 559 against Arizona State, two or more touchdown pass in every game, with eight games with five or more, and most amazingly, a 72.6 completion percentage. For his career, he's thrown 93 touchdown passes and 9,850 yards, and he can run with 520 yards and eight touchdowns. He's a superstar in full command of the offense as the perfect marriage of talent and system.

2007 CFN Preseason Second Team All-American

Pat White, Jr. West Virginia
White is back for his third year as the catalyst of the high-powered Mountaineer spread offense.  The reigning Big East Offensive Player of the Year raced for 1,219 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground a year ago, displaying game-breaking wheels whenever he found a sliver of daylight.  More than just a scrambler, White is also developing into a better pocket passer, making him downright lethal in play-action.  He threw for 1,655 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2006, and would have been No. 9 nationally in passing efficiency with one more attempt. 

Preseason 25 Best Quarterbacks
1. Colt Brennan, Sr. Hawaii
2. Pat White, Jr. West Virginia
3. Brian Brohm, Sr. Louisville
4. Colt McCoy, Soph. Texas
5. Brian Johnson, Jr. Utah
6. John David Booty Sr. USC
7. Chad Henne, Sr. Michigan
8. Matt Ryan, Sr. Boston College
9. Andre Woodson Sr. Kentucky
10. Chase Daniel, Jr. Missouri
11. Erik Ainge, Sr. Tennessee
12. Justin Willis, Soph., SMU
13. Nate Longshore, Jr. California
14. Bret Meyer, Sr. Iowa State
15. Matt Grothe, Soph. South Florida
16. Stephen McGee, Jr. Texas A&M
17. Matthew Stafford, Soph. Georgia
18. Bobby Reid, Jr. Oklahoma State
19. Tim Tebow, Soph. Florida
20. Graham Harrell, Jr. Texas Tech
21. Sam Keller, Sr. Nebraska
22. Alex Brink, Sr. Washington St
23. Chase Holbrook, Jr. New Mexico State
24. Nate Davis, Soph. Ball State
25. Paul Smith, Sr. Tulsa

2007 CFN Honorable Mention All-Americans
(in alphabetical order)

John David Booty Sr. USC
Unlike a year ago, Booty begins this season as the undisputed leader of the Trojan offense.  In his debut as Matt Leinart’s successor, the All-America candidate threw for 3,347 yards and 29 touchdowns, while getting picked just nine times in an All-Pac-10 season.  However, he didn’t win the Heisman or a national championship in 2006, and a couple of tipped passes at the end of losses to Oregon State and UCLA won’t soon be forgotten.  Yes, the bar for USC quarterbacks these days is in a different solar system.  Booty actually has a stronger arm than Leinart, has good feet in the pocket, and brings a war chest of knowledge, leadership and poise that comes with being a fifth-year player.  Now all he has to do is elevate the play of a young receiving corps and return home to Louisiana next Jan. 7 for a shot at a national championship.    

Brian Brohm, Sr. Louisville
From the moment Brohm announced he’d be back for his senior year, Louisville instantly had one of the best quarterback situations in America.  He’s a certain first-day NFL draft choice in 2008 and a heady veteran that can make all the throws and manage a game like a coach in the huddle.  Brohm will once again be the catalyst of the combustible Cardinal offense, distributing the ball like one of Rick Pitino’s point guards to a bevy of gifted receivers.  He’s a strong preseason contender for the Heisman Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award provided he can do the one thing that’s escaped him during his college career—play an entire season without suffering an injury.

Chase Daniel, Jr. Missouri
On the verge of being one of the Big 12's special players, Daniel now has to earn the growing national respect by winning some big games. While he threw for 3,527 yards and 28 touchdowns with ten interceptions, he pressed over the second half of the year trying to do too much on his own. He's mobile, he's accurate, and he's a baller; he's tough and feisty. When he's on, like he was late in the season, the spread offense can hum. Now he has to use everyone around him a bit more and not force plays that aren't there.

Chad Henne, Sr. Michigan
With 7,777 career passing yards, 70 touchdown passes and just 28 interceptions, Henne has come up with a tremendous career and should grow into the best NFL quarterback prospect from Michigan since Elvis Grbac (remember, Mr. Brady wasn't thought of as a top prospect). He's 6-2 and 224 pounds with a rifle arm and a willingness to put the ball in places to make plays he probably shouldn't. Coming off a tremendous 22 touchdown, 2,508-yard season with just eight interceptions, he's primed to become an All-America caliber passer with a great line in front of him and great receivers to work with.

Brian Johnson, Jr. Utah
Back and better than new (at least Utah fans hope) is Johnson, one of the Mountain West's premier players who started to turn into a star at the end of 2005, with 1,425 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes in a four-game stretch, when he got hurt late with a bad knee injury. While he probably could've pushed it and come back early, and just for a split-second was considering stepping in at one point when former starter, Brett Ratliff, was struggling, he ended up sitting out the year to heal completely. Now the 2005 Mountain West total yardage leader has two years left to fulfill the promise when Urban Meyer recruited him a few years ago and considered him the ideal fit for his spread offense. While he's only 6-1 and 210 pounds, he doesn't have any problems finding throwing lanes making most of his plays on the move. He threw for 2,982 yards and 18 touchdowns and ran for 478 yards before, and now that he knows the offense even better after his year off, and after getting work in on the scout team, he should explode.

Colt McCoy, Soph. Texas
Before last season began, no one would've believed that McCoy would complete 68% of his passes for 2,570 yards and 29 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. There was a stretch during the middle of the year when he should've been considered for the Heisman with 19 touchdown passes and two interceptions over a six-game stretch, and then came the Kansas State game, when he got injured on an early touchdown run. Texas then found out how vital he was as it lost to the Wildcats, and lost two weeks later to Texas A&M when he was far less than 100%. While not a runner like Vince Young (who is?), he can certainly move and will get more carries and get on the move far more.

Matt Ryan, Sr. Boston College
Ryan was the best quarterbacks in the ACC last year, completing 62% of his passes for 2,942 yards and 15 touchdowns with ten interceptions, and he did it with a broken foot for most of the year. The 6-5, 218-pound senior ran for four touchdowns, but he's not exactly a runner and he doesn't exactly fit what the coaching staff might want. Even so, Jeff Jagodzinski is a huge Ryan fan, going out of his way to praise him this spring. Ryan's a great decision maker, tough as nails, and has a great future at the next level. No, he's not going to tear off and big runs, but he's mobile in the pocket and does a great job of avoiding the rush.

Andre Woodson Sr. Kentucky
Going into last year, Woodson was in a battle with star recruit Curtis Pulley for the starting job. That quickly changed, and now the senior went from being a possible backup to a possible first round NFL draft pick. He always had the measurables with 6-5, 230-pound size, tremendous strength, a huge arm, and great accuracy, holding the school record for most consecutive throws without an interception. He started making better decisions and was quicker at getting rid of the ball, and the results were tremendous with 3,515 yards, 31 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions while completing 63% of his passes.