Preview 2009 ... All-Americans
Quarterbacks
- CFN
Preview 2009
- CFN's Top 200 Players of
2009
2009 All Americans |
2008
CFN All-Americans
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2009 1st Team All-American
Tim Tebow, Sr., Florida
The 6-3, 245-pound senior came up with the greatest statistical season in the history of college football as the first to ever run and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same year, doing it in 2007, and followed it up by being even better as an all-around player with 30 touchdowns and four interceptions, with two of them coming in the national title win over Oklahoma, while running for 12 scores and 673 yards. More than the statistics, he's the ultimate leader and the ultimate put-a-team-on-his-back warrior. Yes, the intangibles angle has gotten way out of control and the gushing from the media has taken on a life of his own, but there's no denying what he did to carry the Gators through the fourth quarter in the SEC title win over Alabama, powering away with the running game while throwing pinpoint pass after pinpoint pass, and when things weren't going exactly smooth in the national title, he made up for the problems and inconsistencies by running for 109 yards, his only 100-yard rushing day of the year. Now he wants to go from being among the greatest players in college football history to a top pro prospect.
25 Best Quarterbacks
1. Tim Tebow, Sr., Florida
2. Colt McCoy, Sr. Texas
3. Sam Bradford, Jr. Oklahoma
4. Terrelle Pryor, Soph., Ohio State
5. Jevan Snead, Jr., Ole Miss
6. Dan LeFevour, Sr., Central Michigan
7. Todd Reesing, Sr. Kansas
8. Colin Kaepernick, Jr., Nevada
9. Robert Griffin, Soph. Baylor
10. Zac Robinson, Sr. Oklahoma State
11. Juice Williams, Sr., Illinois
12. Case Keenum, Jr., Houston
13. Max Hall, Sr. BYU
14. Daryll Clark, Sr., Penn State
15. Matt Grothe, Sr., South Florida
16. Russell Wilson, Soph., NC State
17. Jeremiah Masoli, Jr., Oregon
18. Rusty Smith, Sr. Florida Atlantic
19. Tyrod Taylor, Jr., Virginia Tech
20. Kellen Moore, Soph., Boise State
21. Jake Locker, Jr., Washington
22. Tim Hiller, Sr., Western Michigan
23. Corey Leonard, Jr. Arkansas State
24. Jimmy Clausen, Jr. Notre Dame
25. Andy Schmitt, Sr., Eastern Michigan
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2009 2nd Team
Colt McCoy, Sr. Texas
It could be argued that Sam Bradford deserved the
Heisman by being the signature player of the regular season, and Tim Tebow
would’ve won the award in a walk if the voting was
done after the bowls, but there was no more valuable
player to a team than McCoy was last year. He did it
all with 11 rushing touchdowns, a team-leading 561
yards, and an ungodly 78% completion percentage
while throwing for 3,859 yards and 34 touchdowns
with just eight interceptions. He made everyone
around him better, and now, as frightening as this
might be for UT opponents, he knows what he’s doing.
He has the offense down cold and he should be even
better
Honorable Mention
Sam Bradford, Jr. Oklahoma
Bradford had one of the greatest seasons in college football history on the way to the Heisman by completing 68% of his throws for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He showed a total command of the attack making all the right decisions and proving to be the perfect conductor for the record-setting offense that put up cartoonish numbers week after week. With 6-4, 223-pound size, a quick release, and enough mobility to finish with a net 93 yards and five touchdowns, he would've been in the hunt for the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft had he decided to come out early. Instead of becoming a Detroit Lion, he's back to try to improve his overall strength, boost up his arm a little more, and, in his mind, mature a little more to be ready for the big league.
Robert Griffin, Soph. Baylor
There was a tremendous buzz before last
season began about Griffin, a true freshman who
wowed everyone every time he stepped on the field.
He turned out to be worth the hype and more rushing
for 843 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 60%
of his throws for 2,091 yards and 15 touchdowns with
a mere three interceptions. He stepped into the game
early against Wake Forest and ended up setting an
NCAA record with 209 straight passes without an
interception to start his career. After bulking up a
bit, now he’s 200 pounds on a still-skinny 6-3
frame, but he should be able to withstand punishment
a bit better. While he’s an accurate passer, and
will be asked to do even more this year, the key to
his game is raw speed. A track star, he won the Big
12 gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles with the
third fastest time in school history. Now that he
has a year under his belt, he has the size, the
speed, and the smarts to become an even more
dangerous weapon.
Colin Kaepernick, Jr., Nevada
After battling for the starting quarterback job last year, and with two years of experience under his belt, Kaepernick
has now established himself as one of the special
players in the WAC, and one of the most dynamic
players in college football. A Vince Young type,
he’s 6-6, 215 pounds, and quick with tremendous
running skills. After running for 593 yards and six
touchdowns as a freshman, to go along with 19
touchdown passes and just three interceptions, he
was even better once he got the gig all to himself.
Helped by a 240-yard, three touchdown rushing day
against UNLV, he ran for 1,130 yards and 17
touchdowns, while throwing for 2,849 yards and 22
touchdowns with seven interceptions. He’s not always
accurate, completing just 54% of his passes, but the
WAC Offensive Player of the year has a major-league
fastball to go along with his mobility.
Dan LeFevour, Sr., Central Michigan
One of the best quarterbacks in college football over the last three years, LeFevour is due for a huge senior season after fighting through ticky-tack injuries, mostly to his ankle, throughout last year. He led the team in rushing, again, with 592 yards and six scores, but he tore off 1,122 yards and 19 touchdowns two years ago. He threw for 3,652 yards and 27 scores in 2007, and while he completed 67% of his throws, he only threw for 2,784 yards with 21 touchdowns. On the plus side, he was more careful with the ball throwing just six picks with two of them coming against Purdue. At 6-3 and 223 pounds, he has NFL size, he's a good leader and a proven winner who carries his team as much as any quarterback in America not named McCoy or Tebow,
and he has the right attitude. He'll sling it around
and get into shootouts with anyone, and he'll pop up
time after time despite taking too many big shots.
This is salary drive time. He's on the radar of the
NFL scouts, but he needs to have a special final
campaign to avoid being an afterthought like Ball
State's Nate Davis was in the 2008 draft.
Terrelle Pryor, Soph., Ohio State
The super-recruit who kept Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State fans waiting on the edge of their seats was the team's best quarterback from the moment he arrived on campus, but the coaching staff still went with Todd Boeckman
early on and gave Pryor a few drives here and there
to throw defenses a curve ball. He completed 7-of-9
passes against USC, and ran for 40 yards, and he
threw four touchdown passes in a win over Troy, but
his era truly arrived late in an early October game
against Wisconsin. He only ran for 20 yards on the
day and he completed 13-of-19 passes for 144 yards
with an interception, but when he had to, he came up
with a tremendous late scoring drive for the 20-17
win. This offseason, the 6-6, 235-pound sophomore
with elite speed busted his tail to become a better
quarterback, and worked his arm to the point of
exhaustion with throw after throw after throw to
improve his accuracy. While he still needs technique
work, and he's still going to rely on his legs more
often than not, he should be a far more confident
passer and he should do far more for the offense.
Todd Reesing, Sr. Kansas
He might not fit the mold of a high-octane passing quarterback, but Reesing
is about to close out his career as the best passer
to ever play at Kansas. He’s only 5-11 and 200
pounds, he not necessarily a runner, and he doesn’t
have a rocket arm. However, he’s a pinpoint passer
when it comes to getting his targets on the move,
and he’s a pure gamer. Tough as nails, he managed to
fight his way through injuries at the end of last
season to beat Missouri in a classic with 375 yards
and four touchdowns. Then he healed up in time to
beat up Minnesota with 313 yards and four touchdowns
to close out his second straight season with 30+
touchdown passes, and he’ll be a lock for a third if
he stays healthy. He struggled a bit at times
against the better teams last season, but he still
finished with tremendous, KU-record 3,888-yard,
32-touchdown season with four rushing scores and 13
interceptions. While he’s fine in the pocket, he’s
better when he gets on the move and makes things
happen with his creativity. While he’ll take off
when needed, he’s a bomber who’s at his best when he
can get into a rhythm. With the receiving corps he
has returning, he should be in for a tremendous
season.
Zac Robinson, Sr. Oklahoma State
Robinson was out of the spotlight compared
to Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, and the
rest of the Big 12 superstar quarterback, but he was
as good as any of them finishing fifth in the nation
in passing efficiency and 18th in total offense. Not
only did he throw for 3,064 yards and 25 touchdowns,
but he ran for 562 yards and eight scores, too. The
one issue is with interceptions, spreading out ten
over the course of the season with one in each of
the last four regular season games and two against
Oregon. He makes up for his mistakes with tremendous
athleticism in a 6-3, 220-pound frame. With a good
arm and his mobility, there are some scouts that
think he's the best NFL quarterback prospect in the
Big 12, but he has to be more consistent to make it
happen, and he needs to come up bigger against the
top teams.
Jevan Snead, Jr., Ole Miss
Snead bolted for Ole Miss, waited through his transfer time, and came out roaring with 26 touchdown passes and 2,762 yards passing, completing 56% of his throws, while running for 87 yards and three scores. Mobile and good in the pocket, he can do it all, and at 6-3 and 215 pounds, he has just enough size to make the pro scouts sit up and take notice. While he threw 13 interceptions, six of them came in an early two-game span against Samford
and Vanderbilt. For the most part, he was calm,
cool, and steady throughout the year, spreading out
his seven other picks in seven games, and he
finished up with a flourish. Now that he knows what
he's doing, he's expected to be the star and the
leader of the loaded team.