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Who are the top quarterbacks in LSU history? We narrowed down the list to the five best of all time.
5. Rohan Davey (1998-2001) — Davey edges out two national championship-winning quarterbacks, Matt Flynn and Matt Mauck, for the final spot in our top five. While the other two have national titles, neither was as prolific as Davey. In his brilliant senior year, Davey set the school mark for passing yards per game as well as passing yards in a single season and became the first LSU quarterback to throw for 500 yards in a game. Davey’s performance for that 10-3 team helped establish LSU as an SEC West power under Nick Saban.
4. Y.A. Tittle (1944-46) — Playing in the 1940s, Tittle’s statistics pale in comparison to everyone else on this list. Still, the legendary passer set school marks that stood for nearly 25 years in his two seasons as a starter. Tittle finished his career with 1,184 yards and 16 touchdowns, records that were later broken by Jones. Tittle, of course, went on to a magnificent NFL career, setting multiple passing records and achieving several notables “firsts” along the way. Tittle is a member of the the Louisiana Sports and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
3. JaMarcus Russell (2004-06) — Memories of Russell are clouded by his failures in the NFL, but there’s no denying that he was a brilliant college passer. As a redshirt sophomore, Russell helped lead LSU to an 11-2 record before going down with an injury late in the year. Then, in 2006, he blew up even bigger, throwing for 3,129 yards, 28 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, as LSU once again rolled to an 11-2 mark. He also spearheaded the evisceration of Notre Dame in that year’s Sugar Bowl and was subsequently chosen No. 1 overall in the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. Russell finished his career with 6,625 yards, 52 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
2. Bert Jones (1969-72) — LSU’s first All-American quarterback only made 15 career starts, but he certainly made the most of them. In his senior year, Jones led LSU to a 9-2-1 record, keeping the team ranked in the top 10 for almost the entire year. He finished fourth in Heisman voting that season and took home the SEC Player of the Year award. He led the SEC in every major passing category that year and finished his career with 3,390 yards and 28 touchdowns. Jones went on to a successful NFL career, winning the league’s MVP award in 1976.
1. Tommy Hodson (1986-89) — Another member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Hodson was a four-year starter and one of the most consistently excellent players in school history. Hodson was chosen as an All-SEC performer all four years on campus by at least one major wire service and owns the school record for quarterback wins with 31. He owns three of the five longest streaks of pass attempts without an interception in school history and became the first SEC quarterback to throw for more than 8,000 yards in his career, finishing with 9,115, still a school record. Hodson owns a slew of LSU records, including total offense and passing touchdowns as well. He was also the quarterback who led LSU on its game-winning drive in the 1988 “Earthquake Game” against Auburn.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
