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In recent years, the SEC has featured a number of great passers and, as always, a ton of great rushers. But it’s always an added bonus when the man under center fits both categories.
Don’t believe it? Ask fans of Texas A&M (Johnny Manziel), Florida (Tim Tebow), or Auburn (Cam Newton).
So it’s time for a quick look back at the top three dual threat QBs of each SEC East school (the list tends to favor modern QBs, because before, say, the 1970s, there wasn’t much passing period in college football) — and to look at the current roster and project whether any of the modern guys will join the list of legends.
Florida
Tim Tebow (2006-09): 9,285 passing yards and 88 touchdowns through the air. 2,947 rushing yards and 57 more scores on the ground. Who else could it be? Not that Tebow was just numbers. The winner of the ’07 Heisman, and a national champion twice. He’s Florida top dual threat QB and it’s not even close.
Jimmy Fisher (1974-76): A wishbone QB from the ’70s, Fisher led the SEC in passing in 1976, but also had a 100 yards rushing game once against Miami.
Terry LeCount (1975-77): He played receiver (caught three TDs in ’75), defensive back, and ultimately became another wishbone QB from Doug Dickey’s Gators who ran for more than 600 yards in 1977. He went on to play receiver in the NFL.
Current prospect: Treon Harris played a fair amount as a dual-threat QB over the past two years but has been moved to wide receiver. None of the new UF QBs was exceptional in the run game in the spring game.
Georgia
Quincy Carter (1998-2000): UGA has a long tradition of great running QBs who never threw the ball — guys like Andy Johnson and Ray Goff. But this list favors guys who were legitimate dual threat players, like Carter. He had almost 6,500 yards and 35 touchdowns passing, with 606 yards and 11 more touchdowns rushing.
D.J. Shockley (2002-05): Spent three years as a backup, but led the Dawgs to an East division title in 2005. He finished with 3,555 yards and 34 touchdowns passing, 643 yards and 7 TDs running.
Hines Ward (1994-97): OK, so Ward isn’t going to make anybody forget Aaron Murray or David Greene. But in 1995, after a slew of injuries, he led UGA in passing (62 percent completions, 872 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs). For his UGA career, he threw for 918 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 1,066 yards and five more scores. Oh yeah, he also caught 144 passes for 1965 yards and 11 touchdowns. So while his passing qualifications aren’t great, Ward was a triple-threat.
Current prospect: Junior Faton Bauta had some dual-threat tendencies, but played poorly in a brief appearance last season and transferred. Jacob Eason is the future but is a pure pocket passer.
Kentucky
Derrick Ramsey (1975-77): Ramsey ran the show on UK’s co-SEC-championship squad in 1976 and led the 1977 team to a 10-1 mark. Ramsey ran for 1,764 yards and 25 touchdowns, and threw for another 1,653 yards and 14 scores. Played tight end in the NFL.
Pookie Jones (1991-93): Dual-threat athlete who led Bill Curry’s Wildcats to their only bowl appearance in 1993. Threw for almost 3,500 yards and 16 scores and ran for 854 yards and another 13 touchdowns. Left the team after his junior year to play baseball.
Shane Boyd (2001-04): Backed up Jared Lorenzen for much of his career, but still managed almost 2,500 yards passing and 13 touchdowns and added 845 yards rushing and 13 scores on the ground.
Current prospect: JUCO signee Stephen Johnson is an athletic player, but will probably only be used situationally unless starter Drew Barker is hurt.
Missouri
Brad Smith (2002-05): Sort of Tebow-lite, Smith threw for 8,644 yards and 56 touchdowns and rushed for another 4,193 yards and 44 touchdowns. Three 1,000 yard rushing seasons for a QB is almost unheard of.
James Franklin (2010-13): Not the Penn State coach, the athletic QB. Franklin threw for almost 7000 yards and 51 scores, and rushed for another 1,729 yards and 21 more scores. Anchored Mizzou’s transition into the SEC.
Corby Jones (1995-98): A talented rusher, with over 2,500 yards and 38 touchdowns on the ground. Not a great passer, as he finished under 50 percent for his career, but did throw for almost 3,700 yards and 26 TDs.
Current prospect: Veteran QB Maty Mauk was a solid enough dual-threat passer that he nearly snuck in over Corby Jones and made the list. But getting kicked off the team before his senior season hurts not only his standing, but Mizzou’s chances in 2016. Sophomore Drew Lock isn’t a statue in the pocket, but isn’t quite the dual threat that Mauk was.
South Carolina
Connor Shaw (2010-13): Remembered as a passer, as put up more than 6,000 yards and 56 touchdowns in the air. But he was a tough runner as well, amassing 1,683 yards and 17 scores on the ground. Also led the Gamecocks to multiple 11-win seasons.
Jeff Grantz (1972-75): Was primarily a runner, but had a great senior year in which he was one of the top passers in the nation and led the Gamecocks to a bowl. He finished with 3,440 yards and 26 TDs passing and 1,577 yards and 26 TDs rushing.
Syvelle Newton (2003-06): Played some receiver, played some defensive back, but was a legitimate threat as a quarterback. He finished with 2,474 yards and 20 TDs through the air, 786 yards and 10 TDs on the ground.
Current prospect: True freshman Brandon McIlwain is poised to become the opening day starter, and he can do both. Farther down the depth chart is sophomore Lorenzo Nunez, who threw for 375 yards and ran for 376 during last year’s meltdown.
Tennessee
Tee Martin (1996-99): Started for two years, and emerged from the shadow of Peyton Manning to win a national title in 1998. Threw for more than 4,500 yards and 32 scores, ran for 600 yards and 16 more scores.
Condredge Holloway (1972-74): The first African-American starting QB in SEC history finished his career with over 3,000 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, and added almost 1,000 yards and nine more scores on the ground.
Josh Dobbs (2013-): Begins his final season at UT with more than 4,000 yards passing and 26 touchdowns, and is less than 100 yards shy of Jimmy Streater’s UT quarterback rushing mark with 1329 yards and 20 TDs on the ground.
Current prospect: Dobbs is the only active player in his school’s top three. If he could lead the Vols to a division title (or a conference title … or certainly a BCS title, he would climb higher).
Vanderbilt
Jay Cutler (2002-05): It’s funny, because Cutler’s NFL career doesn’t make you remember him as a dual-threat guy. But not only did he throw for more than 8,500 yards and 59 touchdowns at Vandy, he also racked up 1,256 yards rushing and 17 scores on the ground.
Chris Nickson (2005-08): Nickson ended Vandy’s lengthy bowl drought in 2008. For his career, he threw for 3,406 yards and 29 TDs. On the ground, he added 1,463 yards and 17 more touchdowns.
Eric Jones (1986-88): He passed for more than 5,000 yards and 32 scores, and rushed for 1,211 yards and 13 more touchdowns.
Current prospect: None of the current Vandy QBs are especially mobile, as they are tending toward pocket passers.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
