Texas Football: Top 15 all-time Longhorns quarterbacks

Top All-Time Texas Football Quarterbacks – Number 4: James Brown (1994-97)

Career stats: 7,628 passing yards, 53 TDs, 37 INTs, 54.4 completion %, 128.4 passer rating, 411 rushing yards, 6 rushing TDs

During the Longhorns’ history under center, there weren’t many who did it better than James Brown. Not only did he put up huge numbers before it was trendy to do so, but he had a knack for making big plays when it mattered most.

Take the famous “Roll Left” play for example. During the Big 12 Championship, Brown hung in under pressure and delivered on a fourth and inches from his own 28-yard line. That play epitomized the poise and composure that he always displayed when the game was on the line.

Sure, his 25-13-1 record as the starter isn’t anything to write home about. The production speaks for itself, but we all know that stats don’t always tell the whole story. However, in the instance of Brown, they paint an accurate picture of an instinctive, productive sparkplug under center who knew how to flip the switch at the right time.

With so many great quarterbacks in Texas history, it’s easy to overlook the guys who didn’t win a ton of games or a national championship. Brown more than earned his spot among the school’s best, though, with his unwillingness to let the moment be bigger than him.