Texas Football: Vince Young was highest rated QB recruit since 2000

A list from 247Sports ranked former Texas football five-star signee and title winner Vince Young as the highest rated quarterback recruit since 2000.

In a list released by 247Sports this weekend, we figured out that the top quarterback recruit since the turn of the century is former Texas football legend Vince Young. The quarterback that led Texas to the BCS National Championship to cap the 2005 season, by beating the USC Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl, got the top honors here.

Young was the steward that led the Texas Longhorns football program to some of their best seasons in the 118-year history. He not only won the Rose Bowl/national title to cap the 2005 season, but claimed the same bowl game crown over the Michigan Wolverines in 2004. That was when Young famously declared that he would be back in the Rose Bowl the following season to claim a national title. He also famously kept his word that year.

Texas would not have won that national title, or even the Rose Bowl game to cap the 2004 season if it were not for Young. He still owns a national title game record of rushing yards in a single outing. He had more than 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns in that 2006 Rose Bowl win over USC.

However, this list of top 10 quarterback recruits since the turn of the century featured a lot of busts. The top three were all successful quarterbacks (at least as we know now), but most of the rest left something to be desired. Young rounded out the top three along with Trevor Lawrence of the Clemson Tigers and Justin Field of the Ohio State Buckeyes (originally signed with the Georgia Bulldogs).

The top five of the list is rounded out by former Miami Hurricane Brock Berlin and former Ohio State star Terrelle Pryor. No other Texas quarterback would make this list. The next highest ranked Texas quarterback signee of the 2000’s was former five-star pro style signal caller Garrett Gilbert. Tied for the No. 28 spot in the all-time pro-style quarterback rankings, Gilbert is still one of the more highly touted recruits in the modern age.

Here’s what this piece from 247Sports had to say on the matter of Young’s placement in the top 10.

"Young is one of five players to receive a perfect grade from the composite. Back when Mack Brown was the king of recruiting in the state of Texas, there was never really a doubt where the state’s and nation’s best recruit in 2002 would attend. Young, blessed with size and athleticism that can best be described as “silky smooth,” was the talk of Houston as a high school senior, leading inner-city Madison to the 5A state semifinals. At Texas, Young captured the Longhorns’ first national championship in 35 years with a performance for the ages against Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and the USC Trojans. His NFL career never panned out, but he’ll always be remembered as one of the most electrifying college players."

Texas signed Young as a member of the 2002 recruiting class. He was the nation’s top high school prospect. He joins a list of the likes of former South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, Florida State Seminoles linebacker Ernie Sims, Michigan defensive tackle Rashan Gary, and Ole Miss Rebels defensive end Robert Nkemdiche as the only perfectly rated recruits since the system came about in the 2000’s.

Young is the only quarterback to ever receive a perfect rating. Lawrence was close during the 2018 recruiting cycle, but wasn’t able to reach that mark. Fields was also close to that mark, but Lawrence would wind up passing him over as the top ranked quarterback recruit of the 2018 cycle.

As a product of Madison High School in Houston, TX, the Longhorns landed Young to be the focal point of their program for the better part of three years. Other schools pursuing him, such as the LSU Tigers, Miami, and Florida State were hot on his trail but he would ultimately take his talents to Texas.