Texas Football: 10 best quarterbacks all-time for the Longhorns
Honorable Mentions
Donnie Little (1978-1981)
It’s impossible to go through a list of impactful quarterbacks throughout the history of this football program without mentioning the first black starting quarterback for the Longhorns, Donnie Little. Injuries would greatly limit the career of Little, though, as he wasn’t able to show his true potential as Texas’ starting quarterback in 1979 and 1980.
Injuries would actually prevent Little from ever playing in a full season as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback.
Nonetheless, Little was productive for Texas over the course of his four year collegiate career. He registered more than 3,500 total yards and 22 total touchdowns between passing, rushing, and receiving numbers in his four seasons at Texas.
Shane Buechele (2016-2018)
While the brightest portion of the collegiate career of the former Texas blue-chip recruit Shane Buechele actually came with the SMU Mustangs, he still was productive during his three years on the Forty Acres.
Buechele started out his collegiate career in 2016, where he looked like he could be the next big thing for former head coach Charlie Strong and the Longhorns. As a true freshman, Buechele registered nearly 3,000 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and two rushing scores.
After playing for the Longhorns for three seasons, Buechele had registered more than 4,600 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 16 picks, and four rushing scores.
Peter Gardere (1989-1992)
There were many ups and downs that the former Texas starting quarterback Peter Gardere experienced throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gardere was the starting quarterback for around three and a half seasons for Texas, where he registered a record of 25-16.
The biggest claim to fame for Gardere during his time on the Forty Acres was definitely the fact that the Longhorns went 4-0 in the Red River Rivalry game against the Oklahoma Sooners. That’s not something to gloss over for Gardere.
Gardere hit a high point with the Longhorns during the 1990 season when he led the team to a top 15 finish and a double-digit win campaign. Texas also won the Southwest Conference Championship in 1990.