Texas Football: 10 best quarterbacks all-time for the Longhorns

4. Bobby Layne (1944-1947)

Once we get into the top five, we start to get into the real meat and bones of the list among the best Longhorns quarterbacks in program history. And there aren’t many more prestigious names in the Longhorns lore than the former No. 1 overall pick in the 1948 NFL Draft and two-time All-American Bobby Layne.

Layne led the Longhorns to three AP Top 15 finishes. And the peak for Texas with Layne as the starting quarterback came when they finished up the 1947 season with just one loss. Texas finished fifth in the AP Poll that season and was likely a one-point loss to the No. 8 SMU Mustangs away from truly competing for a national title.

The individual peak for Layne came in the Cotton Bowl to round out the 1945 season when he accounted for every single one of the Longhorns’ touchdowns and kicked four field goals en route to a 40-27 win over the Mizzou Tigers.

We should also mention that Layne finished in the top eight of the Heisman voting during the 1946 and 1947 seasons.

3. James Street (1966-1969)

One of the best two-season runs in program history for the Longhorns largely had to do with the play of the 1969 most outstanding player on the team James Street. Texas lost just one game between the 1968 and 1969 seasons, including a national title for Street, Royal, and the Longhorns.

Texas also finished in the top three in the AP Poll to round out the 1968 and 1969 seasons.

Street also helped to engineer one of the most memorable comeback wins in program history to top No. 6 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to round out the 1969 season with a National Championship.

It was also big for Street to lead the Longhorns to a narrow 15-14 win over the No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks in the final game of the 1969 regular season. That’s what really put Texas in a position to win the national title that season.

The Longhorns really found nothing but success in the three-year run with Street as their quarterback.