Out of the 16 years of BCS National Championships, very few title-winning quarterbacks have gone on to find great success in the NFL. Some were Heisman winners, some went undefeated in their final season, and some set collegiate records.
All of that just to not succeed professionally.
Don’t get me wrong, there have been success stories, or really, just one. Take Cam Newton, he made it to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2015 season. Even though he lost, he may be the only genuine success story out of the 16 years.
Seven of the quarterbacks who were drafted into the NFL after winning the BCS National Championship game weren't taken until the 5th round of the draft or later. People, and teams, didn’t have high expectations of them and they proceeded to fizzle out of the spotlight.
In my opinion, here are the five quarterbacks who won the BCS title game and went on to be the biggest disappointments in the NFL.
After backing up Greg McElroy as he broke the hearts of Longhorn fans across the nation, AJ McCarron became the first quarterback to ever win back-to-back BCS titles.
Once becoming a starter, McCarron excelled within the Crimson Tide program. He finished his collegiate career with 9,019 passing yards, 77 passing touchdowns, and just 15 interceptions.
McCarron was in the mix for the Heisman Trophy during his junior year and was the Heisman runner-up during his senior season.
With three rings in his back pocket, McCarron headed to the NFL Draft. He wasn’t selected until the fifth round by the Cincinnati Bengals and was stuck playing backup quarterback for four seasons.
Next, McCarron was off to the Raiders, the Texans, and the Falcons where he spent yet another four years as a backup.
In his most recent season in the NFL, McCarron appeared in 2 games and threw for 19 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
From such an illustrious college career, at arguably the greatest football program in the country, to barely seeing the field in the NFL is disappointing to say the very least. The only thing keeping him at the bottom of the all-time flops list is that he wasn’t taken until the fifth round.
Before going 10th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, Matt Leinart ran the gamut on college football in this country.
When he wasn’t busy leading the USC Trojans to a No. 1 ranking in the nation, Leinart could be seen winning national titles and the Heisman Trophy. With just two losses as a starter, he seemed as close to undefeatable as a player can get.
However, when he stepped onto the professional field, Leinart’s easy winnings didn’t seem to translate.
After throwing 10,693 yards and 99 touchdowns in college, Leinart was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the draft. He was the Cardinals’ backup quarterback for a while before eventually being waived.
Still trying to achieve greatness at the next stage, Leinart signed contracts with the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders but was still stuck riding the bench.
During his six years in the league, Leinart played in just 33 games. He only completed 57.1 percent of his pass attempts for 4,065 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was sacked 30 times and threw 21 interceptions.
Leinart has since been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as “one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history.”
Going from GOAT status to throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in his NFL career is one of the most disappointing statistics I’ve ever seen.
Taking your team to a national title is no easy feat. Doing so as a freshman and scoring two touchdowns in the game is even more impressive.
As a back up during the 2006-07 season, Tim Tebow played in 14 games and threw a 66.6 percent completion rate.
Tebow was known across the nation for his first season with the Florida Gators. On top of the championship ring, Tebow brought home the Heisman as a sophomore the following year. He was a Heisman finalist in the 2008 and 2009 seasons as well.
Playing a full four seasons with the Gators, Tebow completed 66.4 percent of his passes. He threw for 9,285 yards and 88 touchdowns. He averaged just 4 interceptions a year.
He set the Florida single-game quarterback rushing yards record (166), the SEC season rushing touchdown record (20), and the SEC season total touchdown record (55).
Tebow took a year off from football and waited until the 2010 NFL Draft to enter his name. He was surprisingly selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round that year, 25th overall. He then bounced around to the Jets, Patriots, Eagles, and Jaguars – mainly as a practice squad member.
Tebow’s completion percentage in the NFL was an abysmal 47.9 percent as he threw 9 interceptions and just 17 touchdowns. He did however continue his rushing prowess as he ran for 12 touchdowns on the ground.
For the player who nearly won three Heisman Trophies to complete his passes less than half the time in the league is simply depressing. Tebow was and is one of the biggest NFL flops in the nation.
Horns fans, sit tight. This isn’t a negative commentary on what Vince Young did for Texas. He was arguably the most unstoppable quarterback to ever take the field for the Longhorns.
However, Young’s greatness in college didn’t carry over to a distinguished career in the NFL.
At UT, he threw for 6,040 yards in just three years. He also ran for 3,127 yards on the ground including his 8-yard touchdown scramble to defeat USC in the National Championship game.
He completed 61.8 percent of his pass attempts and sits at No. 7 on Texas’ all-time passing yards chart. Young finished his career at No. 5 on the chart but has since been passed by Colt McCoy and Sam Ehlinger.
Young had 81 career touchdowns at Texas and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to Reggie Bush in 2005. Like Leinart, he lost just two games during his collegiate career.
After upsetting Leinart’s chance at back-to-back titles, Young headed to the NFL Draft and was taken 3rd overall by the Tennessee Titans.
Playing in the league for six years, Young had a fairly successful first two seasons with the Titans. He totaled 4,745 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Interceptions were a problem for the former Longhorn though. In six years, Young threw 51 interceptions and just 46 touchdown passes. He was sacked 83 times and threw for fewer than 9,000 career yards.
The No. 1 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner. The 2014 BCS National Championship game winner.
Jameis Winston is now playing backup quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. From highest of highest to riding the bench.
In his two years of college football, Winston threw for 7,964 yards and 65 touchdowns. After leading the Florida State Seminoles to a national title at the end of the 2013-14 season, he wasn’t even eligible for the NFL Draft because he was only a redshirt freshman.
After sticking around to check off his second year of collegiate play, Winston was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His first few seasons in the NFL weren’t even terrible. He threw for a 58.3 completion percentage in his rookie year and had 4,042 yards. However, his stats quickly dropped off and he was eventually replaced by the GOAT… Tom Brady.
When Winston was traded to the Saints, his career took a nose dive. Battling with injury and struggling to connect with his receivers, Winston has only seen 21 games in four years.
He has thrown for just 2,367 yards while also throwing 11 interceptions. He only has 16 touchdowns since he started playing for the Saints.
The Saints failed to make it to the Playoffs this season.
From the top of the NCAA world to being a backup on a team that doesn’t reach the postseason has to be one of the most disappointing dropoffs of all time, much less for a BCS title-winning quarterback.