Where Does Eli Manning Fall Among the Top 75 College Football QBs of the 2000s?
OXFORD, Miss. - There is no doubt about it, Eli Manning's career with the Ole Miss Rebels was outstanding. Many fans and experts consider the younger Manning to be one of the greatest signal-callers of all time, but where exactly does he rank among the best college football quarterbacks in the current century?
ESPN answered this question last Monday when they released rankings for the Top 75 college football quarterbacks of the 2000s, with Manning earning the No. 47 spot. Manning was ranked in between former Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brady Quinn (46) and ex-Florida Gator Kyle Trask (48). Manning was one of 17 SEC quarterbacks to make the list.
While he never won a national championship or SEC title, the former Rebel still compiled an impressive collegiate resume. After four seasons in Oxford, Manning set school records in career passing yards (10,119) and passing touchdowns (81), and set or tied 45 additional Ole Miss single-game, season, or career records. Manning was awarded the Maxwell Trophy in 2003, which is given annually to the best player in college football, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that same season. Manning also received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award his senior year and was named the 2003 SEC Player of the Year.
Here is ESPN's excerpt on Manning making the rankings.
47. Eli Manning, Ole Miss
Years: 2000-03
Before winning two Super Bowl titles, Manning nearly accomplished something even more rare and impressive in college: He came within basically one completion or so of beating Nick Saban and earning Ole Miss an SEC West title in 2003.
Manning's phenomenal 2003 season cemented his legacy as possibly the greatest Rebel in school history. On top of earning all the accolades mentioned above, Eli led Ole Miss to a 10-3 record and a 31-28 Cotton Bowl victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. For his efforts, Manning became the highest pick in program history when he was selected No. 1 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. Manning would go on to win two Super Bowl titles with the New York Giants.
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