Former Heisman Winner Recognized for Best QB Season of the 21st Century

A new countdown of the top college quarterback seasons since 2000 crowned a record-shattering signal-caller above a loaded field.

This former Heisman Trophy winner was named for having the best quarterback season since 2000. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

College football has produced a parade of dazzling quarterback campaigns since 2000, from Vince Young's title-clinching run in Pasadena to Cam Newton's one-and-done masterpiece at Auburn.

A new ranking from Bleacher Report's David Kenyon of college football's 10 best signal-caller seasons of the 21st century attempted to settle the debate at the top, and the answer could be argued was a close call.

Joe Burrow's 2019 season at LSU claimed the No. 1 spot, edging out Newton, Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel and a stacked group of Heisman Trophy winners who shaped the modern game.

What made Burrow's 2019 season the best

Burrow rewrote the record book in a way no quarterback had before him. He led the country in completion rate at 76.9 percent, passing yards at 5,671 and touchdown passes at 60, becoming the first player to clear 6,000 yards of total offense in a single season.

The numbers were staggering, but the schedule made them matter. LSU beat Texas, Florida, Auburn, Alabama and Georgia while all five were ranked inside the top 10.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) holds up the trophy after their victory against Clemson at the College Football National Championship game. | JOSH MORGAN/Staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Burrow threw 15 touchdown passes across those five wins, then closed out the College Football Playoff with 956 passing yards and 12 touchdowns in victories over Oklahoma and Clemson.

The 15-0 Tigers were arguably the most complete team of the playoff era, and Burrow was the engine of every win. His Heisman margin of 1,846 points over runner-up Jalen Hurts broke a record set by O.J. Simpson in 1968. He also took 95.03 percent of available first-place votes, another all-time mark.

How Burrow climbed past Newton, Tebow and Manziel

The most striking part of Burrow's case is the year-over-year jump. As a 2018 starter, he threw for 2,894 yards and 16 touchdowns. One offseason later, after LSU hired Joe Brady as passing game coordinator and modernized its offense, Burrow nearly doubled his yardage and quadrupled his scoring output.

Newton's 2010 Auburn run remains the most dominant individual carry job of the century, with 4,327 yards of total offense on an unranked-to-national-champion team. Tebow's 2007 dual-threat year at Florida and Manziel's freshman explosion at Texas A&M still hold up as cultural touchstones for the position.

Cam Newton's 2010 season at Auburn remains one of the best college football seasons ever, but it doesn't quite live up to the standard set by Joe Burrow. | Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic

What separates Burrow is the combination of a statistical ceiling, a perfect record and the quality of competition. He won the Maxwell, Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien, Manning and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards, then capped the year with 463 passing yards and six total touchdowns in the title game.

Burrow set 11 NCAA records during the season, and only one has fallen since. The 2019 campaign at LSU still functions as the benchmark every quarterback prospect chases.