50 greatest college football players this century, ranked

• Maxwell Award (2009)
• 2× Walter Camp Award (2008, 2009)
• Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2009)
• Davey O’Brien Award (2009)
• Manning Award (2009)
• 2× consensus All-American (2008, 2009)
• Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year
• First-team All-Big 12 (2009)

Starting anywhere for four straight seasons is an impressive feat. At a school like Texas, coming off of a national championship, it’s almost unfathomable to see a four-year starter at quarterback.

Mack Brown named Colt McCoy the starter as a redshirt-freshman heading into the 2006 season. He would keep the job for 53 games over four seasons, compiling a record of 45-8 (.849-win percentage), twice leading the Long Horns to 12-win seasons and top-three finishes. His record as the starter against Big 12 competition was 28-6 and he went 3-1 in the Red River Shootout (most importantly).

McCoy threw for over 3,000 yards three straight seasons from his sophomore to senior year, averaging nearly 27 touchdowns in the air, and six on the ground every year. He also completed over 70-percent of his passes during that three-year span and his completion percentage of 76.67 in 2008 is still the highest single-season completion percentage in NCAA history.

He holds the Texas records for career starts, wins, passing yards, completions, passer rating, touchdown passes, total touchdowns, total offense, and just about every other imaginable statistical category. His 13,253 passing yards are top-ten in college football all-time as are his 1,157 completions.

Bonus Fact: In three bowl appearances, he compiled a 3-0 record, passed for 897 yards, threw for five touchdowns, and ran for two more (excluding 2009 when he was knocked out of the game with a stinger in his throwing shoulder on the first drive).