Best college football players of all time from every state

Utah – Steve Young

Sliding back to the West we go as one of the most athletic quarterbacks in college football history finds his way onto the board for the great Beehive State. Steve Young was born in Salt Lake before moving to Greenwich, Connecticut where he grew up before returning to Utah where he attended BYU. Despite only taking over as the starting quarterback at BYU as a junior in 1982, after the departure of the (also great) Jim McMahon, Young put on a show in his limited chances.

Young set multiple college and NCAA records on the way to a (hotly-contested) 1983 Heisman runner-up finish. Young struggled with accuracy at times, especially early on in his collegiate career, but ended up being an efficient passer, finishing his senior year with an 11-1 record and a final ranking of No. 7 from the Associated Press.

The gunslinger from Salt Lake City finished with 3,902 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in his senior campaign, with just 10 interceptions to go with it. Young led the nation with 306 completions and a 168.5 QB rating, adding eight touchdowns and 444 yards rushing the ball.

Young is yet another winner of the WAC Offensive Player of the Year that finds himself on this list, and he was also a consensus All-American. While winning the Davey O’Brien award for being voted the nation’s best quarterback.

Finishing his collegiate career with a game-winning touchdown pass in a 21-17 BYU victory over Missouri in the 1983 Holiday Bowl, Young’s legacy lives on as one of the most electric and athletic collegiate quarterbacks in history.