The 30 best college football quarterbacks of the 21st century

• Heisman Trophy winner (2016)
• Heisman Trophy finalist (2017)
• First-Team All-American (2016)
• Maxwell Award (2016), Walter Camp Award (2016)

Undoubtedly a great athlete when he came into the college ranks, Lamar Jackson had to prove himself early on with the Louisville Cardinals. He had to earn the starting quarterback job as a true freshman in the 2015 season and ultimately did so as he made 12 appearances and eight starts, throwing for 1,840 yards, 12 touchdowns and eight picks while rushing for 960 yards and 11 touchdowns.

After flashing his talent as a freshman, the question was if Jackson would be able to take the next step beyond being an electric athlete but flawed quarterback. The Louisville signal-caller answered any questions with a Heisman-winning season, though.

Jackson was untouchable in the 2016 college football season, throwing for 3,543 yards, 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions while also rushing for 1,571 yards and 21 touchdowns. His success led Louisville to a 9-4 season on the year, a solid mark under Bobby Petrino.

For his final act with the Cardinals, Jackson ultimately fell short of the Heisman as Louisville, though they went 8-5 overall, were a worse overall team than in the previous season. Even still, the quarterback put up eye-popping numbers as he passed for 3,660 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for 1,601 yards and 18 scores on the year.

Jackson’s place as perhaps the best dual-threat college quarterback ever is intact but it’s the Cardinals’ lack of success under his watch that ultimately keeps him “down” at No. 8. Had he led them to higher highs, perhaps he’d have been a top-five candidate.