Dak Prescott and the 10 most underrated college football quarterbacks of all time
By Ethan Lee
No. 6: Underrated college football quarterbacks – Tajh Boyd, Clemson
Before Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence were lighting up opponents for Clemson, Tajh Boyd was helping Dabo Swinney turn the Tigers into a legitimate nationally relevant program. In 2011, Swinney and Boyd went to work and began to put Clemson on the map.
Boyd took the reins of Clemson’s offense in 2011, his sophomore season.
All he did was complete 59.7 percent of his passes, throw for 3,828 yards and 33 touchdowns against 12 picks, and help his team to an Orange Bowl appearance and a 10-4 record. In 2011, Clemson beat No. 21 Auburn, No. 11 Florida State, and Virginia Tech twice (once while the Hokies were ranked No. 11 and in the ACC Championship Game when they were ranked No. 5).
During Boyd’s junior season, the Tigers and Boyd improved considerably.
In 2012, Clemson went 11-2 with a notably Chick-Fil-A bowl victory over No. 9 LSU. Boyd completed 67.2 percent of his passes and threw for 3,896 yards and 36 touchdowns against 13 picks. Despite not gaining many yards on the ground, Boyd picked up 10 rushing touchdowns in 2012.
And 2013 panned out to be a pretty great season for the Tigers as well as they again went 11-2 with Boyd leading their offense. As a senior, Boyd completed 68.5 percent of his passes, threw for 3,851 yards and 34 touchdowns while throwing 11 interceptions. And just like in 2012, Boyd ran for 10 touchdowns in 2013.
Largely thanks to Boyd’s success, Clemson claimed wins over No. 5 Georgia and then No. 7 Ohio State in the Orange Bowl during the 2013 season.
Before Boyd became the Tigers’ starter, Swinney held a 19-15 win-loss record as Clemson’s head coach. In the three seasons with Boyd leading the Tiger’s offense, Clemson went 32-8. Boyd helped the Tigers light up the scoreboard and also build a foundation for a program that has become one of the most dominant in college football.