In honor of the 100th season of BYU football, we are ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in BYU history.
Arguably the most important position in football, quarterbacks have had a long-standing tradition of success at BYU. Legendary Hall-of-Fame coach LaVell Edwards started a tradition with “the quarterback factory” that has continued today.
In the past 100 years, there have been 100 quarterbacks in BYU history, with 13 drafted by the NFL. We are narrowing the list to our top 10, based on their career as a Cougar.
10. Marc Wilson (1975-1979)
On the heels of the Gifford Nielsen's Heisman campaign that was abruptly ended by injury in 1977, Marc Wilson helped kickstart the “quarterback factory” under Edwards. In his career, Wilson threw for 7,637 yards and 61 touchdowns. He was a three-year starter and became BYU’s first consensus All-American. Wilson was a Sammy Baugh trophy winner and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
9. Zach Wilson (2018-2020)
At No. 9, we follow up with another Wilson. Zach Wilson is the youngest quarterback to ever start a game for the Cougars. He is most noted for his 2020 season where he threw for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns. He broke Steve Young’s record for completion percentage in a season at 73.5%. Despite only playing three years at BYU, Wilson is 9th all-time in passing yards with 7,652.
8. Steve Sarkisian (1995-1996)
After transferring to BYU in 1995, Steve Sarkisian instantly impacted the field for BYU. In the two seasons he played, he threw for 7,464 passing yards and 53 touchdowns. His most notable accomplishment was leading the Cougars in 1996 to a 14-1 record and winning the Sammy Baugh trophy.
7. John Beck (2003-2006)
Becoming the second-ever true freshman to start a game at BYU, John Beck quickly made a name for himself among the great history of BYU quarterbacks. As a sophomore, Beck totaled over 3,000 career passing yards and ended with 11,021 in his four-year career, which is third all-time at BYU. Beck also totaled 79 passing touchdowns, which included one of the most famous plays in BYU history, the pass to Jonny Harline to beat Utah in 2006.
6. Taysom Hill (2012-2016)
Taysom Hill’s style of play made him one of the most unique quarterbacks in BYU history. He was a true dual-threat quarterback who didn’t wow people with his passing ability but could throw the ball when needed. His skill of running the ball always wowed the crowd and caused headaches for the defense. Hill is sixth all-time at BYU in career rushing yards for any player with 2,819. He also had 6,935 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. Hill remains one of the greatest what-ifs in BYU history. If he had not sustained so many injuries, how good could he have been?
5. Max Hall (2007-2009)
Playing in only three seasons for the Cougars, Max Hall is one of the best passers in BYU history. His 11,365 yards are second all-time behind only Ty Detmer. As a transfer quarterback from Arizona State and after a mission, Hall had the opportunity to battle for the starting position in 2007. After winning that battle, he started for the next three seasons and threw for 94 touchdowns.
4. Robbie Bosco (1982-1985)
Robbie Bosco has something on every BYU quarterback that no one else has — a national championship. Bosco is known as one of the greatest quarterbacks in BYU history after throwing for 8,400 passing yards and 66 touchdowns in his career. He was the Sammy Baugh trophy winner in 1984 and finished third in the Heisman voting in both 1984 and 1985. His No. 6 jersey was retired by BYU in 2017.
3. Jim McMahon (1997-78, 1980-81)
Being one of the most unique individuals to play for the Cougars, Jim McMahon was nothing short of a spectacular quarterback. He threw for 9,536 yards and 84 touchdowns in his career. McMahon was a true leader on the field and led one of the greatest comebacks in BYU history in the Holiday Bowl against SMU in 1980. He was a Consensus All-American in 1981 and when he moved on to the NFL, he held 70 NCAA records. McMahon was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998 and his No. 9 jersey was retired by BYU in 2014.
2. Steve Young (1981-1983)
Football fans will quickly recognize the name Steve Young because of his great success in the NFL. Before the NFL, Young was one of the best players in the country. Throwing for 7,733 yards and 56 touchdowns in his career, along with 1,084 rushing yards, made him a dynamic threat all over the field. Young was the runner-up to the Heisman trophy in 1983, won the Davey O’Brien Award, and was a Consensus All-American. He continued LaVell’s quarterback factory and found great success at the helm of the Cougar offense. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and his No. 8 jersey was retired by BYU in 2003.
1. Ty Detmer (1988-1991)
Among all the great quarterbacks in BYU history, Ty Detmer stands atop the list. Detmer is the only BYU Cougar to win the Heisman Trophy. He won the award in 1990 along with the Davey O'Brien Award in 1990 and 1991. Detmer holds the record for most passing yards at BYU with 15,031 and is first in passing touchdowns with 121. Detmer led the Cougars to the biggest home win in program history, knocking off No. 1 Miami in 1990. For these reasons, we have him at the top of our list.