ESPN ranks Brady Quinn 53rd among college quarterbacks since 2000. Discover why his Notre Dame legacy deserves a higher spot on the list.
There has been no shortage of excellent quarterback play in college football over the last 26 years. ESPN recently released their Top 100 Quarterback's Ranking since 2000 and a former Notre Dame standout was listed halfway up the ranking. Ohio native Brady Quinn was named the No. 53 overall quarterback in college football in the last 26 years by ESPN, but I think he has a strong case to be higher.
"We all thought Charlie Weis was a genius when he showed up in South Bend and Notre Dame immediately charged to its first top-10 finish in 12 years," author Bill Connelly of ESPN explained. "Weis' reputation fell apart pretty quickly, however, when Quinn ran out of eligibility."
Quinn finished his Notre Dame career with 11,762 passing yards, 95 passing touchdowns, 39 interceptions, completed 58 percent of his passes and added six rushing touchdowns to his collegiate totals as well. He's the all-time leader for the Irish in career passing yards and passing touchdowns. Quinn has also attempted the post passes in Notre Dame history over the course of his career.
He finished with a 29-16 overall record as a starter including the major turnaround we saw in 2005 when the Irish finished 9-3. Quinn and the Irish followed up that season with a 10-3 record in 2006. Notre Dame was ranked well within the Top 10 in the AP Poll in both seasons and came into the 2006 season ranked No. 2 overall in the country.
Quinn ended his Notre Dame career with several memorable moments in the blue and gold. He helped engineer one of the most notable games played in Notre Dame Stadium against USC in 2005. He helped engineer one of their largest comebacks on the road in school history against Michigan State in 2006 in East Lansing. Quinn also led the late game-winning drive against UCLA in 2006 throwing a game-clinching touchdown pass to receiver Jeff Samardjza, which is also the first game I attended.
After his illustrious career in South Bend, Quinn was taken in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, but like many quarterbacks before and after him, his career didn't pan out in Cleveland. Now, he serves as a lead-man on the FOX Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday mornings.
To this day, Quinn is still one of the most recognized quarterbacks that has played at Notre Dame since 2000. We talk about the 6-4, 225-pound quarterback to this day on the Irish Breakdown Podcast. His spot on this list is fitting, and he has a strong argument to be ranked higher. Quinn is behind other notable players like Aaron Murray from Georgia, Colt Brennan from Hawaii and Collin Klein from Kansas State.
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