Ranking every 5-star QB of the modern recruiting era: Vince Young or Tim Tebow at No. 1?

The 2026 cycle represents the 25th of the modern recruiting era.

And with The Athletic looking back at the best of the 21st century best players , best games, best coaches we thought we might as well put a recruiting spin on it.

And no sort of prospect generates more attention than a five-star quarterback.

If one hits, he can change a programs fortunes.

Advertisement So weve ranked every five-star quarterback of the modern recruiting era.

This list only includes players who have completed their college careers.

Its too early to judge Arch Manning, Dylan Raiola or any of their ilk who is still active.

There are some exceptions, but for the most part this ranking values career accomplishments over one great season.

And, lastly, a reminder for the comment section: This is focused only on quarterbacks who were five-star recruits.

Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield and many other high-profile QBs were not five-stars coming out of high school.

Note: The modern recruiting era starts in 2002, the first year Rivals published a ranking.

Rankings for this story are from the 247Sports Composite.

The top 10 Tebow was a key contributor during the Gators national title run as a true freshman in 2006, won the Heisman in 2007, led Florida to a national championship in 2008 and finished in the top five of Heisman voting while leading the Gators to a 13-1 record and top-five finish in 2009.

He accounted for 145 total touchdowns, passed for 9,285 yards and rushed for 2,947.

Thats the sort of career any fan base dreams of for a five-star quarterback.

Texas is a huge college football brand, but its reached the mountaintop of the sport just once since 1969.

Young led the Longhorns to the national championship in 2005 with arguably the greatest individual performance weve ever seen in what many regard as the greatest game ever throwing for 267 yards, rushing for 200 and three touchdowns in the Rose Bowl against USC.

His Rose Bowl performance the year before against Michigan (180 passing yards, 192 rushing yards, five total TDs) is often overshadowed because of what he did the following season.

Young accounted for 81 touchdowns during his career, finished second in Heisman voting in 2005, went 30-2 as the starter and finished his career with a 20-game winning streak.

Texas was a consistent 10-, 11-win program in the 2000s.

Young elevated the Longhorns beyond that.

The 2010s were defined by super teams with elite rosters that won national championships, such as Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and LSU.

Auburn was an exception thanks to Newton, who blended skill, size, power and athleticism to post an all-time season in which he accounted for 51 touchdowns, won the Heisman and led the Tigers to a national title.

Advertisement One player cant carry a team to a national championship, but Newton came about as close as possible.

He didnt have a single skill player drafted.

Only tackles Brandon Mosley (fourth round) and Lee Ziemba (seventh round) were picked on the O-line.

The entire starting defense had only two players drafted.

Newtons 2010 campaign is the most impressive individual season from any player on this list.

Winston won the Heisman Trophy and the national championship as a redshirt freshman in 2013.

That season cemented his place in the history books, and he then led Florida State to the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014.

Winston regressed as a redshirt sophomore, throwing 15 fewer touchdown passes (40 to 25) and eight more interceptions (10 to 18).

He was also involved in off-field headlines for all the wrong reasons that year.

But a Heisman, a national championship, a Playoff trip, two conference championships and strong individual numbers earned him a spot in the top five.

Lawrence was the top prospect in the 2018 recruiting cycle, and he immediately delivered on the hype.

He supplanted Clemsons established starter, Kelly Bryant, after four games and led the Tigers to a national championship with a great performance (347 yards, three touchdowns) against Alabama in the title game.

Lawrence guided Clemson to a 14-1 record and national championship appearance in 2019 and a Playoff trip in 2020.

He was the Heisman runner-up in 2020, as well.

He threw 90 touchdown passes to just 17 interceptions and rushed for 18 scores.

Like Newton, Murray transferred and started only one season in college.

But what a magical season it was.

Murray was the perfect triggerman for Lincoln Rileys offense at Oklahoma.

In 2018, he passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns (with just seven interceptions) and rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 scores, and he led the Sooners to a Big 12 title and the College Football Playoff on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy.

Advertisement Tagovailoa came off the bench in the national championship game against Georgia and delivered one of the most unforgettable moments in the sports recent history when he connected with DeVonta Smith on second-and-26 in overtime to win it all.

He became the full-time starter in 2018 and passed for 6,806 yards and 76 touchdowns in his two seasons as the Crimson Tides primary QB.

He led Alabama to the national championship game in 2018 and finished second in the Heisman voting.

Tagovailoa ushered in an era of prolific Alabama quarterback play that wasnt the norm in prior years of Nick Sabans tenure.

It was hard to decide who to rank higher, Young or Tagovailoa.

Neither won the national championship as the full-time starter.

Young played with a considerably weaker supporting cast and won a Heisman.

But Alabama does not win the 2017 national title without Tagovailoa.

That certainly doesnt take away from Youngs career.

He has a Heisman Trophy and quarterbacked the Crimson Tide to a national championship game appearance during the 2021 season.

He threw for 79 touchdowns and 8,200 yards and went 24-4 in two seasons as the starter.

The pandemic-shortened 2020 season limited how much we saw of Fields at his peak.

Over 22 starts at Ohio State, he threw for 5,373 yards and 63 touchdowns with just nine interceptions, rushed for 867 yards and 15 scores and finished in the top seven of Heisman voting both seasons.

The Buckeyes reached the College Football Playoff in both 2019 and 2020 and appeared in the national title game in 2020.

Fields is the lone quarterback in the top 10 without a national championship or a Heisman Trophy, but he won (20-2 record at Ohio State) and produced at an elite level.

The Bears essentially chose Williams over Fields just last year, but this is strictly about college careers.

Williams 2022 season at USC was special, but he didnt win a conference title or reach the Playoff, which Fields and every other quarterback ranked above him did.

Advertisement Still, its impossible to deny what an exceptional talent Williams was in college.

Over his three years one at Oklahoma and two at USC he passed for 10,082 yards, rushed for 966 and accounted for 120 touchdowns.

The next up Nix was viewed as a disappointment after three up-and-down seasons at Auburn, but his two seasons at Oregon (8,101 passing yards, 74 touchdowns and 10 interceptions) altered the way his college career was viewed.

He finished third in the Heisman voting in 2023 and led the Ducks to a 12-2 record and New Years Six bowl win.

Some will argue McCarthy should be ranked higher because he won a national championship, but he was never asked to drive the bus for a full season like some of the quarterbacks ahead of him.

Still, McCarthy played his role perfectly, thrived in big-time rivalry games against Ohio State and went 27-1 as the starter.

Theres a lot to like about that.

Leak was the No.

2 quarterback in his class and was a major recruiting win for Florida in 2003.

Even though Tebow is remembered more, Leak was the primary quarterback on a team that won the national championship.

Pryor played for Jim Tressel, so he rarely got the opportunity to display his full skill set like he would have if he played under the more offensive-minded Urban Meyer.

But in three seasons, he won two Big Ten titles, went 31-4 as a starter and amassed 74 total touchdowns, 6,177 passing yards and 2,164 rushing yards.

Lawrence and Deshaun Watson are the Tigers most celebrated quarterbacks, but Boyd led Clemson to the ACC title in 2011 its first in 20 years and threw for 11,904 yards and 107 touchdowns in his career.

His 32-8 record as the starter between 2011 and 2013 set the stage for what was to come for the Tigers.

Advertisement Miller was Meyers first quarterback at Ohio State, and his dual-threat ability (2,039 passing yards, 1,271 rushing yards) spearheaded the Buckeyes 12-0 season in 2012 (when they served a postseason ban).

It was more of the same in 2013 when Miller led Ohio State to a 12-2 record, a Big Ten title game appearance and a trip to the Orange Bowl.

Miller finished in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting in both seasons before shoulder injuries forced him to move to receiver.

Henne never beat Ohio State or won a Rose Bowl, but he started for four years, threw for 9,715 yards and 87 touchdowns and won a Big Ten title in 2004.

Thats not a bad career.

Taylor didnt have eye-popping career stats (only 44 touchdown passes in four years), but he was a dual-threat playmaker who helped the Hokies win three ACC titles from 2007 to 2010.

Virginia Tech appeared in the Orange Bowl three times during his career and won it after the 2008 season.

The Hokies havent won a conference title since Taylor left.

Deciding between Murray and Matthew Stafford was tough.

Murray started four seasons and passed for 13,166 yards with 121 touchdowns and 41 interceptions.

He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back SEC title games in 2011 and 2012, coming just a few yards away from beating eventual national champion Alabama in the 2012 game.

Georgia might have had better teams, but that felt like the closest it came to a national championship before Kirby Smarts tenure took off.

Stafford started for three years, threw for 7,731 yards with 51 touchdowns and 33 interceptions.

The Bulldogs went 21-5 over his final two seasons, and an argument can be made that the 2007 team, which won the Sugar Bowl, was the best in the country at seasons end.

Best of the rest One theme with this group is quarterbacks who achieved most of their success with programs they didnt sign with out of high school.

Ewers was the unanimous No.

1 player in his recruiting class and reclassified to the 2021 cycle to kick-start his name, images and likeness earnings at Ohio State.

He transferred to Texas after one season in Columbus and led the Longhorns to a Big 12 title, an SEC championship game appearance and back-to-back CFP semifinals in 2023 and 2024.

Mallett transferred to Arkansas during Michigans transition to Rich Rodriguez and performed really well (7,493 passing yards, 62 touchdown passes, 19 interceptions in two seasons).

He led the Razorbacks to 10 wins and a Sugar Bowl appearance during the 2010 season.

Rattler (South Carolina), Patterson (Michigan), McCord (Syracuse) and Kiel (Cincinnati) all produced better at their second stops, as well.

Advertisement Daniels was the No.

3 quarterback in the 2018 cycle, behind only Lawrence and Fields, and started at USC as a true freshman in 2018.

But injuries and inconsistency turned his career into a long, winding journey that included a national championship season at Georgia in 2021 (as the starter for a month, then a backup) and stops at West Virginia and Rice.

Clausen, Barkley and Rosen were all uber-hyped prospects from Southern California.

Team success eluded all three.

Barkley passed for 116 touchdowns during his career but had the best skill-position players of the three.

On the other hand, he quarterbacked USC during its years under NCAA sanctions, and other parts of the roster mainly the offensive and defensive lines lacked talent and depth.

Clausen and Rosen produced solid numbers, but their teams never lost fewer than five games.

Sanchez and Manuel waited behind veteran quarterbacks, led their programs to conference championships and won BCS bowls as the starter.

A change of scenery might have been the best for Hackenberg, who displayed real promise as a true freshman at Penn State in 2013.

Coach Bill OBrien left for the Houston Texans following that season, and Hackenberg regressed under James Franklin the next two years before leaving for the NFL.

Five-stars who started for a season or two with middling production Each of these players started at least one season but posted average or below-average numbers.

Wright was the No.

1 signal caller in the 2003 class.

He showed some promise in 2005 as a first-time starter (2,403 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions) but struggled with injuries and coordinator changes over the next two seasons and regressed after his debut campaign.

Uiagaleleis career just wrapped up.

He was next in line after Watson and Lawrence at Clemson but never performed up to his recruiting ranking.

He transferred to Oregon State in 2023 and was at his best there with coach Jonathan Smith.

But Smith took the Michigan State job, and Uiagalelei transferred to Florida State, which was a bad fit for both parties, in 2024.

Gilbert had the biggest on-field moment of this group when he was thrown into the fire for an injured Colt McCoy in the 2009 BCS Championship Game against Alabama.

Texas staged a late rally, but the game went as youd expect for a true freshman backup on that stage: He completed just 15 of 40 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions in the loss.

Gilbert was Texas starter in 2010 but threw more interceptions (17) than touchdowns (10).

He transferred to SMU and posted decent numbers there over the 2012 and 2013 seasons (6,460 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, 613 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores).

Reid had a good season as Oklahoma States starter in 2006 but struggled in 2007, and criticism of him sparked Mike Gundys infamous, Im a man, Im 40, rant.

Vick started the entire 2005 season at Virginia Tech but was dismissed after the Gator Bowl for what the university described as the cumulative effect of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play.

A camera caught Vick stomping on Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervils leg during the bowl game.

Advertisement Barnett opened the 2016 season as the starter at Alabama but quickly gave way to Jalen Hurts a few series into the first game.

Barnett transferred to a junior college for the remainder of the season, spent 2017 at Arizona State and finished his career at South Florida.

Five-stars who never started a full season Bomar, Browne and Allen were the top-ranked quarterbacks in their classes.

Bomar lost a competition to Paul Thompson for the starting role in 2005 but was named the starter after Oklahomas season-opening loss to TCU.

He started the final 11 games of the season, threw 10 TD passes and 10 interceptions, and the Sooners went 8-4 and won the Holiday Bowl.

But he was dismissed a month before the 2006 season because he accepted payments from a local car dealership that exceeded the amount of time he actually worked.

Bomar transferred to Sam Houston, an FCS program at the time, and posted some good numbers there.

Allen took over the starting job from Kenny Hill at Texas A&M in 2015 but was benched for Murray in 2015.

He transferred to Houston and started three games in 2017 but once again lost the job.

Allen went undrafted but has been in the NFL since leaving Houston.

Browne waited three years for his shot to start at USC, and he won the job in 2016 but was supplanted by Sam Darnold after a few games.

He transferred to Pitt in 2017 but did not last the full season as the starter.

Perrilloux is the biggest what-if story among this cluster of quarterbacks.

He was supremely talented ranked the No.

1 dual-threat QB in the 2005 class but he started only one game of significance at LSU, the 2007 SEC title game in place of a banged-up Matt Flynn.

He completed 20 of 30 passes for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 21-14 win over Tennessee.

That was a critical win for the Tigers, who went on to win the national title.

It set Perriloux up to start for LSU in 2008, but he was dismissed from the team for reportedly failing a drug test.

He transferred to Jacksonville State, which was an FCS program at the time, and was productive with the Gamecocks.

Corp lost a competition to Barkley for the starting role at USC in 2009.

He started one game that season and transferred to Richmond and started one season for the FCS program.

Mustain was the No.

2 QB in his class behind Stafford and was a significant signing for Arkansas, which hired his high school coach, Gus Malzahn, as offensive coordinator.

Mustain transferred to USC after one season and sat behind Sanchez, Barkley and Corp during that time.

He started one game for an injured Barkley in 2010.

Zwick opened the 2004 season as Ohio States starter but eventually gave way to Troy Smith.

Advertisement Position switch / two-sport athletes These players didnt spend much time at quarterback or, in Tuiasosopos case, didnt play college football at all.

Shepard was the No.

3 recruit in the 2009 cycle and the No.

1 dual-threat quarterback.

He lined up as a wildcat quarterback, running back and receiver during his freshman year at LSU before finally settling in at wideout.

Banks never attempted a pass at Tennessee.

He also moved to receiver and caught 42 passes for 621 yards and six scores for the Volunteers in 2004, but he was dismissed from the program following that season after a string of incidents.

Lane attempted 79 passes in his first two years at Ole Miss but moved to tight end and caught 47 passes for 517 yards and one touchdown during his time in Oxford.

Tuiasosopo signed with Washington in 2004 but was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the MLB Draft that summer.

He never enrolled at Washington and made his major-league debut in September 2008.

(Photos of Vince Young, Tim Tebow: Jamie Schwaberow, Samuel Lewis / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6368366/2025/05/27/quarterback-rankings-5-star-recruits-modern-era/