The Big 12 Conference will be unfamiliar to longtime college football fans in 2024, due to the addition of eight new teams over the past two seasons. But that doesn’t mean fans in the future won’t be familiar with the Big 12 Conference.
They already know the best players on that team, including the quarterback history that includes the greatest passer in college football history.
Here we look at the all-time leading passers from all 16 teams currently in the Big 12 Conference.
Nick Foles, Arizona, 10,011 passing yards (2009-2011): Arizona’s streak of no All-American quarterback may end with the addition of Noah Fifita in 2024, but Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles’ career passing record still appears safe.
Andrew Walter, Arizona State, 10,017 passing yards (2001-2004): Walter left Arizona State with the most career touchdowns (85) and Pac-10 records for passing yards in a game (536) and also played four seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders.
Robert Griffin III, Baylor University, 10,366 passing yards (2008-11): Griffin was effective both through the air and on the ground, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2011 with 4,952 total yards of total offense and 47 total touchdowns.
Ty Detmer, BYU, 15,031 passing yards (1988-1991): Detmer was a two-time All-American with the Cougars and won the Heisman Trophy in 1990.
Gino Guidugli, Cincinnati, 11,453 passing yards (2001-04): Guidugli won three state championships at Highlands High School in Kentucky before being a four-year starter at Cincinnati. He is the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame, where he will begin in 2023.
Sefo Liufau, Colorado, 9,763 passing yards (2013-2016): If you’re not too fond of Liufau’s time at Colorado, it’s probably because the Buffaloes went 20-31 in his four seasons there.
Case Keenum, Houston, 19,217 passing yards (2007-2011): The greatest passer in college football history, Keenum is the only player in FBS history to have three seasons with 5,000 or more passing yards and is the only college football player to reach 20,000 yards of total offense.
Brock Purdy, Iowa State, 12,170 passing yards (2018-2021): Purdy was a three-time All-Big 12 selection before going from Mr. Irrelevant to one of the NFL’s biggest stars with the San Francisco 49ers.
Todd Reesing, Kansas, 11,194 passing yards (2006-2009): Reesing was only 5-foot-10 but showed signs of being a phenom, leading Kansas to an Orange Bowl victory following the 2007 season and earning All-Big 12 selection twice.
Josh Freeman, Kansas State, 8,078 passing yards (2006-08): Freeman threw for a lot of yards but didn’t win games, going 17-20 in three seasons as a starter.
Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State, 13,618 passing yards (2014-17): Rudolph not only threw 90 touchdown passes, but he also had 17 rushing touchdowns, including 10 in 2017.
TCU, Trevone Boykin, 10,728 passing yards (2012-2015): Boykin was a two-time All-American and the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 before off-field issues marred his career.
Graham Harrell, Texas Tech, 15,793 passing yards (2005-08): Harrell ranks fourth all-time in FBS passing yards with nearly 16,000 career yards, but he’s made history with 28 passes, including a 28-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree in the final seconds of a win over No. 1 Texas in 2008 in Lubbock.
Daunte Culpepper, UCF, 11,412 passing yards (1995-98): Culpepper led UCF to the Division IA division (then called Division I-AA) and left the school with the NCAA single-season pass completion record of 73.6 percent in 1998.
Scott Mitchell, Utah, 8,981 passing yards (1987-1989): A fond memory. Mitchell played under Jim Fassel at Utah and compiled a 15-20 record in three seasons as the starting quarterback as the team struggled.
Geno Smith, West Virginia University, 11,662 passing yards (2009-2012): Smith had a great career at West Virginia University, earning All-Big East selection three times.
November 1, 2008: After Texas dropped an easy interception on the previous play, Graham Harrell passed to Michael Crabtree for a 28-yard TD with one second left, giving No. 7 Texas Tech a 39-33 win over the No. 1 Longhorns in Lubbock. pic.twitter.com/JwXEjRpZAm
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) November 1, 2023
