History UsefulNotes / CollegiateAmericanFootballNamesToKnow

* '''Sam Hartman''': QB at Wake Forest from 2018–22, where he was a major part of leading the usual bottom-feeder program on its longest run of success in years. Hartman holds the current record for all-time passing [=TDs=] in the ACC (110). Much of this success can be linked to his mastery of the "slow mesh", Wake's unique take on the run-pass option which calls for the QB to hold the ball in the [=RB's=] chest much longer than normal. He achieved this despite having to overcame a medical emergency. Shortly before the '22 season, he was diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter syndrome, a blood clot in the subclavian vein that required surgery and the removal of a rib (part of which he turned into a necklace that he regularly wears, including during games). After missing the opening week to further recover, he came back and had another successful season. He transferred to Notre Dame to finish out his collegiate career and has since entered the top five in multiple FBS career passing stats.

* '''Tory Taylor''': 2023's Ray Guy winner, earned to cap the Australian's senior season at Iowa in which he broke the 80+ year record for punt yards in a season. Needless to say, Taylor punted ''a lot'' for one of the worst offenses in the nation and in some ways ''was'' the team's offense, allowing their stellar defense to regularly carry the Hawkeyes to the top of the Big Ten West.

* '''Will Reichard''': Kicker for Alabama from 2019–23, whose extra year as a graduate and ''perfect'' kicking record in their 2020 championship season helped him claim the NCAA record for points scored in a career.

* '''Jordan Travis''': Dual-threat who holds Florida State's school record for [=TDs=] responsible for. Transferred to FSU in 2019 after a season at Louisville and became the Seminoles' starter in 2020, eventually helping to lead the school back to national relevance. Unfortunately, Travis was injured in the penultimate game of the Seminoles' undefeated regular season, taking him out of commission; while the Noles still went on to win the ACC title without him, his injury was used to justify leaving Florida State out of the CFP despite their perfect record.

* '''Spencer Rattler''': One of the most hyped high school prospects ever, being ranked as the #1 QB in the 2019 class after being featured in the third season of the Netflix documentary series ''[=QB1=]'' and signing with Oklahoma's explosive passing offense. However, the doc didn't exactly portray Rattler in a positive light, and while he won most of his games after becoming the starter at OU in 2020, his performance was a noticeable step down from [[ToughActToFollow his predecessors]] Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts, who had each either won or been the runner-up for the Heisman. Rattler wound up getting benched for Caleb Williams in the middle of the 2021 season and left for South Carolina (ironically missing out on possibly regaining the OU starting position when Williams also left), where he acquitted himself slightly better.

* '''Brock Bowers''': An All-American TE for Georgia during their 2021-22 national championship-winning seasons. Dominant as a receiver, blocker, and sometimes ''runner'', he set Georgia single-season receiving records for both [=TEs=] and for all freshman in 2021, then followed it up with a John Mackey Award-winning season in 2022, where he led the team in receptions and had a monster performance in the national championship game with a championship game-record (for a TE) 156 receiving yards.

* '''Bo Nix''': The [[LongRunner longest-tenured]] starting QB in NCAA history, passing the prior record of 53 starts during his fifth full season of play in 2023. The son of '''Patrick Nix''', an accomplished QB at Auburn in the early 1990s, Nix was a 4-5 star recruit who passed on offers from then much-higher profile programs in Alabama and Clemson to attend his father's alma mater. After a promising freshman year, he battled injuries and poor play, eventually getting benched before the end of the 2021 season. Nix tranferred to Oregon in 2022 and improved immensely with the change of scenery, getting to play another two full seasons due to a COVID-related extension and becoming a finalist for most national QB awards in his super senior final year, where he set the current record for single-season completion percentage.

* '''J.J. [=McCarthy=]''': Starting QB at Michigan from 2022-23, where he amassed a 27-1 win record (behind an admittedly run-heavy offense). After coming up short in a surprise loss to TCU in his first CFP appearance, [=McCarthy=] succeeded in guiding the Wolverines to their first national title in over two decades the following year.

* '''Rome Odunze''': Broke Washington's single-season receiving yards record in 2023 as a major contributor to their run to a national title game appearance.

* '''Michael Penix Jr.''': Originally recruited by Indiana in 2018, Penix almost immediately became the best passer in the long-moribund Hoosiers' history, demonstrating tremendous arm talent in his four years at the school and amassing the most wins the school had seen in many decades. Unfortunately, each of the lefty's four seasons at Indiana were ended early by injuries, including ''two'' ACL tears, and the Hoosiers typically floundered when he was off the field. With his career looking close to done, Penix transferred to Washington in 2022[[note]]joining U-Dub's new HC Kalen [=DeBoer=], who had been IU's OC in 2019[[/note]] and, in his first full season without injury, led the Power Five in passing yards and broke the program's single-season passing yards record. Rather than go to the NFL, Penix used a COVID waiver to return for a sixth collegiate season with the Huskies and continued his remarkable production, this time leading the nation in passing yards while winning the Maxwell Award, being named Heisman runner-up, and taking the school on an undefeated run to the national championship game before coming up short to Michigan.

* '''Jayden Daniels''': The 2023 Heisman winner, earned after setting the current record in single-season passing efficiency. After playing 2019-21 at Arizona State, Daniels transferred to LSU and emerged as a dangerous dual threat equally adept at throwing deep and running long; in his final Heisman year, he led the nation in multiple passing stats while ''also'' rushing for over 1,000 yards.

* '''Caleb Williams''': Became USC's eighth Heisman winner in 2022 after transferring from Oklahoma with HC Lincoln Riley. Like prior Riley Heisman winners, known for his athletic and dynamic playstyle; also known for painting disparaging remarks about his opponent on his fingernails.