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James Morgan

Georgia football’s all-time leading passers

The Georgia Bulldogs have had some impressive quarterbacks over the years. David Greene once held the NCAA record for the most wins by a starting quarterback in NCAA history. Aaron Murray is among the NCAA’s all-time leading passers and has the most passing yardage in SEC history.

Despite a long history of good quarterback play, there’s plenty of room for newcomers in Georgia’s all-time leading passers list. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is already among the school’s top-10 all-time leading passers after just one season as the starter. One strong season in today’s pass-friendly NCAA is currently enough to become one of Georgia’s all-time leading passers.

Interestingly, the University of Georgia has no career passing who played before 1978. Legends like quarterback Fran Tarkenton (47,003 career NFL passing yards) did not make the cut.

Who are the all-time leading passers in Georgia football history? Where does Stetson Bennett rank after winning two national championships at Georgia?

12
Hutson Mason (3,492 passing yards)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Hutson Mason checks in 12th on Georgia’s all-time passing list. Mason played four seasons in Athens and accumulated the majority of his yardage during the 2014 season, when he threw for 21 touchdowns and four interceptions.

A future Bulldog quarterback could pass Mason could with one very good season. Mason is above memorable players like Fran Tarkenton and Joe Cox.

11
D.J. Shockley (3,555 passing yards)

(Photo By Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Shockley patiently spent much of his career backing up David Greene, but shined when he earned the starting role in 2005. Shockley helped Georgia win the 2005 SEC championship 34-14 over the LSU Tigers. He played in 38 games over his four season career at UGA.

10
Buck Belue (3,864 passing yards)

Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Buck Belue played at Georgia during the Vince Dooley era from 1978-1981. Belue helped Georgia win a national championship during the 1980 season and would be No. 2 on the list of most national championships won by a starting Georgia quarterback behind Stetson Bennett.

Herschel Walker finished his career with over 500 more rushing attempts (994) than the number of career pass attempts for Belue (484). Belue played in a different era of college football.

9
Carson Beck (4,427 passing yards)

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Having patience paid off for Carson Beck. Beck, who is returning for the 2024 season, has the second-most passing yards (3,941 in 2023) in a single season in school history. Beck should continue to ascend Georgia’s list of all-time leading passers. Beck has played at Georgia from 2020-2023.

8
Mike Bobo (6,334 passing yards)

Online Athens

There’s a big-time jump from Carson Beck to Mike Bobo in Georgia’s all-time passing yardage leaders. Mike Bobo threw for 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions over his four year career (1994-1997) at the University of Georgia. Bobo is not going to be passed on school’s the all-time passing leader list with big season. Bobo is currently the offensive coordinator at Georgia.

 

7
Quincy Carter (6,447 passing yards)

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Network

Quincy Carter played at Georgia from 1998 to 2000. He scored 46 total touchdowns and ended his Georgia career with a 23-8 record as the starter. Carter declared for the NFL draft instead of returning for a senior season. If he would have stayed, then Carter would likely be much higher on this list.

6
Matthew Stafford (7,731 passing yards)

Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports Copyright

Matthew Stafford played three seasons in Athens before becoming the No. 1 overall pick for the Detroit Lions. Stafford and A.J. Green formed a dynamic duo. Stafford played at Georgia from 2006-2008.

Stafford has thrown for over 55,000 yards in his storied NFL career. He won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.

5
Jake Fromm (8,224 passing yards)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Despite some doubters, Jake Fromm finished among the top leading passers in Georgia history. Fromm, who originally wrestled the starting job away from Jacob Eason, is the highest ranked quarterback on the list who played only three seasons in Athens. Fromm came painfully close to winning a national championship during his time at Georgia.

4
Stetson Bennett (8,429 passing yards)

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Stetson Bennett needs a movie. Bennett, who began his Georgia career as a walk-on, ended Georgia’s national championship drought in 2021. For good measure, Bennett won another national championship the following year.

Bennett came to Georgia in 2017 and served on the scout team. He transferred to Jones College in 2018 before returning in 2019. Bennett started on-and-off in 2020 before gaining control of the starting job in 2021.

3
Eric Zeier (11,153 passing yards)

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Zeier put up impressive number’s for the Georgia Bulldogs before the modern passing game completely opened things up. He went on to play six seasons in the NFL for the Browns, Bucs, and Ravens. Zeier holds the single game passing record for Georgia thanks to his impressive 544 passing yards against Southern Mississippi in 1993.

2
David Greene (11,528 passing yards)

(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

David Greene (2001-2004) finished with arguably the best career of any quarterback in Georgia history. He won an SEC Championship and started for four seasons during the Mark Richt era. He helped turn around the Georgia football program and won 42 games as a starting quarterback in his career, which was once an NCAA record.

1
Aaron Murray (13,166 passing yards)

 (AP Photo/John Amis)

Aaron Murray is Georgia’s all-time passing leader, has the 22nd-most career passing yards in NCAA history, and is the SEC’s top all-time passing yardage leader (this does not include Texas and Oklahoma as they both entered the SEC).

It was a pleasure to watch Murray throughout his career. Unfortunately, in 2012 the Dawgs came up five yards short against Alabama. Georgia was that close to making a national championship appearance against Notre Dame.

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