Ty Detmer (1990)
Detmer’s 1990 junior season ranks as one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in college football history. He passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns in 12 regular season games, and finished the year with 42 NCAA records (and tied for five others). The highpoint of the season was BYU’s 28-21 upset victory over the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes; Detmer led the Cougars by passing for 406 yards and three touchdowns against the defending national champions. For his performance that season, he was awarded the Heisman Trophy, as well as many other honors including the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards.
Detmer was a ninth-round selection by the Green Bay Packers in the 1992 NFL Draft, and then spent the majority of his 14-year NFL career as a backup. He made a total of 26 career starts (including a 1997 wild-card playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers). Detmer completed his NFL career with 34 touchdown passes and 35 interceptions. Not exactly “Heisman Quality” statistics.