15. Baker Mayfield (2017)
A former walk-on who worked his way up to the starting job for the University of Oklahoma Sooners, quarterback Baker Mayfield ran Lincoln Riley’s offense like a seasoned orchestral conductor, passing for over 12,292 yards and compiling 119 passing touchdowns (and an additional 18 rushing touchdowns) during his three seasons as the starter in Norman.
Mayfield put his name on the national radar — for better or for worse — when he planted the University of Oklahoma flag in the middle of Ohio Stadium during his team’s win against the Buckeyes, but he made his name as the best quarterback in the nation the following year when he helped the Sooners advance to the first-ever College Football Playoffs, when they would lose in a wild, double-overtime shootout to the University of Georgia.