The Big 12 Conference isn’t something ongtime college football fans recognize in 2024, with eight new teams over the last two seasons. That doesn’t mean they won’t grow to know it well in the future.
They already know its greatest players, including a history of quarterbacks that includes the greatest passer in college football history.
Here’s a look at the leading passers of all time from all 16 teams currently in the Big 12 Conference.
Arizona, Nick Foles, 10,011 passing yards (2009-2011): Arizona’s drought of never having an All-American quarterback could end in 2024 with Noah Fifita, but Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles’ career passing record still seems safe.
Arizona State, Andrew Walter, 10,017 passing yards (2001-2004): Walter left Arizona State with the Pac-10 records for most career touchdowns (85) and single-game passing yards (536). Also played four seasons in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders.
Baylor, Robert Griffin III, 10,366 passing yards (2008-2011): Griffin did it through the air and through the ground, including 4,952 yards of total offense and 47 total touchdowns on the way to winning the Heisman Trophy in 2011.
BYU, Ty Detmer, 15,031 passing yards (1988-1991): Detmer was a two-time All-American for the Cougars and won the Heisman Trophy in 1990.
Cincinnati, Gino Guidugli, 11,453 passing yards (2001-2004): Guidugli won three state championships at Highlands (Ky.) High School before becoming a four-year starter at Cincinnati. He’s been the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame since 2023.
Colorado, Sefo Liufau, 9,763 passing yards (2013-2016): If you don’t quite remember Liufau’s time with Colorado, it’s probably because the Buffs went 20-31 over his four seasons.
Houston, Case Keenum, 19,217 passing yards (2007-2011): The leading passer in college football history, Keenum is the only player in FBS history with three seasons over 5,000 passing yards and the only college football player to hit 20,000 yards of total offense.
Iowa State, Brock Purdy, 12,170 passing yards (2018-2021): Purdy was a three-time All-Big 12 pick before going from Mr. Irrelevant to one of the NFL’s biggest stars with the San Francisco 49ers .
Kansas, Todd Reesing, 11,194 passing yards (2006-2009): Reesing was only 5-foot-10 but lightning in a bottle as he led Kansas to an Orange Bowl win following the 2007 season and was a two-time All-Big 12 pick.
Kansas State, Josh Freeman, 8,078 passing yards (2006-2008): Freeman threw for a lot of yards but he wasn’t a winner, going 17-20 over three seasons as a starter.
Oklahoma State, Mason Rudolph, 13,618 passing yards (2014-2017): Rudolph not only threw for 90 touchdowns he also had 17 career 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 derailed his career.
Texas Tech, Graham Harrell, 15,793 passing yards (2005-2008): Harrell is No 4 on the FBS career passing list with almost 16,000 yards but will go down in history for 28 of them — as in his 28-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree as time expired to beat No. 1 Texas in Lubbock in 2008.
UCF, Daunte Culpepper, 11,412 passing yards (1995-1998): Culpepper guided UCF from what was then known as Division I-AA to Divisiion I-A and left school with the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage in 1998 at 73.6 percent.
Utah, Scott Mitchell, 8,981 passing yards (1987-1989): What a blast from the past. Mitchell played for Jim Fassell at Utah and put up big numbers as his team struggled, going 15-20 over his three seasons as the starting quarterback.
West Virginia, Geno Smith, 11,662 passing yards (2009-2012): Smith was brilliant at West Virginia, where he was a three-time All-Big East selection.
November 1, 2008: After Texas drops an easy interception on the previous play, Graham Harrell finds Michael Crabtree for a 28-yard TD with one second left to give #7 Texas Tech a 39-33 win over the #1 Longhorns in Lubbock. pic.twitter.com/JwXEjRpZAm
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) November 1, 2023
