Who was the best 5-star quarterback of the 21st century: Tim Tebow or Vince Young?

USA Today

09-06-2025

Who was the best 5-star quarterback of the 21st century: Tim Tebow or Vince Young?
It is a well-known fact that the quarterback is the most important position in football, so it stands to reason that college football programs put a great deal of focus on the player they put under center. But there is only so much talent that can be distributed over the 100-plus schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision
Last month, the Athletic's Antonio Morales undertook the task of ranking every 5-star quarterback recruit of the past 25 years — a list that includes 61 total passers who earned the top rating. Among those mentioned was the Florida Gators' legendary two-time national champion Tim Tebow, who edged out Texas Longhorns stud Vince Young for the top spot in the rankings.
Two other players who passed through Gainesville were listed among the top 20 as well, while another pair landed in the middle of the pack.
No. 1 Tim Tebow (2006)
"Tebow was a key contributor during the Gators' national title run as a true freshman in 2006, won the Heisman in 2007, led Florida to a national championship in 2008 and finished in the top five of Heisman voting while leading the Gators to a 13-1 record and top-five finish in 2009. He accounted for 145 total touchdowns, passed for 9,285 yards and rushed for 2,947," Morales begins.
"That's the sort of career any fan base dreams of for a five-star quarterback."
No. 3 Cam Newton (2007)
"The 2010s were defined by super teams with elite rosters that won national championships, such as Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and LSU. Auburn was an exception thanks to Newton, who blended skill, size, power and athleticism to post an all-time season in which he accounted for 51 touchdowns, won the Heisman and led the Tigers to a national title," Morales notes.
"One player can't carry a team to a national championship, but Newton came about as close as possible. He didn't have a single skill player drafted. Only tackles Brandon Mosley (fourth round) and Lee Ziemba (seventh round) were picked on the O-line. The entire starting defense had only two players drafted," he continues.
"Newton's 2010 campaign is the most impressive individual season from any player on this list."
No. 13 Chris Leak (2003)
"While those two reside among the top three in Morales' rankings, there is still another member of the Orange and Blue who was mentioned: Chris Leak," Morales declares.
"Leak was the No. 2 quarterback in his class and was a major recruiting win for Florida in 2003. Even though Tebow is remembered more, Leak was the primary quarterback on a team that won the national championship."
The Athletic's 5-star QB recruiting rankings top 20
Tim Tebow, Florida (2006) Vince Young, Texas (2002) Cam Newton, Florida (2007) Jameis Winston, Florida State (2012) Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (2018) Kyler Murray, Texas A&M (2015) Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama (2017) Bryce Young, Alabama (2020) Justin Fields, Georgia (2018) Caleb Williams, Oklahoma (2021) Bo Nix, Auburn (2019) J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (2021) Chris Leak, Florida (2003) Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State (2008) Tajh Boyd, Clemson (2009) Braxton Miller, Ohio State (2011) Chad Henne, Michigan (2004) Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech (2007) Aaron Murray, Georgia (2009) Matthew Stafford, Georgia (2006)
Other Florida 5-star recruits ranked
No. 38 Jeff Driskel (2011)
No. 40 John Brantley (2007)
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