The NCAA Division I FBS passing leaders are career, single-season, and single-game passing leaders in yards, touchdowns, efficiency, completions, and completion percentage. [1] These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Contents
- Passing yards
- Career
- Single season
- Single game
- Passing touchdowns
- Career 2
- Single season 2
- Single game 2
- Passing efficiency
- Career 3
- Single season 3
- Single game 3
- Completions
- Career 4
- Single season 4
- Single game 4
- Completion percentage
- Career 5
- Single season 5
- Single game 5
- References
- Since 1955, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length (with some major programs playing additional games in a playoff and/or bowls).
- The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), disallowing players to have four-year careers.
- Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002. [2] This affects many players from before that time period. For example, Ty Detmer would have 16,206 yards and 127 touchdowns if bowl games were included in his career statistics, moving him up one rank on both.
- In recent decades, starting with the Southeastern Conference in 1992, FBS conferences have introduced their own championship games, which have always counted fully toward single-season and career statistics.
- The NCAA ruled that the 2020 season, heavily disrupted by COVID-19, would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player. This gave every player active in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.
- Only seasons in which a team was considered to be a part of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) are included in these lists. Most notably, Cam Ward threw 158 combined touchdowns between FCS (71) and FBS (87), but only 87 would count for the purposes of these lists. Other players, such as Shedeur Sanders, Taylor Heinicke, Chad Pennington, Vernon Adams, and Bailey Zappe, spent part of their careers on FCS rosters. This sometimes works to players' advantage, as Sanders would have a lower career completion percentage if his FCS years were included, and Zappe would have a lower efficiency rating.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Active FBS Player | |
| Current Record Holder | |
| Previous Record Holder | |
- Statistics accurate as of January 15, 2025. Career completion percentage to be updated at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
