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See who did (and didn't) make ESPN's top 100 QBs of the 2000s list
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- See who did (and didn't) make ESPN's top 100 QBs of the 2000s list
The Oregon football team has seen its fair share of success over the last three decades, and with success often comes good quarterback play, including recent success from Heisman Trophy finalists Bo Nix , Dillon Gabriel and the strong play of Dante Moore in 2025 .
ESPN undertook the tall task of ranking the best quarterbacks to play in college football since 2000 , ranking the top 100 QBs in an article published Feb. 20. The list includes many Duck greats, but also some key omissions, including a current Pro Bowl quarterback .
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See the former Ducks that made the list below , as well as a few snubs that probably should have made the list.
Which Oregon Ducks made the list of college football's top 100 quarterbacks of the 2000s?
No. 64 Joey Harrington:The first Duck to appear on the countdown list is Harrington, who played at Oregon from 1998-2001 and catapulted the program to national prominence, going 21-3 in two seasons and finishing No. 2 in most polls after a 350-yard passing performance in the Fiesta Bowl. Harrington finished his Oregon career with 6,911 passing yards and 59 touchdowns with another 18 on the ground.
No. 30 Bo Nix :Though he started just two seasons for the Ducks, Nix had two of the most productive passing seasons in NCAA history while at Oregon and finished his long collegiate career with gaudy numbers. Nix passed for 15,352 yards across five seasons at Auburn and Oregon along with 151 total touchdowns. His senior season for the Ducks was one for the books, when he threw for 4,508 yards on an NCAA-record 77% completion percentage with 45 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
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No. 25 Dillon Gabriel:Another Oregon quarterback who benefited from a bonus eligibility year due to the 2020 COVID-impacted season, Gabriel threw for 18,722 passing yards across six collegiate seasons with 155 passing touchdowns, the NCAA all-time record. Gabriel played his final season at Oregon after stops at Central Florida and Oklahoma and finished third in Heisman voting in 2024.
No. 9 Marcus Mariota :Oregon's lone Heisman Trophy winner was absurd from 2012-14, throwing for 10,796 yards, rushing for another 2,237 and accounting for 134 total touchdowns over three seasons, leading the Ducks to a national championship game appearance in 2014. That Heisman season in 2014 was special, accounting for 5,224 total yards with 57 touchdowns.
Former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota holds his daughter Makaia during a visit to Eugene for an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay show in November 2025. Mariota, a Heisman Trophy winner, was named to ESPN's list of top 100 college quarterbacks in the 2000s.
Which Oregon Ducks were snubbed from college football's top 100 quarterbacks of the 2000s list?
Justin Herbert :The four-year Oregon starter might not have had the team success others on ESPN's list enjoyed throughout their careers, but his production and longevity were undeniable. Point blank: Herbert should have made this list. His 10,541 career passing yards and 95 touchdowns rank among the best among anyone who made the cut.
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Darron Thomas:Much less of a snub than Herbert, but still, there's a case to be made Thomas deserved to make this list. Thomas lost just three games from 2010-2011, led the Ducks to two Pac-12 titles, a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin and a national title game appearance against Auburn, all while throwing for 5,910 career yards, rushing for 719 and accounting for 75 total touchdowns. No. 68 Aaron Rodgers ' (Cal) stats were worse, and he didn't win or compete in a major bowl game. No. 61 Brad Banks ( Iowa ) made the list for one good season in 2002 when he threw for less yards and touchdowns than Thomas in either of his starting seasons.
No current or former Oregon State quarterbacks made the list.
See the full list by ESPN here .
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was a notable snub from ESPN's recent list of top 100 college quarterbacks given the wins, statistics and accolades he racked up with the Oregon Ducks.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women's basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com .
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: See who did (and didn't) make ESPN's top 100 QBs of the 2000s list
