Editor's note: In anticipation of the 121st college football season in Utah, DeseretNews.com writer Jay Yeomans is ranking the 50 greatest Division I college football players of all time from the state of Utah. We're counting down the 50 days until Sept. 1 when Southern Utah at Utah and Weber State at Utah State kick off at 6 p.m. Rankings are based on what the player did during his college career.
2. Jim McMahon, BYU, quarterback/punter (1977-1981)
McMahon was a legendary performer at BYU during his time in Provo. He was a two-time All-American, won the Davey O'Brien and Sammy Baugh awards and finished in the top five in the Heisman Trophy voting twice.
While most of his bigger accolades came in 1981, his best statistical season came in '80 when he carried the Cougars to a 12-1 record while leading the nation in passing yards (4,571), passing touchdowns (47) and passing-efficiency rating (176.9) while finishing fourth in completion percentage (63.8). Those numbers were good enough to break 32 NCAA records, according to BYUCougars.com, and earn first-team All-American honors by two publications. He also finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
For his BYU career, he completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 9,536 yards and 84 touchdowns to go along with 10 rushing scores. He also averaged 38.4 yards on 105 punts. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Jay Yeomans is a sports writer for DeseretNews.com. Contact him at jyeomans@deseretdigital.com.