Riley Nelson was named the Deseret News “Mr. Football” in 2005 after throwing for over 4,000 yards and accounting for 84 touchdowns his senior year at Logan High. He played one season at Utah State in 2006 before transferring to BYU in 2009 following his Latter-day Saint mission.
In Provo, Nelson saw action in 32 games, including 19 starts. He threw for 4,032 yards and 35 touchdowns while running for 858 yards and six touchdowns between 2009-2012. As a left-handed quarterback, Nelson believes his list of the best southpaws of all-time is right on the money.
1. Steve Young: The BYU star played 15 seasons in the NFL and threw for 33,124 yards and 232 touchdowns and rushed for 4,239 yards and 43 touchdowns before being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “There is no other alternative. He could be argued for top-five all time, no matter what hand (he threw with). We love him. He’s our guy. It’s not even close.”
2. Michael Vick: After college, Vick played 13 years in the NFL and amassed 22,464 passing yards and 133 touchdowns. He also rushed for 6,109 yards and 36 touchdowns. “I was in middle school when he was at Virginia Tech. I bought his cleats. I ran around and had that lefty arm and lefty cannon. The (dog fighting) controversy was tough to see, but he made right by that. He paid his debt to society, and he changed his ways. He came back and with Andy Reid had a second life there with the Eagles.”
3. Scott Mitchell: After starring at Springville High and the University of Utah, Mitchell played 10 years in the NFL and threw for 15,692 yards and 95 touchdowns. “For little kids like me growing up in Logan, it’s great to see that someone growing up in Utah, which is so often overlooked from a prep football standpoint, so when they make it to the league, you gotta have their back. As a kid, I played more video games with Scott Mitchell at quarterback than anyone else.”
4. Tim Tebow: A star at Florida, the dual-threat quarterback combined for 12,232 total yards and 145 touchdowns. He led the Gators to a pair of national championships and won the Heisman Trophy. “When you take into account the hype, notoriety, attention and results, he was the king of college football for the better part of three years.”
5. Mark Brunell: The Washington Huskies graduate played 17 seasons in the NFL and threw for 32,072 yards and 184 touchdowns. “Growing up an Aggies fan, I couldn’t like Steve Young. That wasn’t acceptable on the playground because he went to BYU. So, in the league at that time, there was another lefty running around playing for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars — Mark Brunell.”
Nelson’s honorable mentions: Ken Stabler, Kellen Moore, Kevin Feterik and Boomer Esiason.
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is the studio host for “BYU Sports Nation Game Day,” “The Post Game Show,” “After Further Review,” and play-by-play announcer for BYUtv. He is also co-host of “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com.