They drift into and out of our lives like a fleeting storm. Here today, gone tomorrow are the quarterbacks, once at the forefront of our thoughts, but who now have retreated to the backs of our memories.
Just a whisper of their name begs for a quick Google search or a “Where are they now” segment on the SEC Network. This is the Rushmore of Forgotten SEC Quarterbacks (who you probably should remember).
Mississippi State QB Wayne Madkin
Why should you remember Wayne Madkin, you ask? First, because he is the winningest quarterback in MSU history. Madkin won 25 games over a four-year career from 1998-2001. Secondly, at the time of his graduation, Madkin was Mississippi State’s leader in career passing yards (he has since been eclipsed by Dak Prescott and Nick Fitzgerald). And lastly, Madkin was the quarterback who led MSU to its only SEC Championship Game appearance in school history in 1998.
Need we say more?
Arkansas QB Matt Jones
Matt Jones makes the list because in terms of dual threat QBs, he gets zero props. Perhaps that’s because Jones arrived just a few years before the dual threat became vogue.
Jones’ career stats from 2001 to 2004 are impressive. He passed for 5,857 career yards and ran for another 2,535. He threw for 53 touchdowns and ran for another 24.
During Jones’ time at Arkansas, the Razorbacks made the first of their two appearances in the SEC Championship Game in 2002. They were promptly throttled by Georgia, 30-3.
Jones went on to a short career with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. As a professional, Jones played receiver and logged 166 career receptions. He retired in 2010.
Georgia QB Quincy Carter
While strolling through the gallery of Georgia quarterbacks, the name Quincy Carter is probably not the first name to come to mind. Carter played for coach Jim Donnan from 1998-2000 and passed for 6,447 career yards. He led the Bulldogs to two straight bowl wins (Peach, Outback) but missed the Oahu Bowl his junior season with a torn ligament in his thumb. Carter decided to forego his senior season and declared for the 2001 NFL Draft. He was drafted in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys as the 53rdoverall pick.
Although Carter started 31 total games for the Dallas Cowboys and led the team to a 10-6 record in 2003, he was cut in training camp the next year.
Carter did not have a hall of fame career, but he did enjoy career longevity, as he only recently retired from football. Across 16 professional seasons, Carter played for the Cowboys and New York Jets of the NFL, the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings and the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League, and the Abilene Ruff Riders and Corpus Christi Fury of the Intense Football League.
Florida QB Terry Dean
There was a time when Terry Dean was battling Danny Wuerffel for the starting quarterback position at the University of Florida. Before the 1993 season, Dean, a fourth-year junior, brought a swagger into the competition with Wuerffel, a redshirt from Fort Walton Beach. “If I can`t win the starting job, they should take my scholarship away. I mean, if I can`t win it, then I`m just sorry — kick me off the team,” Dean told the Sun-Sentinel.
For two seasons, Dean and Wuerffel platooned at QB and posted nearly identical numbers. In 1994, Dean was a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender but was benched in favor of Wuerffel against Auburn and lost his starting position. Dean graduated after the 1994 season and spent two years in professional football. After being somewhat estranged from the Florida program for many years, he was welcomed back by Urban Meyer in 2005. H&A
