Florida football: Top 10 all-time passing leaders in Gators history
By Will Thomas
Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman (8) Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Florida football passing leaders – No. 5: Rex Grossman, 9,164 yards
Now we’re getting into the heavy hitters.
At number five on our list, we have Rex Grossman, who was with the Gators from 2000 to 2002. After throwing just over 200 passes in his freshman season, he got a lot more freedom as he got older, slinging 395 passes in ’01 and 503 in ’02.
What’s amazing about those numbers is that his 2001 season was by far his best performance.
Grossman had a 65.5% completion rate and threw for 3,896 yards and 34 touchdowns. The season earned him the AP Player of the Year, got him voted as a consensus All-American, and the SEC Player of the Year.
He was the runner-up in Heisman voting that year as well.
In that ’01 season, he led the country in passing yards per attempt (9.9) and passing efficiency rating (170.8), while leading the SEC in completions (259), completion percentage, passing yards, passing touchdowns, total yards (3,904) and total touchdowns (39).
Grossman saw all of his college success translate well to the NFL. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft by the Chicago Bears, where he played six seasons before ending his career with Houston and Washington.
He had a 25-22 record as a starter, including a 13-3 year in 2006 with the Bears.
Grossman is one of the best Florida QBs of all time, so it’s no surprise he’s in the top five passing leaders.