Of course he’s way higher on this list in career totalities. But in this post, a huge factor in the ranking is how well a guy played when he took over. That doesn’t take anything away from what Peyton Manning did as a freshman, though. He was not planning to start that year and in fact wanted to take a redshirt.
Jerry Colquitt was set to be Tennessee football’s starter as Heath Shuler’s replacement. However, in the season-opener at the No. 14 ranked UCLA Bruins, he suffered a career-ending injury. Future baseball star Todd Helton, a sophomore, came in as a backup, but he, Manning and fellow freshman all saw action in that game.
Helton then started in a win at the No. 23 ranked Georgia Bulldogs and a shutout loss at home to the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators, but at the Mississippi State Bulldogs, he then suffered a season-ending injury. So with two starters getting hurt, Manning got the nod as a true freshman.
He lost that game, and the team fell to 1-3. But then managed the game in a 10-9 win over the No. 17 ranked Washington State Cougars the next week, and then he beat the Arkansas Razorbacks. After a close loss to the No. 10 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, Manning and the Vols won out. He then became an SEC legend over the next three years.