Georgia football: 30 greatest players of the Mark Richt era

• First-Team All-American (2008)
• Second-Team All-SEC (2008)
• 7,731 passing yards, 51 touchdowns, 33 interceptions

Though Fran Tarkenton is the best former Georgia quarterback in NFL history, Matthew Stafford was easily the most talented of any signal caller to don the Red and Black. Recruited out of Highland Park, Texas, Stafford was Mark Richt’s golden goose at quarterback. Nobody had a better arm in the SEC than Stafford when he suited up for the Dawgs.

Stafford would be part of the 2006 recruiting class, opting to enroll early in January that year. 2006 was an interesting year for Georgia at quarterback. D.J. Shockley led the Dawgs to an SEC Championship in 2005, but had exhausted his collegiate eligibility. Richt opted to go with Georgia legacy Joe Tereshinski III under center to start the year. However, a bad game versus SEC East rival Vanderbilt forced Richt to go with the true freshman Stafford the rest of the way.

That would prove to be a good thing, as Stafford was a gifted playmaker in the vertical passing game for the Dawgs for 2.5 seasons. While he only completed 52.7 percent of his passes for 1,749 yards, seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions in2006, you could just tell that Stafford was poised for a monstrous sophomore campaign in 2007.

Stafford would prove why he was a five-star recruit out of Highland Park in 2007. He completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 2,523 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Georgia would finish No. 2 in the nation at the end of the 2007 NCAA season. Stafford was poised to take Georgia back to the SEC Championship in 2008.

Ranked No. 1 in the nation to start the year, Stafford certainly had his fair share of Heisman hype. However, that all went to the wayside when the Dawgs were crushed by Alabama at home, fell to Florida in Jacksonville and couldn’t handle the triple-option in the rain at home versus Georgia Tech.

While the Dawgs largely disappointed in 2008, what was undeniable was Stafford’s talent. Often times, you’d just see him attempt 30-yard fade patterns to the back of the end zone to either A.J. Green or Mohamed Massaquoi. He wouldn’t connect, try again and repeat the process. Frankly, Stafford seemed like he was toying with us, as we all knew that his powerful right arm would be most effective on fall Sundays in the NFL.

Stafford would turn pro after his true junior season in 2008. He went No. 1 overall to the 0-16 Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft, where he remains their starting quarterback. Though he hasn’t won a playoff game in Motown, Stafford has brought respectability to a losing organization, as well as stability to the quarterback position we haven’t seen with Detroit since the 1950s.

In his time in Athens, Stafford completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 7,731 yards, 51 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. Georgia won at least 10 games in Stafford’s two full seasons as a starter. Though the Dawgs never got to Atlanta to play in an SEC Championship when Stafford quarterbacked the team, he always kept them in the national conversation due to his undeniable NFL arm talent.