Top-10 Career Touchdown Pass Leaders In Michigan History

For a quarterback, finding yourself on the leaderboard for career passing touchdowns is quite the achievement — it places you at the pinnacle of the program's history. Let's see who finds themselves on Michigan's list.

Henne's career got off to a fast start and never slowed down. After being the presumed backup entering his freshman season, Henne was thrust into the starting role due to an injury to Matt Gutierrez. Henne took the role in stride, tying a program record for single-season passing touchdowns with 25. Henne continued to sling the rock for the rest of his career, amassing his impressive mark of 87 career passing touchdowns.

Navarre didn't earn the starting role until 2001 after redshirting in 1999 and serving as a backup in 2000. But as soon as he got the job, it was clear he could sling the rock. He threw for more than 20 touchdowns in a season twice, with 21 and 24 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. He held this record until his direct successor, Henne, took it away.

Winner of the Sammy Baugh Trophy in 1992 and the co-owner of the program record for most touchdowns thrown in a season with his 25 he threw in 1991, Grbac is one of Michigan's most prolific passers in its history. His number of 71 stood as the record until Navarre nabbed it a decade later.

More widely known for his explosive rushing capabilities, Robinson still finds himself in a respectable position on the all-time passing touchdown leaderboard. He even reached the 20 passing touchdown mark in a single season in 2011, on top of his 16 rushing touchdowns.

The most recent entry on this leaderboard, J.J. McCarthy, led the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023. He collected most of his touchdowns in just two seasons, throwing 22 in both 2022 and 2023. While his early exit for the NFL prevented him from moving up further on this list, his national champion status makes him one of the most beloved quarterbacks in Michigan history.

Leach played in a more run-heavy era than some of his peers on this leaderboard. His 13 passing touchdowns in 1976 actually led the Big Ten that season, although he did throw 17 in his senior season in 1978, including one in a 17-10 loss to USC in the Rose Bowl.

Despite playing just two seasons with Michigan, the Ole Miss transfer left his mark on the maize and blue. He threw for 22 touchdowns in 2018 and 23 in 2019. He became just the third quarterback in Michigan history to throw for 3,000 yards after doing so in 2019.

Gardner served in the backup role behind Denard Robinson for the first two years of his career, and converted to a wide receiver in his third season just to get his athleticism on the field. But once he took over the starting quarterback role after Robinson's departure, he proved his worth under center as well. His best season was in 2013, in which he notched 21 passing touchdowns.

Smith was a three-year starter in the Bo Schembechler era. His first year as a starter turned out to be his best statistical season, including collecting 15 passing touchdowns. He led his squad to a Rose Bowl berth in the 1982 season, but the Wolverines ultimately fell to UCLA. His lone bowl-game passing touchdown was a 50-yard strike to Anthony Carter in the 1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, a 33-17 defeat at the hands of the Bruins.

Second only to McCarthy in career completion percentage at Michigan, Collins was an adept passer. He threw for 17 touchdowns in 1993, the best mark of his career. While he doesn't quite have the passing touchdowns, Collins ranks highly in other quarterback statistics, such as completions and yards.

All 10 of these quarterbacks have etched their names into the history of Michigan football. But records never last forever, and there are many quarterbacks eager for their chance to dethrone some of these legends.