Meet Michigan’s Greatest Single-Season Touchdown Passers

When one thinks of prominent passing attacks throughout college football, teams like Texas Tech, Washington State, and Louisiana State University immediately come to mind. Conversely, the University of Michigan is primarily thought of as a school that relies on a grit-and-grind rushing approach to advance the ball downfield. Regardless of that perception, the Wolverines have produced a number of fantastic passers over their storied history, many of whom had impressive single-season touchdown production.

Topping this list is perhaps the best Michigan quarterback of all time. Of course, Tom Brady exists, but his career on campus was not nearly as illustrious as Henne's, as surprising as that sounds. Henne's 2004 season, his first as a Wolverine, went on to be his best, as he tossed 25 touchdowns, providing an appropriate follow-up to the end of John Navarre's career at Michigan.

The pairing of Henne and wide receiver Braylon Edwards proved to be one of the most potent in the nation, as evidenced by Edwards' 1,330 yards and 15 touchdowns. Henne's introduction to the Michigan fan base produced one of the best aerial attacks in Wolverine history on the way to a 9-3 finish and another berth in the Rose Bowl, where they unfortunately lost 38-37 to the Texas Longhorns.

By the end of his Michigan career, Henne was, and still is, the all-time leader in both passing yards and touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, those accolades led to Henne being drafted the highest of any quarterback on this list, aside from JJ McCarthy. The Miami Dolphins selected the signal-caller 57th overall in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

There are some shocking similarities between Grbac's and Navarre's career-best seasons at Michigan. Aside from both throwing nearly the same number of touchdowns, each team won 10 games, and each lost in the Rose Bowl. However, Grbac's ability to take care of the football set him apart from Navarre, as he threw only five picks throughout the campaign, while Navarre was responsible for 10.

Unfortunately, Grbac was not able to replicate his 1991 performance during his senior year in 1992. Even with a less productive final year with the Wolverines, he was still selected 219th overall in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the NFL by the San Francisco 49ers, before spending nine years playing at the professional level.

Navarre might not have gone down as a Michigan great at quarterback, but he did lead a couple of notable Wolverine teams, namely the 2003 squad under head coach Lloyd Carr. Navarre helmed an offense that included Edwards and running back Chris Perry, helping Michigan to a 10-3 record before falling in the Rose Bowl to the USC Trojans. While Navarre did turn the ball over a fair amount, his gunslinging was a crucial element to a Michigan team that ranked outside of the top 10 in total defense.

That highlight-reel season helped Navarre rank second on Michigan's all-time passing yards and touchdowns, accolades that translated to success after his time on campus. The Arizona Cardinals selected the signal-caller 202nd overall in the seventh round of the 20024 NFL Draft, adding him to an elite club of Michigan quarterbacks who were picked to play at the highest level of the sport.

While neither of these guys officially cracked the top 3 in single-season passing touchdowns, both are notable parts of Michigan's history at quarterback. Patterson, one of the biggest transfer names in history to land in Ann Arbor, played two excellent seasons for the Wolverines, highlighted by a very impressive run in 2019 in which he tossed 23 scores.

McCarthy's run as a starter certainly gets more recognition, given that it ended in a win in the College Football Playoff National Championship over the Washington Huskies. Even more notable than his 22 touchdown passes is the fact that McCarthy only tossed four interceptions en route to Michigan's lone championship in the modern era.

While Michigan is not known as a school that consistently produces excellent talent in the passing game, it would be foolish to overlook some of the fantastic seasons Michigan quarterbacks have produced on the way to high-profile bowl game appearances. Most notable among them are Henne and Navarre, the leaders atop Michigan's passing accolades, and, to a lesser extent, McCarthy, one of two Wolverine quarterbacks to ever be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Michigan's tradition of solid passers is almost sure to continue in the current day.