6. Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
In his sophomore season, Morgan led Minnesota on a run against some of the nation’s best programs. While the Golden Gophers ultimately fell to No. 23 Iowa and No. 13 Wisconsin, the team also defeated No. 5 Penn State and upset No. 9 Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
At their peak, the Golden Gophers held the No. 7 spot in the AP Poll. Minnesota finished at No. 10 after taking down the Tigers.
While several facets contributed to Minnesota’s first season with at least ten wins since 2003, Morgan deserves most of the credit. He completed 66.0% of his pass attempts for 3,253 yards, 30 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
In the Big Ten, Morgan finished second in passing, trailing Ohio State’s Justin Fields for first place by 20 yards. He also finished in second, behind Fields, in passing touchdowns and passer efficiency rating.
Morgan’s best performance of the 2019 season came against Penn State. Staring down the No. 5 team in the nation, Morgan completed 90.0% of his pass attempts for 339 yards and three touchdowns.
Surprisingly, the game against Penn State was only Morgan’s statistically second-best performance during the season. He completed 95.5% of his pass attempts for 396 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-31 win over Purdue earlier in the season.