Kansas football all-time leaders in passing yards

Kansas football has been revitalized and little has sparked this massive program turnaround more than the much improved quarterback play in recent seasons.

On every level of football, strong quarterback performance is the key to success. Maintaining a high level of play is very difficult. Over the decades, the Jayhawks have had ta number of talented quarterbacks, but not as many as fans have hoped.

That has seemed to change under to leadership of head coach Lance Leipold so far. The school's successes have been reflected by good quarterback play, and hopefully that will continue into the future.

Top all-time Kansas football quarterbacks in passing yards

No. 10: Bill Whittemore, 2002-03, 4,051 yards

When Mark Mangino took over the Kansas football program in 2002, he inherited a team with only seven wins in the previous two years. His first quarterback was Whittemore.

His first season as a starter was a rough one as the Jayhawks only tallied two wins. Whittemore only connected on 49.5% of his passing attempts, an abhorrent number. He had 1,666 passing yards and 11 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

Luckily, he was much better his second season. He completed 60.5 percent of his passes, for 2,385 yards, 18 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. The team went 6-7, including a Tangerine Bowl loss.

KEY STATS

• Completion percentage - 54.6%
• Passing Yards - 4,051
• Passing Touchdowns - 29
• Interceptions - 12
• Rushing Yards - 1,083
• Rushing Touchdowns - 21
  

Whittemore improved as his team did. He was able to create positive yardage with his legs as well as his arm, and he didn't turn the ball over with a lot of interceptions. He was instrumental in getting the program turned around under head coach Mark Mangino.