The VandySports 100: No. 90, Jordan Rodgers

Quarterback Jordan Rodgers, who led Vanderbilt to two bowl appearances, ranks 90th among the best athletes we've covered.

Honors and awards: Rodgers did not earn any significant honors at VU.

In the VU record book: Career passing yards: seventh (4,063)

Career passing touchdowns: ninth (24)

Career passing completions: ninth (299)

Career completion percentage: fourth (55.5)

Career total offense: eighth (4,554)

Single-season passing yards: sixth (2,539 in 2012)

Single-season completion percentage: seventh (59.9 in 2012)

Single-season touchdown passes: tied-ninth (15 in 2012)

Single-season total offense: 10th and 19th (2,610 in 2012; 1,914 in 2011)

Single-game completion percentage: fourth (81.0, vs. UMass in 2012)

Before VU: Rodgers, the brother of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, starred at California's Pleasant Valley High, helping the team to an 8-3-1 record and a berth in the state sectionals as a junior. He went on to play two years at Butte Junior College, leading it to a 12-0 record and a national title while throwing for 2,219 yards and 19 touchdowns and earning all-conference honors.

Junior (2011): Rodgers started the season as Larry Smith's backup, and threw a 30-yard touchdown to Chris Boyd on his first career snap vs. Elon in the season opener. Took over once Smith was hurt in the first half of the season's sixth game (Georgia). Rodgers struggled throwing the ball (4-19, 47 yards, no TDs/one interception) but ignited the offense with his feet (11 carries - 79 yards) and nearly led VU to a last-minute upset. He started the next seven contests, starting with the Army game (10-28, 186, 1/2 passing, 18-96 1 TD rushing). Threw for 240 yards and a touchdown (no interceptions) and ran for 66 more and two scores in a near-upset of Arkansas, which finished the season ranked fifth by the Associated Press. Threw for a season-high 297 yards (2 TD/0 int) while running for 20 and another score in a five-point loss at Florida the next week. Played well in wins over Kentucky (12-22-207, 2/1 passing, 12-29 rushing) and Wake Forest (7-15-139, 1/0 passing, 16-90-0 rushing) before struggling (4-14-26, 0-1 passing, 9-33-0 rushing) in a Liberty Bowl loss to Cincinnati.

Senior (2012): Excepting the odd one-game benching for the Presbyterian contest, Rodgers started all 12 other games of VU's 9-4 season, leading the team on a seven-game winning streak to end the year. He threw for at least 173 yards in all but the bowl win over North Carolina State (VU had a big early lead in that one) and didn't have more than one interception in any game. Highlights included a road win at Missouri (14-24-182, 0/1), an efficient performance in a road win at Massachusetts (17-21-217, 2/0 passing, 3-22-1 rushing), a last-minute touchdown pass to Boyd in a dramatic road win at Ole Miss (21-36-279, 2/0) and a respectable showing in a 41-18 blowout of Tennessee (13-26-245, 2/1), which marked Vandy's first home win over the Vols in 30 years.

Post-VU: Jacksonville signed Rodgers as an un-drafted free agent, but he didn't make the team. He spent about half the next season on Tampa Bay's practice squad, and briefly caught on with Miami in the spring of 2014. However, Rodgers never played in an NFL regular-season game. He went on to fame by other means, winning Season 12 of The Bachelorette and then landing a job with the SEC Network as a studio and on-air analyst.

Final thoughts, and why I ranked him where I did: Rodgers never seemed like one of the greats at VU,. He never made any all-conference teams or stood out statistically. But he absolutely had a hand in winning. That 2011 Georgia game, though a loss, in some ways typified his VU career in that his contributions transcended the stats. That particular day, it was Rodgers' ability to escape containment and pick up key first downs at appropriate times that helped the Commodores nearly pull a massive upset.

Quarterback is probably the most challenging position in all of sports. More so than compile stats, a quarterback's job is to lead and to win. And while it's true that Rodgers had more help than most Vanderbilt quarterbacks in that he was surrounded by a historically-good (by VU standards) cast, Rodgers seemed to be the match that lit the fire. Between the leading and doing many tangible and intangible things that led to wins, that earns a spot in our top 100.