Taylor Heinicke : College football career, stats, highlights, records

When Taylor Heinicke took over as quarterback for the three-year-old Old Dominion football program, he quickly became a star. Heinicke won an FCS playoff game as a freshman and the next year became the second-ever sophomore to win the Walter Payton Award (Georgia Southern RB Adrian Peterson won in 1999), breaking numerous records along the way. When Old Dominion moved up to the FBS level, Heinicke continued his success, showing he could put up huge numbers against improved competition. 

Here's everything you need to know about Taylor Heinicke’s college career.

The vitals on Taylor Heinicke

School: Old Dominion
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-1
Weight: 213 pounds
Years active: 2011-2014

Here are Taylor Heinicke’s career stats in college. Scroll to the right to view the complete stats.

Where did Taylor Heinicke go to college?

Taylor Heinicke, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, attended Old Dominion. Per The Virginian-Pilot, Heinicke signed with Old Dominion as it was his first and only college scholarship offer.

What kind of prospect was Taylor Heinicke in high school?

Heinicke played quarterback at Collins Hill High School. You may recognize Collins Hill as the high school that women’s basketball great Maya Moore attended. Like Moore, Heinicke broke records at Collins Hill.

As a senior, Taylor Heinicke set Gwinnett County single-season records with 4,218 passing yards and 44 touchdowns. At the time, his 4,218 passing yards ranked second in Georgia state history, while his 44 touchdowns ranked third in state history. Heinicke’s senior year explosion came after Collins Hill switched to the spread offense. The schematic change led to individual and team success for Heinicke as he led Collins Hill to ​​the Class 5A semifinals. 

Following his senior year, Heinicke was named the Gwinnett Daily Post Offensive Player of the Year and the Old Spice Player of the Year in the state of Georgia.

What was Taylor Heinicke’s record in college?

Taylor Heinicke began his college career in the FCS with Old Dominion before the school made the switch to FBS in 2013. In total, Heinicke went 31-14 as a starter. Heinicke took over as a starter in his freshman year, starting the final eight games. He led Old Dominion to a first-round FCS playoff victory in 2011 and a second-round FCS playoff victory in 2012. 

Records set by Taylor Heinicke

Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Heinicke in college:

Division I records

• 1st in Division I single-game passing yards: 730 yards
• 1st in Division I single-game total offense: 791 yards
• 1st Virginia Division I quarterback to pass for 10,000 career yards

FBS records

• 3rd in FBS career total offense: 16,279 yards
• 4th in FBS career touchdown passes: 132 touchdowns
• 6th in FBS passing yards: 14,959 passing yards

FCS records

• 1st in FCS single-season passing yards: 5,076 yards (2012)
• 1st in FCS single-season completions: 398 completions (2012)
• 1st in FCS Playoffs total offense: 542 yards (2012)
• 1st in FCS Playoffs touchdown passes: 6 touchdowns (2012)

Old Dominion records

• 1st in Old Dominion career passing yards: 14,959 yards
• 1st in Old Dominion career passing attempts: 1829 attempts
• 1st in Old Dominion career touchdowns: 132 touchdowns
• 1st in Old Dominion career completions: 1338 completions
• 1st in Old Dominion career completion percentage: 73.1 percent
• 1st in Old Dominion single-game touchdown passes: 7 (2012)

What were some of Taylor Heinicke’s best games in college?

Here are some of Heinicke’s most notable performances in college:

Old Dominion 35, Norfolk State 18 | Nov. 26, 2011 (FCS Playoffs)

• 269 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 70% completion percentage, 27 rushing yards

No. 3 Georgia Southern 55, Old Dominion 48 | Dec. 3, 2011 (FCS Playoffs)

• 341 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 75 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Old Dominion 57, Duquesne 23 | Sept. 1, 2012

• 492 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 65% completion percentage, 38 rushing yards

Old Dominion 70, Campbell 14 | Sept. 15, 2012

• 486 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, 72.4% completion percentage, 41 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Old Dominion 64, No. 18/19 New Hampshire 61 | Sept. 22, 2012

• 730 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 69.6% completion percentage, 61 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Old Dominion 31, No. 18/19 Towson 20 | Oct. 20, 2012

• 264 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 66.6% completion percentage, 71 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns

Old Dominion 31, No. 20/16 Delaware 26 | Oct. 27, 2012

• 375 passing yards, 80% completion percentage, three rushing touchdowns

Old Dominion 38, James Madison 28 | Nov. 17, 2012

• 357 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 71.1% completion percentage

Old Dominion 63, Coastal Carolina 35 | Dec. 1, 2012 (FCS playoffs)

• 497 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, 72.7% completion percentage, 45 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns

Old Dominion 76, Howard 19 | Sept. 14, 2013

• 406 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 74% completion percentage, 18 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Old Dominion 66, Rhode Island 14 | Nov. 2, 2013

• 293 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, 80% completion percentage, 33 rushing yards

Old Dominion 59, Idaho 38 | Nov. 9, 2013

• 533 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 71.4% completion percentage, 20 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

Old Dominion 45, Rice 42 | Sept. 20, 2014

• 430 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 62.3% completion percentage, 36 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown

What awards did Taylor Heinicke win in college?

Here are the awards and honors Heinicke won in college:

• Conference USA Honorable Mention (2014)
• Touchdown Club of Richmond Offensive Back of the Year (2014)
• Touchdown Club of Richmond Offensive Back of the Year (2013)
• Walter Payton Award (2012)
• Associated Press First-Team All-America (2012)
• The Sports Network First-Team All-American (2012)
• Walter Camp All-American (2012)
• Phil Steele First-Team All-American (2012)
• Touchdown Club of Columbus Player of the Year (2012) 
• Dudley Award Winner (Best Division I Player in Virginia) (2012)
• CAA Offensive Player of the Year (2012)
• First-Team All-CAA (2012)
• CAA Academic All-Conference (2012)
• College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Year (2011)
• CFPA Freshman Performer of the Year (2011)
• CFPA Quarterback Award (2011)
• Runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award (2011)
• Sports Journal All-Freshman Team (2011)
• Third Team All-CAA (2011)

What did people say about Taylor Heinicke?

Old Dominion left tackle Jeff Lowney after Heinicke’s 730 passing yard performance against New Hampshire: “Just that whole game was insane. The first time we were ever on ESPN I saw Taylor. I look up, and there’s Taylor. First time on ESPN he’s shredding kids. I had to do a double-take.” 

Then-Old Dominion quarterbacks coach Ron Whitcomb on Heinicke’s numbers after Old Dominion’s move to the FBS: “In many ways they're more impressive now because we're playing against much better competition.”

Whitcomb on NFL scouts evaluating Heinicke: “He’s a hot name. They see his mechanics; they see how well he moves in the pocket.”
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Then-Old Dominion head coach Bobby Wilder on what Heinicke can bring to the NFL from his collegiate experience: “You can talk about other intangibles, whether it's character or leadership, and Taylor has those intangibles. But what the scouts are looking for is decision making, the ability of a quarterback to process information quickly. And I've never seen anyone better at that than Taylor Heinicke."