Here is the list of the top 10 touchdown passing leaders in FBS college football history. Houston’s Case Keenum leads the way with 155 from 2007-2011.

Oregon’s Dillion Gabriel is the active leader with 143 touchdown passes through Week 9 of the 2024-25 season.

*Denotes total active

College football career touchdown passing leaders:

1. Case Keenum, Houston (2007-2011): 155 touchdowns in 57 games

Keenum has been the king of college quarterback statistics since leaving Houston in 2011. The 12-year NFL veteran holds the record for career touchdown passes (155) and passing yards (19,217). He had three seasons with more than 5,000 yards and 44 or more touchdown passes.

In his final season, he finished with 5,631 passing yards, 48 ​​touchdowns and only five interceptions. He led the entire FBS in passing yards and touchdowns in two of his four full seasons.

2. Dillon Gabriel, UCF (2019-2021); Oklahoma (2022-2023); Oregon (2024): 143 touchdowns in 58 games*

Gabriel, who leads the No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks in his first year in Eugene, is just 12 touchdowns behind Keenum, entering Week 9 of the 2024-25 college football season. He also ranks second all-time in passing yards, but is about 2,000 yards behind Keenum, likely not catching up to the Houston legend before the end of the season.

However, the former UCF and Oklahoma quarterback has a real chance to break Keenum’s decade-old touchdown record. With four regular season games left to play for the Ducks and likely two or four additional ones with a conference championship and playoff games, Gabriel should have Keenum’s 155 in his sights.

Gabriel hasn’t lit up the stat sheet the same way Keenum did, but his consistency has given him a long and productive college career. His best season on paper came in 2020 with UCF, where he threw for 3,570 yards and 32 touchdowns in 10 games. He has four seasons of 3,000+ passing yards to his name and will likely add another at the end of this season.

3. Kellen Moore, Boise State (2008-2011): 142 touchdowns in 53 games

Moore played at the same time as Keenum, and both lit up the box score each week. Moore finished seventh in Heisman voting in 2009, one spot ahead of Keenum. Then in 2011, Moore finished eighth in the voting, just behind Keenum in the No. 7 spot.

Moore may not hold the record for touchdown passes, but he is the winningest quarterback in FBS history, with a 50-3 record in four years as a Bronco. His best season came in 2011 when he threw for 3,800 yards and 43 touchdowns, leading Boise State to a 12-1 record.

T4. Graham Harrell, Texas Tech (2005-2008): 134 touchdowns in 45 games

The Red Raiders legend held the career touchdown passing record after his college career came to an end in 2008. While it was short-lived — Keenum and Moore surpassed it a few years later — Harrell is still in the top five first of all time.

Harrell only played three full seasons for the Red Raiders, appearing in just six games and attempting 55 total passes in his freshman year. Between 2006 and 2008 he threw for 131 touchdowns, an average of 3.3 touchdown passes per game during that span.

In 2007, Harrell threw for 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns, leading the FBS in both categories, and in 2008 he finished fourth in Heisman voting, tied for the highest finish in Texas Tech history.

T4. Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (2018-2022); Notre Dame (2023) – 134 touchdowns in 60 games

Hartman spent his first five years in college football with Wake Forest, leading the ACC in touchdown passes as a senior with the Demon Deacons in 2022 (38). Hartman did not eclipse the 10 games played during his first three years in Winston-Salem.

For his sixth and final season, Hartman transferred to Notre Dame, leading the Irish to a 10-3 record and adding 24 more touchdowns to his name. His best season came in 2021 with the Deacons where he threw for 4,228 yards and 39 touchdowns.

T6. Colt Brennan, Hawaii (2005-2007): 131 touchdowns in 38 games

Brennan only played three seasons of college football, but put up numbers in video games in the 2006 season. The Rainbow Warrior passed for 5,549 yards and 58 touchdowns, setting the FBS single-season passing touchdown record. He threw five or more touchdowns in eight of his 14 games in 2006.

Joe Burrow took over Brennan’s single-season record in 2019 (60), but still holds the record for highest career completion percentage in FBS history (70.4).

T6. Baker Mayfield, Texas Tech (2013); Oklahoma (2015-2017) – 131 touchdowns in 48 games

One of only two Heisman Trophy winners on this list, Mayfield began his college football career at Texas Tech. After his freshman season, he transferred to Oklahoma as a walk-on, but due to transfer rules at the time, he had than missing the entire 2014 season.

But he proved he was worth the wait, finishing in the top four in Heisman voting during all three seasons as center for the Sooners. He took home the trophy in 2017, becoming the first and only contestant to win the Heisman.

In that 2017-2018 season, Mayfield led Oklahoma to the semifinals of the 2018 College Football Playoff against Georgia in a double-overtime classic. He passed for two touchdowns in that Rose Bowl, tying Brennan and Rakeem Cato for sixth all-time.

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T6. Rakeem Cato, Marshall (2011-2014): 131 touchdowns in 53 games

Cato, a Marshall legend, compiled 131 touchdowns and 14,079 yards in four seasons with the Thundering Herd.

He threw for 37 or more touchdowns in his final three seasons, and led the FBS in passing yards per game in 2012. Cato led Marshall to a program-record 13 wins in 2014, landing the Thundering Herd ranked in the AP Top 25. for the first time since 2002.

9. Landry Jones, Oklahoma (2009-2012): 123 touchdowns in 53 games

Jones replaced Oklahoma legend Sam Bradford as a freshman after Bradford was taken first overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He passed for more than 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns in his first season, giving Sooner fans a taste of what was to come over the next three seasons.

Jones scored three consecutive 4,000-yard seasons, connecting for a career-high 38 touchdowns, in 2010. In that 2010 season, he led the Big 12 in passing yards and touchdowns as the Sooners defeated Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship .

T10. Ty Detmer, BYU (1988-1991) – 121 touchdowns in 48 games

Detmer is the only quarterback on this list who played before the 2000s, solidifying his greatness in an era dominated by the running game. He was a true gunslinger for the Cougars, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in three of his four seasons.

During his Heisman-winning 1990 season, Detmer threw for 5,188 yards, 41 touchdowns and an FBS-leading 28 interceptions. He is the first and only Heisman Trophy winner for BYU.

T10. Aaron Murray, Georgia (2010-2013): 121 touchdowns in 52 games

Murray played four full seasons for Georgia, setting the SEC’s all-time record for passing yards and touchdowns. He passed for more than 3,000 yards in all four seasons, setting a career-high of 3,893 yards in 2012.

Murray threw for more than 35 touchdowns in two of his four seasons and led the entire FBS in yards per completion in 2012 (15.6).