Brodie Croyle - College Career

College Career

Despite the knee injury, Croyle received interest from members the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference, including Louisiana State and Florida State. Croyle showed interest in playing for Florida State due in part because of the team's offensive coordinator, Mark Richt. Croyle initially showed little interest in playing for Alabama after their head coach, Mike DuBose had recently been fired, but once Richt took the head coaching job with the Georgia Bulldogs, Croyle followed in his father's footsteps. On the night before he was to announce his college decision to play for Florida State, Croyle announced that he would instead play for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Interestingly enough, the Crimson Tide were not fazed by Croyle’s rather serious ligament tear, for they felt he would heal well enough that his talent still warranted a spot on the roster. Croyle graduated early from high school and enrolled at the University of Alabama in January 2001. After red-shirting his freshman year at Alabama, Croyle earned a spot as the top backup in his second season behind senior starter Tyler Watts. Croyle's coaches voted for him as the Ozzie Newsome Most Improved Freshman after starting two games in 2002. After the 2002 season, Alabama head coach Dennis Franchione resigned to take the same position at Texas A&M. Washington State head coach Mike Price was hired to replace Franchione in January 2003.

Coach Price mentored Croyle throughout the 2003 spring drills and practice but was dismissed from the head coach position in May 2003 for his conduct off the field. Soon after, Mike Shula, quarterback coach for the Miami Dolphins and former quarterback of the Crimson Tide, was named head coach at Alabama. Croyle, now with his third head coach in as many years, had only a few weeks to prepare and practice under coach Shula's system. Despite starting all 11 games in 2003 as a sophomore, Croyle suffered a separated shoulder before half time of the fifth game. Croyle would start the next game against Georgia only to re-aggravate the injury, but still only sat out one game that season, and did not reveal to the public he had suffered from two cracked ribs. The Crimson Tide's 2003 season ended with a record of 4–9. He connected on 182 of 341 throws for 2,303 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and was subsequently named the Dixie Memorial Award winner as the club’s MVP and won the Derrick Thomas Community Award. His 341 pass attempts on the season were the highest seasonal total in Crimson Tide history while his 16 touchdown passes tied the single-season mark.

Croyle started the 2004 season hoping to help his team improve on their last record of 4–9. Croyle started three games, completing 44 of 66 passes for 534 yards with six touchdowns. But during the third game of the season against Western Carolina University, Croyle tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his other knee. Croyle was forced to sit out the rest of the season, and the team finished with a 6-6 record.

Undaunted, he fully recovered from the injury in 2005 and started all 12 games as a senior; completing 202 of 339 passes for 2,499 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions and one rushing touchdown. Croyle led the Crimson Tide to a #8 national ranking, a 10–2 record, and a 13–10 victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl Classic, where he shared the game's Most Valuable Player honors with teammate DeMeco Ryans. In his final season at Alabama, Croyle attempted a then-school-record 190 passes without an interception and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s most outstanding senior quarterback. He became the first Alabama quarterback to start every game in a season since 1996.

His 2,499 passing yards in 2005 were the highest single-season total in Alabama's school history. His total 202 completions and 339 passing attempts rank as the second-best seasonal marks in school annals. His 2,311 yards of total offense were the third-best seasonal mark in the history of the school, and his 1.18 interception percentage was the lowest single-season mark in school history as well.