UGASports is counting down the days until the Bulldogs’ 2024 season opener. For each day in our countdown, we will reveal our opinion of the best player in Georgia history to wear that particular jersey number.
We select Eric Zeier as the best Georgia player to wear jersey number 10.
#10 ERIC ZEIER
Position: Quarterback
Hometown (High School): Marietta, GA (Marietta)
Height/Weight: 6-2, 205
Seasons: 1991-1994
Stats: 838-for-1,402 (59.8 percent), 11,153 yards passing, 67 TD passes, 37 interceptions
Career: Eric Zeier lived all over the world before settling in Marietta, Georgia. Playing for Marietta High School, Zeier was named to USA Today's All-USA first team in 1990. He enrolled at the University of Georgia the following January after Georgia had gone 4-7. As a true freshman, Zeier was the Bulldogs' backup quarterback for the first five games of the season. For the fifth game, Georgia had a 3-1 record and hosted No. 6 Clemson, which had one of the best defenses in the nation. It was a night game (the same day the Braves clinched the National League West after finishing in last place the three previous seasons). Greg Talley started the game, but Zeier came in and did not look back, passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He started the rest of the season and the Bulldogs finished 9-3. Even though Zeier officially played in 11 games, starting six (seasons were shorter and bowl stats did not count back then), he established school records for passing yards (1,984) and completions (159). As a full-time starter as a sophomore in 1992, Zeier set even more records as the Bulldogs finished 10-2 including a win over quarterback Kirk Herbstreit and Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. Although Georgia, as a whole, struggled in 1993, Zeier did not. In a 5-6 season, he passed for four touchdowns in three games after just once in history had a Georgia player passed for four or more touchdowns in a single game. Zeier was also the first Bulldog to throw for over 3,000 yards in a single season (3,525) and his 24 touchdown passes in 1993 shattered the school record by ten. He threw for a school-record 544 yards against Southern Miss that season, setting an SEC record which stood until 2020. Zeier continued his passing dominance as a senior in 1994 when he threw for 3,396 yards and 24 touchdowns. For his career, Zeier passed for at least 300 yards 15 times and over 400 yards in seven games. When it was all said and done, he set 67 school records and 18 SEC records including for career passing yards with 11,153.
#10 Honorable Mention: Thomas Davis, Fran Tarkenton, Larry Rakestraw, Ray Goff, Chris Welton
