College Football Stat Leaders

2021 College Football Passing Yards Per Game Leaders

Average net passing yards gained per game.

Seasons Covered

2004-2025

Current Leader

Western Kentucky (433.7)

Best Season

Washington State 2014 (477.7)

Scope

All Conferences • 2021

Browse Metrics

Crawl sibling stat pages without leaving the shared leaderboard template.

Total Yards Per GamePassing Yards Per GameRushing Yards Per GamePoints Per GameOffensive PPADefensive PPATurnover MarginHavoc Rate

What The Numbers Say

Route-specific context pulled from the current leaderboard, winner trend, and historical baseline.

How Passing Yards Per Game Reads

Passing yards per game highlights how aggressively a team can move the ball through the air after sacks and negative plays are accounted for, which separates explosive passing attacks from volume-only offenses. On this 2021 leaderboard, the visible range runs 433.7 to 355.4, with Western Kentucky setting the pace.

Conference Context

Big Ten Conference places 2 of the current top 5 teams, while American Athletic Conference owns the most recent yearly winner slot in the trend table.

Spread At The Top

The gap from No. 1 Western Kentucky to No. 5 Purdue is 78.3, which shows how tightly packed the top of this leaderboard is.

Recent Trend And Baseline

The yearly winning mark slipped from 370.0 in 2024 to 340.5 in 2025, a swing of 29.5. Western Kentucky's current mark of 433.7 sits above the all-time average leader benchmark of 352.5 held by Texas Tech.

Leaderboard

Top 25 rows for the current route scope.

1Western KentuckyConference USA2021433.7
2VirginiaAtlantic Coast Conference2021392.2
3Ohio StateBig Ten Conference2021380.9
4Mississippi StateSoutheastern Conference2021378.3
5PurdueBig Ten Conference2021355.4
6NevadaMountain West Conference2021347.0
7AlabamaSoutheastern Conference2021338.2
8PittsburghAtlantic Coast Conference2021337.4
9Fresno StateMountain West2021326.7
10MiamiAtlantic Coast Conference2021321.2
11Arkansas StateSun Belt Conference2021313.1
12Wake ForestAtlantic Coast Conference2021307.4
13MarylandBig Ten Conference2021304.6
14SMUAmerican Athletic Conference2021304.5
15Utah StateMountain West Conference2021303.4
16MemphisAmerican Athletic Conference2021298.8
17USCPac-12 Conference2021298.3
18MarshallConference USA2021294.4
19NC StateAtlantic Coast Conference2021288.4
20Notre DameNCAA Division I FBS independent schools2021282.5
21Miami (OH)Mid-American Conference2021278.5
22Ole MissSoutheastern Conference2021274.8
23HoustonAmerican Athletic Conference2021271.6
24East CarolinaAmerican Athletic Conference2021270.8
25New Mexico StateNCAA Division I FBS independent schools2021269.7

Trend Chart

Yearly winning values for the current filter scope.

Yearly Winners

SeasonTeamConferenceValue
2025Florida AtlanticAmerican Athletic Conference340.5
2024SyracuseAtlantic Coast Conference370.0
2023OregonPac-12 Conference346.9
2022WashingtonPac-12 Conference369.8
2021Western KentuckyConference USA433.7
2020FloridaSoutheastern Conference378.6
2019Washington StatePac-12 Conference436.8
2018Washington StatePac-12 Conference373.5
2017Oklahoma StateBig 12 Conference389.2
2016Texas TechBig 12 Conference463.0
2015Washington StatePac-12 Conference389.2
2014Washington StatePac-12 Conference477.7
2013Fresno StateMountain West394.8
2012MarshallConference USA365.1
2011HoustonConference USA462.1
2010Hawai'iWestern Athletic Conference412.5
2009HoustonConference USA443.4
2008Texas TechBig 12 Conference422.7
2007Hawai'iWestern Athletic Conference452.2
2006New Mexico StateWestern Athletic Conference416.9
2005Texas TechBig 12 Conference412.3
2004Texas TechBig 12 Conference414.3

Historical Leaderboard

Average across seasons for each team in the current filter scope.

RankTeamSeasonsAverageBest Season
1Texas Tech2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004352.52016 (463.0)
2Washington State2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004308.82014 (477.7)
3Hawai'i2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004292.52007 (452.2)
4Delaware2025291.52025 (291.5)
5Houston2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004290.22011 (462.1)
6USC2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004284.42019 (335.8)
7Oklahoma2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004281.82017 (361.8)
8Missouri State2025279.72025 (279.7)
9Baylor2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004278.12014 (365.9)
10East Carolina2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004274.12014 (371.9)
11SMU2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004268.92013 (341.4)
12Oklahoma State2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004268.02011 (395.1)
13Boise State2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004264.32010 (326.0)
14BYU2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004262.82006 (332.8)
15Ole Miss2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004262.32024 (350.8)
16Arizona State2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004260.72005 (391.8)
17Clemson2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004259.72020 (348.5)
18Purdue2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004259.12021 (355.4)
19Louisville2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004258.92007 (355.5)
20Texas A&M2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004258.02013 (353.3)
21Arizona2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004256.52011 (386.1)
22Western Kentucky2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007256.42021 (433.7)
23San José State2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004255.72013 (355.9)
24Troy2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004255.32009 (346.6)
25North Carolina2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004254.22022 (309.3)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who leads college football in passing yards per game in 2021?

Western Kentucky ranks first at 433.7 in 2021.

Why does the 2021 passing yards per game season stand out?

The top of the 2021 leaderboard is separated by 78.3 from No. 1 to No. 5, which shows whether this season had a runaway leader or a tightly packed race.

How does the 2021 leader compare with the all-time average benchmark?

Western Kentucky's 2021 mark of 433.7 clears the all-time average leader benchmark of 352.5 held by Texas Tech.