Greg McElroy Gregory Vincent McElroy , Jr . ( born May 10 , 1988 ) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted by the Jets in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft . He played college football at Alabama . During his high school career , McElroy won several awards including being named an EA Sports All - America n and winning a Texas 5A state championship for Southlake Carroll . He was the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide football team . As a junior , he led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated 14 – 0 season , which included the 2009 SEC Championship and BCS National Championship . Early life . McElroy was born in Los Angeles , California to Greg and Jami McElroy . In 1998 , when he was 10 years old , his father was hired by the Dallas Cowboys to oversee sales and marketing for the franchise , and the family moved to Southlake , Texas . As a former football player at the University of Hawaii , Greg Sr . helped coach his son ' s Pee Wee football team . McElroy attended Carroll Senior High School in Southlake , playing under head coach Todd Dodge . During his sophomore and junior seasons , McElroy played behind Chase Daniel , who later was in contention for the Heisman Trophy while playing for the Missouri Tigers . In his first season as a starter in 2005 , McElroy passed for 4 , 636 yards , 56 touchdowns , and nine interceptions en route to a 16 – 0 season , which included the Texas 5A state championship For his efforts as a senior , McElroy was named the Texas 5A Player of the Year and an EA Sports All - American . McElroy ' s 56 touchdown passes ranks first all - time in the Texas 5A classification , and second all - time in Texas high school football history , behind only Graham Harrell ' s 67 touchdowns in 2003 . His 4 , 646 yards passing currently ranks fifth all - time in Texas . College career . McElroy had full - scholarship offers from several Division I football schools , eventually committing to Texas Tech . However , he later changed his commitment , accepting an offer from the Alabama Crimson Tide . In his first season , McElroy was redshirted by head coach Mike Shula . McElroy is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon . On December 7 , 2010 , McElroy was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a National Football Foundation scholar / athlete . Freshman . After his redshirt freshman year , McElroy saw limited playing time behind second - year starting quarterback John Parker Wilson . He played part of a game versus Western Carolina , throwing his first collegiate touchdown pass in the third quarter to tight end Nick Walker . He again saw late playing time verus rival Tennessee , in a 41 – 17 rout . Sophomore . In the 2008 season , McElroy again saw limited action . He did make six appearances late in games during the regular season . McElroy threw his first pass of the season in a 41 – 7 win over Western Kentucky , completing 4 of 6 passes for 61 yards . In the following game versus Arkansas , McElroy threw his first career interception early in the 4th quarter , which Razorback freshman cornerback Ramon Broadway returned to the Alabama 34 - yard line . His first touchdown pass of the season came in a 36 – 0 rout of in - state rival Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl . His 34 - yard strike to redshirt freshman Marquis Maze was the final score of the game . Junior . In Alabama ' s 2009 A - Day game , McElroy played impressively and was expected to be the starting quarterback for the 2009 season . It was confirmed that he would start on opening day when the depth chart was released on August 31 . His first start came in the 2009 Chick - fil - A College Kickoff , when the # 5 Crimson Tide faced # 7 Virginia Tech Hokies . With a slow start , in which McElroy completed just two of his first 10 passes including an interception , the Tide were down 16 – 17 at halftime . However , he led the Crimson Tide to 18 points in the final quarter , including a 22 - yard touchdown pass to Mark Ingram , as Alabama downed the Hokies 34 – 24 . For their performances , both he and Ingram shared the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award . The following week , McElroy completed 14 consecutive passes — a school record — en route to a 40 – 14 win over Florida International . He followed up the performance as he set another school record for passing efficiency in a single game , as he completed 13 of 15 passes ( 86 . 7 % ) in a 53 – 7 rout of North Texas . McElroy was given his first conference start in a SEC matchup against Arkansas on September 26 . His first touchdown came in the second quarter out of the wildcat formation when he connected with Julio Jones on a 50 - yard pass . He finished the game with a career - high 291 passing yards and three touchdowns , while completing 17 of 24 passes in a 35 – 7 rout of the Razorbacks . The following week , he made his first start on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium . With another slow start , Alabama eventually pulled away as McElroy completed a 3 - yard pass for a touchdown to Colin Peek in the final minute of the first half . He finished the game with 148 yards and two touchdowns , as Alabama rolled to a 5 – 0 start with a 38 – 20 victory in Lexington . Alabama faced off against Ole Miss at Vaught - Hemingway Stadium in front of 62 , 657 fans , a record for the state of Mississippi . Another slow start kept the game close for Alabama , as the Crimson Tide led 3 – 0 midway through the first quarter . Alabama ' s only offensive touchdown finally came with under a minute in the second quarter , when running back Mark Ingram rushed for a 36 - yard touchdown , en route to 22 – 3 victory . McElroy ' s worst performance of the season occurred on October 17 , when Alabama hosted # 22 South Carolina . He completed just half of his passes , including two interceptions . However , running back Mark Ingram helped Alabama to a 20 – 6 victory with his 246 rushing yards . In the Third Saturday in October versus Tennessee , the Volunteers defense shut down Alabama ' s offense , keeping them from scoring a touchdown . McElroy completed 18 - of - 29 for 120 yards as Alabama held on for a 12 – 10 victory with four Leigh Tiffin field goals . On November 7 , he helped Alabama clinch their second straight SEC West title as the team faced # 9 LSU . After failing to throw a touchdown in four consecutive games , McElroy threw a 21 - yard touchdown pass to Darius Hanks in the third quarter . After trailing in the fourth quarter , he threw his second touchdown of the game , connecting with Julio Jones on a 73 - yard pass . McElroy finished 19 - for - 34 for 276 yards , including two touchdowns and one interception in a 24 – 15 victory . As Alabama faced in - state rival Auburn on November 26 , McElroy and the offense were in a 14 – 0 hole after the first quarter . With 5 : 31 left before halftime and trailing 14 – 7 , he connected with tight end Colin Peek on a 33 - yard pass to equalize before halftime . Entering the final 15 minutes , the Tide trailed Auburn , 21 – 20 . He threw a 4 - yard touchdown pass to Roy Upchurch with 1 : 24 remaining , with Alabama holding on for a 26 – 21 victory . McElroy and Alabama squared off against the # 1 - ranked Florida Gators in the 2009 SEC Championship Game , a rematch of the previous year ' s conference championship . Alabama got off to an early 9 – 0 lead in the first quarter , and still had the lead heading into halftime at 19 – 13 . In the third quarter , he threw his lone touchdown of the game on a 17 - yard high pass to Colin Peek to extend the lead to 26 – 13 . Despite being a five point underdog heading into the game , McElroy and Alabama rolled over the Gators 32 – 13 and secured a spot in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game . McElroy finished 12 - for - 18 for 239 yards and a touchdown which earned him the game ' s MVP honors . McElroy led the Crimson Tide to the 2010 BCS National Championship Game versus the undefeated Big 12 Conference champions Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl . He was able to complete 6 of 11 pass attempts for 58 yards while being sacked five times and losing 27 yards . Ingram and freshman Trent Richardson carried Alabama to a 37 – 21 victory with 225 yards and four touchdowns rushing combined . After the Tide ' s victory , McElroy revealed that he had suffered two cracked ribs during the 2009 SEC Championship game , explaining the Tide ' s shift from a passing to pure rushing game . Senior . McElroy led the Alabama Crimson Tide to a 10 – 3 record including a 49 – 7 win over Michigan State in the 2011 Capital One Bowl . His senior season began with a 5 – 0 start that was capped off by a 31 – 6 defeat of the Florida Gators on October 2 . Alabama had defeated Duke , 62 – 13 , on September 18 . After Alabama lost on the road to South Carolina , 35 – 21 , on October 9 , McElroy rallied the Crimson Tide to a 9 – 2 mark and a No . 9 ranking nationally heading into their grudge match with in - state rival Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl event . Along the way , he put up more numbers against SEC opposition that included Ole Miss ( 17 - of - 25 , 219 yards passing , 2 TDs ) , Tennessee ( 21 - of - 32 , 264 yards passing ) , and Mississippi State ( 12 - of - 18 , 227 yards passing , 2 TDs ) in blowout wins for Alabama . The regular season ended on a sour note on November 26 as McElroy led Alabama to a 24 – 7 halftime lead only to give out and narrowly fall behind in the 2nd half . Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton rallied the Auburn Tigers to a 28 – 27 victory . McElroy went 27 for 37 for 377 yards and two touchdowns , giving him a career performance in the loss . In McElroy ' s final college game in the 49 - 7 win over Michigan State , he went 13 of 17 for 220 yards and a touchdown . He finished the season with a school record 2987 passing yards . Academics . McElroy graduated from Alabama in three years with a degree in business marketing , and is a graduate student in his second year . As an undergraduate he had a 3 . 85 GPA , receiving only one B , and applied for , but did not win , a Rhodes Scholarship in 2010 . In September 2010 , McElroy was named as one of the smartest athletes in America by " Sporting News " . During the NFL Combine in February 2011 , McElroy scored a 43 out of 50 on the Wonderlic Test of intelligence . His score was originally reported as a 48 , which would have tied the all - time high for a quarterback set by Buffalo Bills Ryan Fitzpatrick . Professional career . Pre - draft . McElroy was a late round draft selection despite his successes with Alabama . He was praised for his work ethic and accuracy , his ability to maneuver in the pocket and to recognize defensive formations and adjust to those formations . However , scouts had serious concerns about his arm strength which limited his value . New York Jets . McElroy was selected by the New York Jets in the 7th round with the 208th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft . He was expected to compete with fellow back - ups Mark Brunell , Kellen Clemens and Kevin O ' Connell . He came to an agreement with the Jets on a four - year contract on July 29 , 2011 . McElroy made his preseason debut against the Houston Texans on August 15 , 2011 . Starter Mark Sanchez played one quarter before he was replaced by McElroy who played the rest of the game after second string back - up Mark Brunell was declared out with a finger injury . He completed 23 of his 39 pass attempts for 208 yards and a touchdown . He nearly led the Jets to victory however , rookie wide receiver Michael Campbell dropped the game - winning pass in the end zone . In his second preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals , McElroy completed 6 of his 9 pass attempts for 59 yards and a touchdown in the Jets ' 27 – 7 win over the Bengals . McElroy entered the Jets ' preseason contest against the New York Giants with a little under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter . With the Jets leading 7 – 3 , McElroy twice led the Jets on scoring drives . He completed 4 of his 5 pass attempts for 39 yards en route to a 17 – 3 victory . In the Jets ' final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles , McElroy left midway through the second quarter with a thumb injury having completed 3 of his 6 pass attempts for 29 yards . McElroy dislocated the thumb and the team subsequently placed him on the injured reserve list , ending his season . McElroy returned in 2012 to play in the Jets ' first preseason game against the Bengals . He completed 4 of his 6 pass attempts for 49 yards in the Jets ' loss . He did not play the subsequent two games . He played in their preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles . McElroy would score the team ' s lone touchdown of the preseason on a six yard pass to Terrance Ganaway . McElroy made his NFL debut on December 2 , 2012 in the third quarter during the Jets ' contest against the Arizona Cardinals , replacing incumbent Mark Sanchez who , prior to being benched by head coach Rex Ryan , had thrown three interceptions . Tim Tebow was inactive with a rib injury , leaving McElroy as the back - up to Sanchez . McElroy threw his first career touchdown pass to Jeff Cumberland on the first play of the fourth quarter en route to a 7 – 6 victory . McElroy finished the game completing 5 of his 7 passes for 29 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 5 yards on 4 attempts . He was named the starting quarterback on December 18 , 2012 , one day after the Jets ' loss to the Tennessee Titans on December 17 . In his first career start against the San Diego Chargers , McElroy completed 14 of 24 passes for 185 yards with an interception and lost a fumble . McElroy was also sacked 11 times , as the Jets lost 27 – 17 . McElroy , who was expected to start the Jets ' final game against the Buffalo Bills , was ruled out after revealing he had suffered concussion symptoms in the days preceding . McElroy stated that he informed his teammates of the symptoms he was suffering , though he hid it from staff until December 27 .