The Liberty Flames football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Liberty Flames football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose yardage, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Flames represent Liberty University as members of Conference USA (CUSA) in NCAA Division I FBS.
Liberty began competing in intercollegiate football in 1973, when the school was known as Lynchburg Baptist College and was affiliated with the National Christian College Athletic Association. The program gained full varsity status in 1975, the same year in which the school became Liberty Baptist College and joined the NAIA. In 1980, the school joined NCAA Division II, while maintaining its NAIA membership; it left the NAIA in 1983. Two years later, the current name of Liberty University was adopted. The program moved to Division I FCS (known before the 2006 season as Division I-AA) in 1988, remaining at that level through the 2017 season. Just prior to that season, Liberty began a transition to FBS; it was classified as an FBS member for scheduling purposes in 2018 and became a full FBS member in 2019.[1]
Since Liberty started its football program in 1973, full box scores are available for all games, and there is no pre-modern era with incomplete statistics like there is for many college football teams. Additionally, freshmen have been eligible to play on varsity teams during Liberty's entire football history, giving all players who started their college careers at that school the chance to play for four seasons. Also, due to COVID-19 disruptions in the 2020 season, the NCAA ruled that it would not count the 2020 season against any football player's athletic eligibility, giving all players active in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.
At levels of play below FBS, regular seasons have been shorter than the FBS limit—currently 11 games as opposed to 12 for FBS. However, all levels of play below FBS hold official championship tournaments, providing the opportunity for more games. That said, playoff games are not necessarily included in official statistics maintained by national governing bodies—for example, the NCAA did not include playoff games in official I-AA/FCS statistics until 2002, the same year in which it first included bowl games in official FBS statistics. Additionally, the NCAA allows FCS programs to schedule 12 regular-season games in years when the period starting with the Thursday before Labor Day and ending with the final Saturday in November contains 14 Saturdays. Liberty was thus able to play a 12-game schedule in 2008, 2013, and 2014. Also, Liberty has played in bowl games in each season since it completed its FBS transition ahead of the 2019 season, giving players in those seasons another game to amass statistics. Liberty may potentially play in another game in any given season should it qualify for the CUSA championship game, and did so in 2023.
These lists are updated through the 2023 Conference USA championship game. Players active in 2023 are indicated in bold type.
While Liberty produces a football media guide, it does not make it available as a single volume on its official athletic website. Instead, it publishes separate lists of career,[2] single-season,[3] and single-game[4] leaders in all relevant categories. Unlike many FBS schools, it generally lists only the top 5 on all relevant leaderboards. This article will generally follow Liberty's current practice, with differences as noted in each section. Leaderboards are also expanded beyond the top 5 wherever performances from 2020 or later qualify for top-5 places.
Passing
Liberty lists all 250-yard passing performances on its official athletic site, allowing a full single-game top 10 for yards to be compiled.[5] It also lists all 3,000-yard seasons in school history, making the single-season list a top 6 instead of a top 5.
Passing yards
Career | Rank | Player | Yards | Years | | 1 | Stephen Calvert | 12,025 | 2016 2017 2018 2019 | | 2 | Josh Woodrum | 10,266 | 2012 2013 2014 2015 | | 3 | Robby Justino | 9,548 | 1989 1990 1991 1992 | | 4 | Paul Johnson | 7,397 | 1986 1987 1988 1989 | | 5 | Brock Smith | 7,036 | 2005 2006 2007 2008 | | Single season | Rank | Player | Yards | Year | | 1 | Stephen Calvert | 3,663 | 2019 | | 2 | Stephen Calvert | 3,363 | 2017 | | 3 | Phil Basso | 3,226 | 1984 | | 4 | Robby Justino | 3,176 | 1991 | | 5 | Robby Justino | 3,076 | 1990 | | 6 | Stephen Calvert | 3,068 | 2018 | | 7 | Mike Brown | 2,956 | 2010 | | 8 | Josh Woodrum | 2,947 | 2014 | | 9 | Kaidon Salter | 2,876[6] | 2023 | | 10 | Malik Willis | 2,857 | 2021 | | |
Passing touchdowns
Rushing
Liberty's list of single-season rushing leaders includes all 1,000-yard rushing seasons (16 to date), allowing a full top 10 to be compiled. The program also lists all 100-yard rushing games on its official athletic site, allowing a full single-game top 10 for yards to be compiled.[9]
Rushing yards
Career | Rank | Player | Yards | Years | | 1 | Dre Barnes | 4,035 | 2001 2002 2003 2004 | | 2 | Stacy Nobles | 3,711 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 | | 3 | Rashad Jennings | 3,633 | 2006 2007 2008 | | 4 | Frankie Hickson | 2,898 | 2016 2017 2018 2019 | | 5 | Lawrence Worthington | 2,723 | 1994 1995 1996 | | Single season | Rank | Player | Yards | Year | | 1 | Rashad Jennings | 1,500 | 2008 | | 2 | Quinton Cooley | 1,401[10] | 2023 | | 3 | Dre Barnes | 1,347 | 2003 | | 4 | Dre Barnes | 1,304 | 2002 | | 5 | D. J. Abnar | 1,289 | 2014 | | 6 | Lawrence Worthington | 1,224 | 1994 | | 7 | Mitchell Clark | 1,185 | 1982 | | 8 | James Cole | 1,183 | 1983 | | 9 | Stacy Nobles | 1,175 | 1999 | | 10 | Rashad Jennings | 1,113 | 2007 | | |
Rushing touchdowns
Career | Rank | Player | TDs | Years | | 1 | Rashad Jennings | 42 | 2006 2007 2008 | | 2 | Stacy Nobles | 35 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 | | Lawrence Worthington | 35 | 1994 1995 1996 | | 4 | Charles McCray | 30 | 1985 1986 1988 1989 | | 5 | Mike Brown | 29 | 2008 2009 2010 2011 | | Frankie Hickson | 29 | 2016 2017 2018 2019 | | | Single game | Rank | Player | TDs | Year | Opponent | | 1 | Kim Raynor | 5 | 1979 | Ferrum | | 2 | 9 times by 8 players | 4 | Most recent:
Frankie Hickson, 2019 vs. New Mexico State | |
Receiving
Receptions
Receiving yards
Liberty includes all 1,000-yard seasons in its official leaderboards, resulting in a top 9 single-season list instead of a top 5. The program also lists all 100-yard receiving games on its official athletic site, allowing a full single-game top 10 for yards to be compiled.[12]
| | Single season | Rank | Player | Yards | Year | | 1 | Antonio Gandy-Golden | 1,396 | 2019 | | 2 | Darrin Peterson | 1,379 | 2014 | | 3 | Chris Summers | 1,081 | 2010 | | 4 | Pat Nelson | 1,075 | 1991 | | 5 | CJ Daniels | 1,067[13] | 2023 | | 6 | Antonio Gandy-Golden | 1,066 | 2017 | | 7 | Dominic Bolden | 1,056 | 2008 | | 8 | Antonio Gandy-Golden | 1,037 | 2018 | | 9 | Fred Banks | 1,029 | 1984 | | 10 | Chris Summers | 1,014 | 2011 | | |
Receiving touchdowns
Total offense
Total offense is the sum of passing and rushing statistics. It does not include receiving or returns.[14]
Total offense yards
Liberty lists all instances of 250 yards of total offense in a game on its official athletic site, allowing a full single-game top 10 to be compiled.[15] The program's lists of total offense leaders do not break down leaders' performances by type of play (passing or rushing). However, these breakdowns can be extrapolated for all performances in the top 10 of the single-game list, as well as most of the career and single-season leaders, using totals from other statistical lists available on the program website.
Touchdowns responsible for
"Touchdowns responsible for" is the official NCAA term for combined passing and rushing touchdowns. Liberty does not list single-game leaders.
All-purpose yardage
All-purpose yardage is the sum of all yards credited to a player who is in possession of the ball. It includes rushing, receiving, and returns, but does not include passing.[14]
Liberty does not break down its leaders' performances over any time frame (career, season, game) by type of play.
| | Single season | Rank | Player | Yards | Year | | 1 | Dominic Bolden | 1,814 | 2008 | | 2 | Rashad Jennings | 1,690 | 2008 | | 3 | Lawrence Worthington | 1,610 | 1994 | | 4 | James Cole | 1,449 | 1993 | | 5 | Andrew McFadden | 1,446 | 1996 | | |
Defense
Interceptions
Career | Rank | Player | Ints | Years | | 1 | Dave Hertzler | 26 | 1977 1978 1979 1980 | | 2 | Rod Gladfelter | 21 | 1976 1977 1978 1979 | | 3 | Earl Fisher | 16 | 1980 1981 1982 1983 | | Randall State | 16 | 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 | | 5 | Jacob Hagen | 15 | 2011 2012 2013 2014 | | Single season | Rank | Player | Ints | Year | | 1 | Dave Hertzler | 11 | 1978 | | 2 | Dave Hertzler | 10 | 1978 | | 3 | Rod Gladfelter | 9 | 1978 | | 4 | Earl Fisher | 8 | 1982 | | Jacob Hagen | 8 | 2014 | | |
Tackles
Career | Rank | Player | Tackles | Years | | 1 | John Sanders | 550 | 1979 1980 1981 1982 | | 2 | Mickey Paige | 427 | 1985 1986 1987 1988 | | 3 | Jesse Riley | 394 | 1995 1996 1997 1998 | | 4 | Damon Bomar | 385 | 1993 1994 1995 1996 | | Joe Seamster | 385 | 1982 1983 1984 1985 | | Single season | Rank | Player | Tackles | Year | | 1 | Dion Krause | 151 | 1993 | | 2 | Mickey Paige | 150 | 1987 | | 3 | John Sanders | 147 | 1979 | | 4 | Dwight Jones | 146 | 1988 | | 5 | Scott Hoefling | 145 | 1980 | | |
Sacks
Kicking
Liberty does not list field goal percentage leaders over any time frame on its athletics site.
Field goals made
Career | Rank | Player | FGs | Years | | 1 | Matt Bevins | 58 | 2008 2009 2010 2011 | | 2 | John Lunsford | 48 | 2012 2013 2014 2015 | | 3 | Alex Probert | 46 | 2016 2017 2018 2019 | | 4 | Daniel Whitehead | 43 | 1991 1992 1993 1994 | | 5 | Phillip Harrelson | 35 | 1995 1996 1997 1998 | | Single season | Rank | Player | FGs | Year | | 1 | Matt Bevins | 22 | 2009 | | 2 | Matt Bevins | 20 | 2010 | | 3 | John Lunsford | 19 | 2014 | | 4 | Noah Greenbaum | 15 | 2007 | | Alex Probert | 15 | 2016 | | |
References
- ^ "The Chronology of Flames Football" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Career Top 5" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Season Top 5" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Single Game Top 5" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Passing Records" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Kaidon Salter". Sports-Reference CFB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Malik Willis: Game Log". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "Liberty vs. Buffalo Box Score". ESPN.com. September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ "Rushing Records" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "Quinton Cooley". Sports-Reference CFB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ a b "Demario Douglas". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Receiving Records" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c "CJ Daniels". ESPN.com.
- ^ a b "2020 Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Total Offense Records" (PDF). Liberty Athletics. December 21, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "Box Score: 2023 Conference USA Championship". ESPN.com. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ "Box Score: Liberty vs. UAB". ESPN.com. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ "Old Dominion vs. Liberty Box Score". ESPN.com. September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
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