Josh Vogelbach: The Best Quarterback You've Never Heard of, Much Less Seen Play

In the third week of the season, Guilford College quarterback Josh Vogelbach threw for 360 yards and seven touchdowns in the Quakers' 43-17 win over the Averett Cougars. The win upped Guilford's record to 3-0 for the season but don't scurry over to check and see where they're rated in the latest AP or Wordsleuth poll. Guilford is a Division-III school.

Most people hear D-III and their eyes immediately glaze over. Some ill-informed people even go so far as to say that the top high school teams could beat a D-III school. But, if we learned nothing else from I-AA Appalachian State's victory at Michigan, we should now realize that there are great players at every level of college football.

And Josh Vogelbach is one of them.

Vogelbach transferred to Guilford from Division-I East Carolina University, so clearly he was good enough to play D-I coming out of high school. So far in his two-plus seasons with the Quakers, he hass re-written the Guilford College record book and now he is taking aim at the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) leader board.

Coming into the 2007 season, Vogelbach already held the all-time mark for Guilford College, which has played football for 100 seasons, in attempts, completions, yards, completion percentage and touchdown passes.

This past Saturday, he became the ODAC's all-time leader in completions with 681. With 88 career TD passes, Vogelbach is three shy of the league's best mark. Later this season, he should establish ODAC marks in both attempts and yardage. He already holds the single-season record in the conference for attempts and completions and has a shot this year at ODAC marks in yards (3,731) and touchdowns (42).

In three games this year, Vogelbach has completed 95-of-132 passes (72%) for 1,188 yards. He has 19 touchdowns compared to only three interceptions and has one rushing TD.

Guilford coach Kevin Kiesel has been the perfect match for Vogelbach. Kiesel does not hesitate to use five-receiver sets and has built an offensive line that excels at pass blocking. While the team has no standout running backs, the Quakers have achieved a nice balance between the pass and the run this season, with rushing attempts on 107 of their 243 plays from scrimmage.

Kiesel and Vogelbach joined the Quakers for the 2005 season. In 2004, Guilford was 1-9. Last season the Quakers were 6-4 and this year the squad has its eyes on an ODAC championship.

The coach points to the maturity of his star quarterback, noting how he did not throw an interception in his last start against a team that beat the Quakers by 20 points a season ago. Last season, Vogelbach set the ODAC record for interceptions with 26, an indication of how far he has advance with only three picks in three games this season.

I have interviewed Vogelbach several times and the thing that stands out is his humbleness. If there was ever a person entitled to play the "Big Man on Campus" role, it would be Vogelbach for transforming the Quakers from a doormat into an opponent no one wants to face. However, he is unfailingly polite, is well-spoken and thoughtful in his comments and takes great pains to credit both his offensive line and his receivers for the success the team enjoys.

After his outstanding performance as a freshman, I asked Vogelbach if he had any plans to transfer back to Division I. He quickly answered no and has given no indication since then that he has changed his mind. He seems to enjoy playing for the Quakers. Although he played high school ball in Florida, Vogelbach has relatives in North Carolina, which also adds to his comfort level with the Greensboro-based school.

Vogelbach has led the Quakers to the school's first 3-0 start since 1999 but the team has yet to break into national prominence, even when viewed through the D-III lens. The latest poll by D3football.com has Guilford outside the top 25. If you read the "others receiving votes" section, you find Guilford as the last of 21 schools in small type, with one vote.

If Vogelbach maintains his performance and the Quakers remain undefeated, a spot in the top 25 poll will come eventually. Meanwhile, the star quarterback looks forward to Saturday, when Guilford opens ODAC play with a home game versus Hampden-Sydney. The Tigers have owned the Quakers in recent seasons, winning the last seven games. However, the last two have been tight contests, with the Tigers winning 47-45 two seasons ago and 46-43 last year.