Liam Szarka

Height:
5-11
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Aurora, CO
High School:
Grandview
Position:
QB

2025 – Played in 10 games, seven starts … DNP vs. New Mexico and Colorado State due to injury … named honorable mention all-MW … led the team in rushing (190 carries, 922 yards, 13 touchdowns), passing (75-120-5-1,294-9) and total offense (310 plays, 2,216 yards, 221.6 avg) … first Falcon since Karson Roberts (2,338) in 2015 to have 2,000-plus yards of total offense ... his 1,294 yards passing are the most since Donald Hammond III (1,316) in 2019 … one of only two FBS players to throw for at least 1,000 yards and rush for at least 900 along with Navy’s Blake Horvath ... one of only seven players in Mountain West history to accomplish that feat and only the second in the last 10 years (Devon Dampier of New Mexico in 2024) … first FBS player to have at least 1,200 passing yards, 800 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores through eight team games of a season since Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts in 2019 ... no other MW player has reached those marks through eight games of a campaign … became the first player in MW history with three straight 200-yard passing, 100-yard rushing games (Boise State, Hawaii, Navy) ... one of only six nationally since 1996 to do it and first since Lamar Jackson of Louisville from 2015-16 … averaged 379.3 yards of total offense during the streak (134.0 rushing, 245.3 passing), while rushing for four TDs and passing for six … set a Mountain West and Air Force school record for consecutive 100-yard rushing games for a quarterback with five straight … his streak was the longest active streak in the nation ... one of four players in program history to have five straight, joining Brad Roberts (2022) and Cody Getz (2012) … averaged 23 carries for 135.8 yards and scored six touchdowns during the streak … his .625 completion percentage is the fourth best in program history for a single season while his nine touchdown passes were just two away from cracking the top 10 in program history … rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries at San Jose State...also completed 5-10 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown … rushed for a team-high 91 yards and two touchdowns on a career-best 29 carries vs. Army ... hit 13 of 17 passes for 161 yards with two interceptions … rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries vs. Wyoming … rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns at UNLV ... also hit 10 of 17 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown ... his 311 total yards marked his fourth game over 300 in a game … recorded 364 total yards at Navy, rushing for a career-best 152 yards and two TDs and hitting 11-19 passes for 212 yards and two TDs ... his 364 total yards rank eighth in program history … first start of his career vs. Hawaii, recorded a new school record with 417 yards of total offense (278 passing and 139 rushing) ... the previous record of 396 was set by Arion Worthman vs. Navy in 2017 ... set new career highs in passing yards (278), completion percentage (83.3), passing touchdowns (3) vs. Hawaii ... also recorded a career-long run of 64 yards ... his three touchdown passes are the most since Donald Hammond had four against New Mexico in 2019 … along with WR Cade Harris, connected for a pass play of more than 70 yards in consecutive weeks ... 74 yards vs. Boise State and 73 yards against Hawaii … led the Mountain West in rushing touchdowns (13) and total touchdowns (13) … eighth in the MW in all-purpose (92.2), third in points responsible for (134) and points responsible for per game (13.4) … ninth in yards per carry (4.85), fourth in rushing yards (922), second in rushing yards per game (92.2) and sixth in total offense (221.6).
2024 – Did not see any action.
High School – Lettered in football, lacrosse and track … three-time football letterwinner … two-time Centennial League offensive most valuable player … two-time first-team all-league selection … first-team all-state in 2023 … National Football Foundation, Colorado Chapter Award recipient … Kurby E. Lyle Award winner … earned his high school’s most outstanding athlete award … recorded 6,685 yard passing and 60 touchdown passes … rushed for 1,563 yards and 37 touchdowns … high school football coach was Tom Doherty … lettered three years in lacrosse … two-time first-team all-league selection … second-team all-state in 2024 … ran sprints in track, lettering one year … was the 400-meter Centennial League champion … state qualifier in four events … earned four academic letters and graduated with a 4.0 unweighted grade point average … earned the Science and Spanish department awards … named Principal Leadership Award winner in 2024.
Personal – Son of Ken and Chris Szarka … has three siblings … majoring in business management … hobbies include piloting and pickle ball.

Career Highs
Rushing
Carries: 29 vs. Army, 2025
Yards: 152 vs. Navy, 2025
TDs: 3 vs. Utah State, 2025
Long: 64 vs. Hawaii, 2025

Passing
Comps: 13 vs. Army, 2025
Atts: 19 vs. Navy, 2025
Yards: 278 vs. Hawaii, 2025
TDs: 3 vs. Hawaii, 2025
Long: 74 vs. Boise State, 2025

Career Statistics
Rushing
Year       G             Att          Yds         Avg        TD           Lg
2025       10           190         922         4.9          13           64 (UH)
2024       0              0              0              0.0          0              --
Total      10           190         922         4.9          13

Passing
Year       G             C-A-I              Pct.        Yds             TD       Lg
2025       10           75-120-5       .625        1,294         9          74 (BSU)
2024       0              0-0-0              .000        0                  0          --
Total      10           75-120-5       .625        1,294         9          74