In front of 1,200 campers, the Crimson quarterback beat out 36 collegiate and professional QBs to win the “Air It Out” competition as the camp’s most accurate passer. Many of the quarterbacks Winters topped—Stanford’s Andrew Luck, Boise State’s Kellen Moore, and Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, among others—are well-known to college football fans as Heisman Trophy candidates. But in July, it was the undersized kid from Harvard winning an award of his own, drilling golf carts on crossing routes and “go” patterns like a predator stalking its prey.

“I really had a lot of fun that weekend, getting to know the Mannings and the other college QBs that were there,” Winters said. “It was a great opportunity to get my name out there and to prove to myself that I could compete at a high level. I think it gives me a little more confidence coming into the season.”

Ninth on Harvard’s all-time passing list, Winters has a shot to move up into the statistically elite group of quarterbacks that have led the Crimson over its 138-year history. But no matter how many yards he throws for, the senior must also win an Ivy League title as a starter to cement himself as an all-time Harvard great. To do so, he’ll have to shine on a weekly basis.

“If you’re going to be a championship caliber team, there’s two distinct variables you need,” Murphy explained. “One is you’ve got to be a championship caliber defense, and two is, a lot of times, you go as your quarterback goes.”

But Winters’ coach and teammates have no doubts about their quarterback’s ability to take them back to the promised land.

“Collier is one heck of a leader,” said junior running back Treavor Scales. “He was born to lead ... He’s great in that he wants everybody to be getting better no matter what time of day it is. Regardless of whether it’s getting sleep at night, looking at the playbook whenever he has some downtime, watching film, he’s always making sure that we’re getting better.”

“I’ve always believed a quarterback has to be one of the toughest guys on the team, and I think Collier is,” Murphy added. “He has the respect of everybody; he’s not afraid to hold his teammates accountable to the same high standard he holds himself. For some leaders, that doesn’t come naturally, but he’s willing to do that … He’s like having a coach on the field.”

Winters is a strong example of the fact that it’s not only size and arm strength that make a great quarterback.

Determination and perseverance mean a little something, too, and Winters has those traits in abundance.

“He has the greatest work ethic that I’ve seen in a quarterback, and I’d be willing to guarantee throughout this entire league,” Scales said. “And he’d rival anybody in this entire country. This man does football all the time. And I love that about him.”

Harvard’s quarterback may not be 6’4 like Jones, a likely No. 1 overall draft pick like Luck, or have won a BCS bowl like Moore.

But in the recipe that makes great quarterbacks, Winters has the ingredient that can’t be defined by statistics—he has heart.

“He’s not [physically imposing], but he fights way above his weight,” Murphy says. “And the kid can play. He can really play.”

—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu.