SEC football is known for strong rushing offenses. However, this is one of the most talented group of quarterbacks in recent years. Here’s how they rank.
With training camp just a few days away, there is still a significant amount of uncertainty for many teams as to who is going to be the starting quarterback. Competition often breeds excellence. And with so much talent, coaches are letting the players battle it out for command of their teams.
Probably the most prevalent is the quarterback battle between Alabama’s Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. However, Georgia’s Jake Fromm is also being pushed by incoming freshman, Justin Fields. And to the surprise of many, Nick Starkel, at Texas A&M, is not appearing as the sure starter as most thought. Kellen Mond looks to be making a case to be the man under center.
The truth is, for so many teams the quarterback position remains a question mark. But it might not matter when all is said and done. Regardless of whether or not the starter is clear or to be decided, here’s the ranks entering the 2018 season.
14. Feleipe Franks and Co.
With the arrival of Coach Dan Mullen, there is a significant degree of uncertainty of what is going to happen down in Gainesville. Although it’s reasonable to assume things are going to go well, it is hard to look past the quarterback situation with the Gators.
Feleipe Franks started last year and will likely remain the starter. However, a passing completion percentage of just over 50 percent and eight interceptions on only nine touchdowns does not give you much confidence in Franks.
There are two other viable options at quarterback for the Gators. Redshirt freshman Kyle Trask and freshman Emory Jones are both interesting options to fill the role. Franks will likely begin the season as the starter, but a mid-season season change is likely to happen when the Gators start to struggle. Coach Mullen will be looking to find a long-term solution in his efforts to turn around the Florida program and the freshmen will be his best option.
13. Wilson First, Hoak to Follow
Stephen Johnson, last year’s starter and senior, announced his complete retirement from football shortly after the 2017 season. Johnson’s departure left the quarterback spot wide open at Kentucky.
The Wildcats have a head-to-head battle at quarterback between Terry Wilson and Gunnar Hoak. Wilson has an intriguing background. The former 4-star recruit, who was once committed to Nebraska, ended up initially attending the University of Oregon. Then, Wilson left Oregon for a junior college. Now he is back in the FBS with Kentucky.
Gunnar Hoak, on the other hand, has a much more traditional background. Hoak is a sophomore who is fighting to beat out the new hot-shot on campus. Hoak is a slightly bigger quarterback with a more pro-style approach to his game. With a team who will need any form of offense available, Hoak’s limited mobility will make him a less desirable option compared to Wilson.
Look for Wilson to win out the job early in the season. But as the Wildcat offense struggles, Hoak will likely find himself with some real snaps and a chance to prove himself.
12. Kelley, Storey, and Noland: A Three-Way Battle
Cole Kelley looks to be the favorite in the quarterback battle against Ty Storey. At 6-foot-7, Kelley is significantly bigger than and has much more game experience than Storey. However, there is a chance that Coach Chad Morris saves his decision on the starter until the very last moment in order to facilitate better competition. Kelley passed for eight touchdowns and over 1,000 yards in four games last year.
There is also an incoming freshman, Connor Noland, who is aggressively fighting to be in contention for the starting job. Noland is a 4-star recruit who turned down professional baseball to play for the Razorbacks. It is unlikely that Noland sees much playing time this year.
Furthermore, with such a big arm and great athleticism, it may be worth Coach Morris to convince Noland to redshirt this year and get four years out of him as the starter (assuming he doesn’t leave for the NFL early). But, if Noland thinks he should be the starter, as many young players do, he may go back to baseball.
11. Myles Brennan Under Center in Baton Rouge
A former 4-star recruit, Myles Brennan comes in as the favorite for the LSU starting job. Brennan saw little action last year so his experience is limited. The rising sophomore has a few things going in his favor.
Steve Ensminger has come in as a new offensive coordinator for the Tigers. Coach Ensminger’s great offensive mind, along with the pressure on Coach Orgeron’s to perform, should produce some good offensive gameplans for Brennan to execute. Additionally, the strong run game that is inherent to LSUs nature as a football program will help open up the passing game.
On the other hand, LSU has a tough schedule and the execution aspect is not necessarily a given. Furthermore, rising junior, Justin McMillan had a solid Spring game and brings more mobility to the quarterback position. If things don’t go well for LSU early in the season, and Coach Orgeron fears his job may be in jeopardy, Brennan may find himself on the bench and watching McMillan give the offense a shot. If not him, Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow.
10. Cardinal Turned Volunteer: Keller Chryst Looks to be the Favorite
A few years ago, Keller Chryst would probably be a little higher on this list. In 2016, Chryst was quite impressive and went 6-0 for the Stanford Cardinals. Chryst then went lost the starting job to K.J. Costello after starting the 2017 season 5-2.
Playing in the SEC and for a defensive minded coach in Jeremy Pruitt will bring new challenges for the fifth-year senior. However, Chryst’s NFL stock has an incredibly high ceiling if he can lead this struggling team to be competitive in the SEC East.
Jarrett Guarantano is probably pretty upset about the transfer of Keller Chryst. Guarantano was the clear starter for the Volunteers, and now it looks like he clearly is not. Despite having a great Spring game, and Coach Pruitt suggesting the quarterback battle is wide open, it is unreasonable to think Chryst was recruited just to sit on the bench. It is Chryst’s job to lose.
9. From Hawaii to Mississippi: Ta’mu Leads the Way
Jordan Ta’amu comes in at No. 9 and has tons of potential. The only thing holding him back is his lack of experience. Ta’amu started the last five games of the last year after the previous starting quarterback, Shea Patterson went down for the season with a knee injury.
In those five games, Ta’amu led the Ole Miss’ Rebels to three wins including a win over Mississippi State (who ranked 19 by the end of the season). Additionally, Ole Miss lost the other two games for a combined eight points. Jordan Ta’amu brings a spark to the offense with his incredible mobility and showed he could inspire his team to keep games close.
Ta’amu is going to have his hands full this year scoring enough points to keep up with a defense that is going to struggle. With Ta’amu under center in the games he started, the offense average 35.8 points…which is a very good start. It’ll be up to the coaching staff and the defense to help the Rebels wins a few games this year.
8. Texas Showdown
Looks like we have an old fashion shootout in College Station, Texas. Nick Starkel started the season last year as the No. 1 quarterback for the Aggies. However, Starkel was held out for the following six games due to a lower-body injury that he suffered during the UCLA game.
He was then able to return to his starting role after recovering from the injury and made a strong finish during the last six games of the season. In those final six games, Starkel passed for 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. Additionally he completed just over 60 percent of his passes and almost 1,800 yards passing.
So the easy answer is that Nick Starkel will start, right? Well not so fast. It appears as though new coach, Jimbo Fisher, is leaving the door wide open for Kellen Mond to have a fair shot at the starting job. Both are sophomores. Both are nearly identical in size. Mond has slightly more experience with Starkel’s injury, however Starkel had better numbers in the games he did play in. My money is on Starkel. We will have to see how it all turns out on Aug. 30 in Texas A&Ms home opener against Northwestern.
7. Jake Bentley is in Charge
Rising junior, Jake Bentley is the sure man under center for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Bentley has everything you could ask for in a quarterback. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he has the size. With nearly 2,800 yards passing and a completion rate of 62.2 percent, he has the accuracy. Bentley was named a captain as a sophomore last year and won his team’s leadership award on offense. Additionally, Bentley won the SEC sportsmanship award for last season.
The Gamecocks were 9-4 last season, with three of the four losses being conference games. South Carolina has a similar schedule this year and should have a record very close to that of last year’s.
However, with the introduction of Bryan McClendon as the Gamecock’s new play caller, and Bentley having one more season under his belt, we could see a significant increase in offensive production. Bentley will also be trying to build an NFL resume for himself, so the stakes are high for South Carolina’s offense this year.
6. Shurmur Under the Radar
One of the most underrated quarterbacks in the SEC is Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur. When your team finished sixth in the SEC East, it is hard to make a name for yourself. Vanderbilt finished 1-7 in conference play and 5-7 overall last year. Regardless, Kyle Shurmur passed for 26 touchdowns and over 2,800 yards.
Shurmur’s 26 touchdowns placed him second among SEC quarterbacks, second only to Missouri’s Drew Locke (more on him to come later on). Shurmur was the Commodores only form of offense and this looks to still be true for this upcoming season.
However, this year, Shurmur should have some resources to supplement his strong arm. Vanderbilt’s rising junior wide receiver, Kalija Lipscomb, has shown great catching ability and speed. This big play availability should open up more options for a balanced Vanderbilt offense. Additionally, Vanderbilt gained an Illinois transfer in Ke’Shawn Vaughn at the running back position. All of this will allow Shurmur to have more weapons to showcase his command of the offense.
5. Stidham’s Long Journey to Auburn
Breaking the top five SEC Quarterbacks is Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham. Stidham had an impressive 2017 season as his first season in the SEC. Prior to playing at Auburn, Stidham played the 2015 season at Baylor.
During his season at Baylor as a true Freshman, Stidham broke a bone in his ankle and ended his season. Following an Art Briles firing and Baylor program shakeup, Stidham left the Big 12 and enrolled in school at a junior college. This junior college, however, did not have a football program.
Instead, Jarrett Stidham practiced with a local high school football team and served as a scout quarterback for the starting high school defense. Regardless, Stidham was still the number one junior college prospect in 2016. Naturally, Auburn was happy to take the former Baylor Bear gunslinger.
Stidham started right away in 2017 for the Auburn Tigers. He earned SEC newcomer of the year and second team all-SEC awards. Additionally, Stidham led the SEC in completion percentage at 66 percent. He has a supporting cast in a top SEC offensive line and receiving corps. Regardless, Stidham is a top-5 SEC quarterback this year.
4. Can Nick Fitzgerald Perform Without Dan Mullen?
With the departure of Dan Mullen, Nick Fitzgerald is essentially Mississippi State’s only hope at having a competitive season in the SEC. While Miss State should win most of their non-conference games, Nick Fitzgerald will need to compensate for Joe Moorhead’s first year learning curve in the SEC.
We did not get to see much of Fitzgerald in the spring due limitations put on him to ensure he recovers from last year’s late-season injury. Last year, Fitzgerald passed for over 1,750 yards and tossed 15 touchdowns. However what is more impressive is Fitzgerald’s run game. No quarterback on this list so far is as dangerous in the air as they are on the ground. In today’s college football, having a dual-threat quarterback is invaluable.
Nick Fitzgerald is a tough, hard-nosed quarterback that has the ability to will the Bulldogs to victory in games in which they are not favored. Keep an eye out for Nick Fitzgerald to play even better in big games. Hint: Mississippi State heading into Tuscaloosa, Alabama on November 10th.
3. Drew Lock Puts Up Big Numbers
What a phenomenal performance Drew Lock put on for the entirety of the 2017 season. Lock was 34 passing yards from reaching the 4,000 passing yard mark on the year. That is simply one or two dropped passes from a less than impressive receiving corps, and Lock would have hit 4,000. In addition to the incredible volume of passing yards, Lock passed for a NCAA high of 44 touchdowns on the season.
Naturally, these numbers earned Lock a spot on the first team All-SEC team. This year, Lock is looking to lead the Tigers on offense. The senior, and captain of the offense, will have his hands full compensating for a defense that is sure to struggle to stop fellow SEC offenses.
Missouri won the last six games of the regular season before a loss to Texas in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl. The Tigers were significantly inconsistent last year and will look to Drew Lock to improve on last year’s record.
2. Last Year’s Freshman or This Year’s Freshman?
In the Georgia’s season opener last year, starting quarterback, Jacob Eason, injured his leg and the Bulldog’s season looked doomed from the start. True freshman, Jake Fromm came in the game and took over the Georgia offense for the remainder of the season.
Fromm passed for 2,615 yards and 24 touchdowns. Furthermore, Fromm kept a relatively high completion percentage of 62.2 percent and tossed only seven interceptions on the year, which are both impressive for a true freshman. What was probably most impressive by Fromm though, was that he took his team through an exhilarating Rose Bowl and to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
Now, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. There a new freshman on campus who has been gaining a lot of attention at the Bulldog’s training camp: Justin Fields. Justin Fields, the nation’s number one high school prospect in the class of 2017, is a dual-threat quarterback who is in Athens to be the starting quarterback. Kirby Smart has seen that he can reach the national championship game with a true freshman. Jake Fromm’s starting job is far from safe.
1. The Biggest On-Going Story in College Football
No matter what, nobody can take away what Jalen Hurts has done for Alabama in the past two years. In Hurts’ first two years starting at Alabama, he has lost only two games. The first game was the 2016 National Championship game against a Deshaun Watson led Clemson Tigers. The second was a very hot Auburn team in the 2017 Iron Bowl. Hurts took Alabama to back-to-back national championship games, and no one else on this list can say that.
But, Tua Tagovailoa won Alabama the 2017 National Championship game. The second half performance we saw from Tagovailoa was nothing short of spectacular. To come in, as a true freshman, on the biggest stage of any of these players lives, and play a near perfect half, makes the rest of us think there’s no possible way Alabama can lose a game this year.
In reality, though, we had been seeing this brilliance all year in the games Tagovailoa played in throughout the year. No matter who is under center at any point in the season for the Crimson Tide, the team will be in good hands.