The “one-and-done” phenomenon usually refers to college basketball, when freshmen arrive on campus, light it up and head to the NBA after one season. It can apply to football, too. No, college players can’t jump to the pros that quickly. But in recent history, several quarterbacks have taken the reins of their program for just one year, putting up big numbers and leading their team to glory before departing. We pulled together some of the SEC’s best one-year starters since the start of the BCS era (1998).

D.J. Shockley, Georgia (2005)
Stats: 2,588 yards, 24 TD, 5 INT, 55.8 completion percentage

After riding the bench for his first three seasons, Shockley took over for David Greene in 2005 and posted one of the most efficient seasons in college football. Shockley opened his only season as starter with a huge game against Boise State, posting six total touchdowns. While he wasn’t quite that prolific the rest of the way, he still led the SEC in touchdown passes, threw the second-fewest interceptions among players with at least 200 pass attempts and had the highest passer rating in the conference, besting JaMarcus Russell and Chris Leak in the latter stat. Shockley’s value was never more apparent than when he missed Georgia’s game against Florida, which the Bulldogs dropped, 14-10. Georgia still went on to win the 2005 SEC championship, with Shockley named MVP of the title game in an upset win over LSU.

(Note: we didn’t forget about Hutson Mason, but his statistics and accomplishments don’t put him on par with the rest of our list.)

Cam Newton, Auburn (2010)
Stats:  2,854 yards, 30 TD, 7 INT, 66.1 completion percentage, 1,473 rushing yards, 20 TD

Newton’s 2010 season is the stuff of legend. After starting his career at Florida and then winning a junior college national championship, Newton arrived at Auburn with plenty of hype — hype that he delivered on and then some. He authored perhaps the finest single-season quarterback performance in SEC history, leading Auburn to an undefeated record and a national title in the process. Newton’s lone season at Auburn earned him a Heisman trophy and a host of other national awards, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award and a No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft.

Blake Sims, Alabama (2014)
Stats: 3,487 yards, 28 TD, 10 INT, 64.5 completion percentage

Sims wasn’t expected to start for Alabama last season. He wasn’t even expected to play quarterback when he arrived in Tuscaloosa, starting his career as a defensive back and running back. So when he struggled in last year’s spring game, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that incoming Florida State transfer Jacob Coker would take the job. Yet come fall, Sims had taken a firm grasp of Lane Kiffin’s offense and piloted it expertly. He set the school’s single-season passing yardage record as Alabama had the highest yardage total in school history, winning the SEC title in the process.

Dylan Thompson, South Carolina (2014)
Stats: 3,574 yards, 26 TD, 11 INT, 59.9 completion percentage

Thompson appeared in 26 games over the first three years of his game, but he was strictly a backup, making only a few spot starts in place of an injured Connor Shaw. He played well enough in those games, including a road win against Clemson, to have Carolina fans excited for his senior season. While the Gamecocks disappointed last year, Thompson led a prolific offense that was overshadowed by South Carolina’s porous defense. Thompson led the SEC in passing yards and was third in touchdown passes, leading one of the most prolific offenses of Steve Spurrier’s tenure.