How the 2017 SEC QB class stacks up with the past five QB classes

For the first time since 2013, every SEC team signed a quarterback in its latest recruiting class. Some signees are likely just for depth, but every coach has sold these signees on the opportunity to be a team’s quarterback of the future.

For some quarterbacks, that future might be sooner than later.

Jarrett Stidham wasn’t the highest-rated signee in Auburn’s 2017 class (that was 5-star OT Calvin Ashley), but the 4-star Baylor transfer is arguably the most exciting member of the incoming class on the Plains. Gus Malzahn and Co. have struggled to find the right quarterback the past couple seasons, and in Stidham, the AU coach might have finally found his guy to help the Tigers contend again.

RELATED: Predicting starting QB for every SEC team in 2017

Another newcomer likely to see the field in 2017 is Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, a 4-star dual-threat prospect. The Aggies have no problem signing top quarterbacks, but keeping them in College Station is another story. Former 5-star prospects Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray both played as freshman in 2015 (Allen redshirted in 2014), but transferred. Graduate transfer Trevor Knight worked as a one-year stopgap, but the door is wide open for Mond to start in 2017.

A pair of 4-star signees, Lowell Narcisse and Myles Brennan, figure to be in the mix at LSU under new offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Similar to Auburn, it’s the quarterback position that has seemingly held LSU back from competing for championships. The Tigers are trusting in Ed Orgeron to get it right on the trail and with the hire of Canada as the play-caller.

In the SEC, the rich get richer. Alabama QB Jalen Hurts and Georgia’s Jacob Eason were the two marquee freshmen to lead their teams in 2016. One might expect that would potentially scare off the top prospects of 2017, but lo and behold, the two highest-rated SEC quarterback signees belong to the Crimson Tide (5-star dual-threat Tua Tagovailoa) and Bulldogs (4-star pro-style QB Jake Fromm).

Alabama, in fact, also signed 4-star pro-style prospect Mac Jones.

In total, the SEC signed 19 quarterbacks, making this class high in star power and volume.

Tagovailoa is the lone 5-star quarterback, while there are seven 4-star prospects (many named above) and 11 3-star prospects newcomers. While fans are optimistic about their new signal-callers’ futures, the previous five classes serve as a reminder that many of the quarterbacks signed don’t pan out.

Here’s how the past five SEC quarterback classes rank, offering some insight into 2017:

1. 2016

5-stars: 2
4-stars: 6
3-stars: 9

The 2016 class is young, but already off to a great start thanks to Hurts, Eason, Ole Miss’ Shea Patterson and South Carolina’s Jake Bentley impressive work as true freshmen. It might seem surprising to rank the youngest class the highest, but it’s actually rather rare to get four solid success stories out of one class. Redshirt freshmen Feleipe Franks (Florida), Jarrett Guarantano (Tennessee) and Woody Barrett (Auburn) are worth keeping an eye on.

2. 2015

5-stars: 2
4-stars: 6
3-stars: 5
2-stars: 1

Star ratings don’t always prove to be accurate predictors. Five-star signees Blake Barnett (Alabama) and Kyler Murray (Texas A&M) have both transferred. The star of this class turned out to be 3-star transfer Chad Kelly, and that will remain unless Missouri’s Drew Lock or Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur light the SEC on fire as upperclassmen.

Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee has a 4-star Quinten Dormady competing for the starting job, but not many of the other members of this class look capable of making an impact in the SEC.

3. 2013

5-stars: 0
4-stars: 11
3-stars: 14

This was the largest class of the previous five, but not the most successful. The true success stories are Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs and Auburn’s Nick Marshall. Arkansas’ Austin Allen has the chance to join that group with another solid year as the Hogs’ starter.

Many of the high-profile 4-star signees, however, such as Cooper Bateman (Alabama), Kenny Hill (Texas A&M) and Jeremy Johnson (Auburn) have failed to live up to expectations or transferred.

4. 2014

5-stars: 1
4-stars: 7
3-stars: 8
Unrated: 1

Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald, the No. 40 QB overall in the class, has emerged as the headliner.

Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

This class is already full of transfers – Kyle Allen (Texas A&M), Will Grier (Florida) and David Cornwell (Alabama) to name a few – and it’s looking unlikely to produce many SEC success stories.

There’s still a chance for Kentucky’s Drew Barker, Auburn’s Sean White and LSU’s Brandon Harris, but none is expected to be the starter in 2017.

5. 2012

5-stars: 0
4-stars: 3
3-stars: 8

The 2012 quarterback class was by far the most forgettable of the previous five. The only names that really stand out from the group are Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace and Missouri’s Maty Mauk, which pretty much tells you the rest turned out to be transfers or duds. Former Volunteer Nathan Peterman will likely get a shot in the NFL after a successful career at Pitt.

Where 2017 projected starting quarterbacks came from: