We’re asking nicely: Will Dak Prescott, Maty Mauk, Brandon Allen and Jeremy Johnson please pull the SEC away from the clutches of quarterback mediocrity in 2015?

Two of those aforementioned passers are considered Heisman candidates based on preseason odds — a good sign if you’re someone who puts stock in projections involving team success and statistical relevancy.

But the truth is, this year’s group of SEC quarterbacks have been the butt of most jokes this offseason (which is, thankfully, over in mere weeks).

Even teams replacing starters with players who could be better than your average fill-in are seeking possible transfer options. Mark Richt made it clear the Bulldogs are interested in former Virginia passer Greyson Lambert and several SEC programs, including Florida and Alabama, chatted with Notre Dame exit Everett Golson prior to his Florida State decision.

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None of the league’s five senior starting quarterbacks last fall were selected in last month’s NFL draft and only Prescott is considered a mid-rounder in next year’s draft.

It may get worse before it gets better if the league’s new faces at the position aren’t efficient as first-year starter. Preseason Top 15 Ole Miss, equipped with an elite defense expected to contend for a league championship, won’t be a threat if JUCO transfer Chad Kelly’s not as good as advertised.

He was solid this spring amidst a position battle with third-year sophomore Ryan Buchanan and picked up the Rebels’ offense faster than coach Hugh Freeze expected. He has pocket presence with a big arm, but hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2013 campaign at Clemson before he departed with a messy exit.

RELATED: Ranking the SEC’s best QBs after spring ball

The same goes for Alabama, one of the SEC’s co-preseason favorites despite facing a similar situation on offense that caused doubt last fall. Veteran quarterback Blake Sims won the job over heralded FSU transfer Jake Coker and had a fantastic season, but will the Crimson Tide catch lightning in a bottle again with their first-year starter?

Coker fits Lane Kiffin’s system, but lacks confidence as a former top recruit whose back-to-back lackluster spring showings have kept others in the quarterback race heading into August.

Arkansas is one of seven teams welcoming back last year’s starter who happens to be the league’s most experienced under center. Allen doesn’t have to break great, but the Razorbacks do need continued development from the pocket. He’s shown considerable improvement, like Prescott, during the spring and leads one of the perceived darkhorses in a competitive West.

Colleague Barrett Sallee of Bleacher Report recently put Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen in the Heisman conversation and I agree he could be one of the SEC’s breakout players, a five-tool quarterback who will lead the league in yards and touchdowns this season.

Allen represents the next wave of passers who could erase the league’s current stigma at the position. Incoming 2016 quarterbacks Jacob Eason (Georgia) and Shea Patterson (Ole Miss) are others, along with Alabama freshman Blake Barnett and Mizzou’s Drew Lock.

There is potential starpower at the position (Josh Dobbs and Johnson for example) this fall, but whether the hype is warranted remains to be seen.