It’s November! The race for the College Football Playoff is heating up, and some SEC quarterbacks are starting to hit their stride as we enter the final stretch of the regular season. As for others, well… the SEC is brutal, folks.
Let’s rank every SEC quarterback, 1-16. As always, check out previous rankings below!
***
Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 |
16. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Will Texas A&M win another SEC game?
Here’s another question: Will anyone other than Marcel Reed start for the Aggies at quarterback? Based on what we’ve seen so far, I’ll answer no to both of these questions. That begs the final and most important question yet…
What exactly does Brady Hart do? Why is he even on the team if Reed’s level of play is not worthy of a benching entering November?
I’ll let you ponder that as the Aggies get ready for Week 10 against South Carolina.
Last Week: 16 (-1)
15. AJ Swann, Mississippi State
Ideally, Billy Puckett won’t suit up for Mississippi State this weekend when the Bulldogs face Vanderbilt.
Puckett filled in for injured starter AJ Swann, who returned from an ankle injury he suffered last season only to suffer an apparent arm injury before halftime against Texas. The former Vanderbilt starter played fairly well, too — he completed 12 of his 15 attempts and got the ball out quick against a great Longhorns’ defense.
Swann showed more against the Longhorns than Puckett has so far this season. I’d be surprised to see MSU roll with Puckett if Swann is available on Saturday.
Last Week: N/A
14. KJ Jackson, Arkansas
KJ Jackson continues to prove that he just is not an SEC quarterback. The Razorbacks junior is still struggling to process what he’s seeing on the field, and the little help he’s receiving from his coaching staff has not aided his accuracy concerns. Most crucially, Jackson has turned the ball over at least once in every game except for Arkansas‘s win over Vanderbilt. Coincidence?
As alluded to, coaching is obviously doing Jackson no favors. I still think he’s the better option compared to AJ Hil thanks to his abilities as a rusher and superior athleticism.
What’s most frustrating about Jackson is his potential. He’s shown impressive poise despite taking hit after hit, dealing with a rough offensive line and — apart from Chris Marshall — less-than-inspiring receiver play. Jackson feels like a guy who needs to shine at the G6 level next season before making another attempt as a power conference QB.
Last Week: 14 (-)
13. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt
Jared Curtis and the Vanderbilt Commodores did not play in Week 9 as they prepare for Saturday’s matchup against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have allowed more passing yards per game than any other team in the SEC — In other words, Week 10 is a massive opportunity for the true freshman.
Last Week: 13 (-)
12. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Oklahoma has to bench John Mateer soon, right?
Ben Arbuckle is gone, Jason Witten is the Sooners’ new OC and yet Oklahoma still seems primed to trot Mateer out there against the Gators. Are the Sooners hoping the 5th-year senior will figure it out with a shot at the Playoff now completely dashed? Don’t let the stat sheet fool you, Mateer’s outing against South Carolina was horrendous. Most of Mateer’s total yardage and both of his touchdowns came in garbage time with the game already well out of hand.
Are Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley’s cases that hopeless? Let’s kick it to the Sooners’ head coach for comment.
“Everything’s on the table… All three quarterbacks got reps (on Monday),” Brent Venables said on Tuesday.
Real nice, coach. Thanks.
Last Week: 8 (-4)
11. Byrum Brown, Auburn
Auburn has spent years trotting out terrible quarterback after terrible quarterback, to the point where some Tigers fans seem to hold Byrum Brown in higher regard than he probably deserves.
Is it true that Brown has less help than most SEC quarterbacks? Absolutely. Auburn‘s offensive line is a train wreck, and I still don’t believe the Tigers are calling games to Brown’s strengths. Is it also true that Brown is slow, inaccurate and just not the guy to lead Auburn to a promising finish in Year 1? Auburn fans know the answer.
What else is there to say about the USF transfer? It’s been week after week of the same stuff from Brown. He’ll have a few drives that are genuinely impressive. He’ll hit the throws he needs to. Then he’ll fumble deep in Ole Miss territory and completely extinguish any existing momentum. He’ll take another sack, or he’ll hit a receiver behind the line of scrimmage for a loss.
Rinse and repeat, week after week.
Last Week: 10 (-1)
10. George MacIntyre, Tennessee
This Saturday is a big one for quarterback George MacIntyre and the Tennessee Volunteers.
It’s possible this weekend’s matchup between Tennessee and Kentucky has the highest stakes in the rivalry’s history. MacIntyre managed the Vols well the last time a top-10 team came to Neyland Stadium, and he had a better game than the stat sheet showed a few Saturdays ago against South Carolina. This one, though? MacIntyre can win or lose the support of Vols fans against the Wildcats.
He’s capable. MacIntyre has shown off an underrated arm and accuracy. How decisive will he be against a flawed Kentucky passing defense? That’s the question I’m most intrigued by this weekend.
Last Week: 11 (+1)
9. Tramell Jones Jr., Florida
I wrote last week that it would be a mistake for Jon Sumrall to start Aaron Philo against Georgia. Philo proved why a few minutes into the game:
That said, I kind of get it. The very first starts of Tramell Jones’ college career being at Texas and vs. Georgia in a heated rivalry game is… not ideal. Given the circumstances, I’d say Jones performed fairly well by leading the Gators to a 1-1 record in such games.
For now, let’s limit the scope to last Saturday.
Jones was thrown into the fire against the Bulldogs, and he played like it. The Florida backup (hopefully starter moving forward) turned the ball over twice and, while he surely outperformed Philo, had little answer for the Bulldogs’ swarming defense. He kept Florida’s historic scoring streak alive, at least — Jones scored Florida’s lone touchdown with a 2-yard rush in the final 7 minutes of the ballgame.
Last week: 9 (-)
8. Arch Manning, Texas
No SEC QB has been harder to figure out than Arch Manning this season. It’s not particularly close, either. His hot and cold is unlike any other quarterback in the league.
Manning’s big jump this week is more related to the guys around him than Manning’s performance. Mississippi State is a shell of its former self, so I’d be concerned if Manning didn’t play well against the Bulldogs. However, he went above and beyond and turned in a nearly perfect outing, completing 16 of his 20 passing attempts for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns. A lost fumble is the lone blot on his otherwise stellar performance.
Last Week: 12 (+4)
7. Austin Simmons, Mizzou
It was a relatively quiet month for Mizzou quarterback Austin Simmons. Thanks to a 31-3 loss at the hands of Ole Miss — a game that was not Simmons’ fault, by the way — teams seem to have forgotten about 6-2 Mizzou heading into the most important month of the regular season.
Mizzou can build off that, especially when its QB can make throws like this:
Having Simmons at No. 7 feels wrong, especially considering how many SEC quarterbacks have underwhelmed through the first few months of the season. He’s 4th in the SEC in passing yards, passing touchdowns and interceptions thrown, and he’ll be a high-round NFL Draft pick when he decides to turn pro. Simmons just hasn’t had much of an opportunity to prove himself in big moments this season.
That’s likely to change in November. The Tigers still have to face Texas, Georgia and Kentucky needing wins over all 3 if they are to be seriously considered for a spot at the CFP table.
Last Week: 6 (-1)
6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
I had to hold myself back from making a potentially rash decision here. If we were ranking SEC QBs based on the past month alone, Sellers has easily performed like a top 3 quarterback in the conference.
Sellers has scored 10 touchdowns and put up over 700 yards of total offense in wins over arguably the best defenses in the SEC, Tennessee and Oklahoma. He’s the SEC’s rushing leader among QBs by a wide margin, and he’s performed like an NFL first-rounder since a poor showing against Alabama all the way back in September.
Which leaves me with the following question: Why was Sellers so off in September? More crucially, can he keep this momentum heading into November with South Carolina‘s CFP hopes on life support?
Last Week: 7 (+1)
5. Keelon Russell, Alabama
Keelon Russell and the Crimson Tide did not play this week as Alabama prepares to face off against LSU in the biggest game of Alabama’s season to date. The winner stays at 2 losses while the loser drops to 3 in a CFP race that will be tight by the end of the season.
Is the redshirt sophomore ready for the moment against an elite LSU defense?
Last Week: 5 (-)
4. Sam Leavitt, LSU
Sam Leavitt and the LSU Tigers did not play this week as they gear up for the previously alluded to matchup in Baton Rouge against Alabama. Leavitt has looked like a different quarterback since the end of September, but this one will be more akin to Ole Miss in Oxford than any game since
Let’s see what the Arizona State transfer can do.
Last Week: 4 (-)
3. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky
Kenny Minchey faces his toughest challenge yet on Saturday in Knoxville. Considering the SEC quarterbacks the Tennessee defense has faced, the same could be said for Jim Knowles’ unit.
The Volunteers’ defense and raucous fanbase already made Keelon Russell and Byrum Brown see ghosts earlier this season. Arch Manning led Texas to a win, but he didn’t perform exceptionally against this Tennessee defense, either.
The Vols forced 7 combined turnovers from the 3 quarterbacks mentioned above. Minchey hasn’t turned the ball over since September, and he’s put up 16 touchdowns and a little under 1,800 yards of total offense to date.
The Kentucky QB will almost surely rise a spot if he walks into Neyland Stadium and takes down the Volunteers on Saturday.
Last Week: 3 (-)
2. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Florida has one of the least-effective rushing defenses in the SEC, and Georgia’s game plan was clear from the jump. The Bulldogs rushed the ball on 65% of their offensive snaps and led by 10 for most of their win over No. 17 Florida.
Stockton’s outing was wholly unremarkable, but he just wasn’t asked to do much more than his final stat line shows: 13-for-23 (56%) for 104 yards alongside 45 rushing yards and 0 scores. The Georgia QB moved the offense and didn’t turn the ball over while Glenn Schumann’s defense and the Bulldogs’ run game dominated the evening.
Last Week: 2 (-)
1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Trinidad Chambliss has been No. 1 in these rankings since the start of the season. This is the first week in a few weeks I haven’t had to even think about moving Chambliss from the No. 1 spot, and I’m now convinced he’ll end the season atop these rankings without having ever moved.
Chambliss bounced back from his slow week against Texas with a great showing vs. Auburn — especially in the 2nd half. The Rebels QB put up over 300 yards of total offense with 3 combined touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing) to lead his squad to a 45-15 win. His throws practically sizzle, and like he’s shown all season, he gets better and better as the game progresses.
I’ll let Kirby Smart hammer the point home:
“Probably the best quarterback in the country,” Smart said of Chambliss on Monday. “He has an anticipation of windows that’s probably unmatched.”
Last Week: 1 (-)
Subscribe to the Saturday Football Newsletter — Get the latest news and updates on your team, your conference, and the college football nation straight to your inbox.
Having trouble seeing the signup form? Some privacy or ad-blocking tools can prevent it from loading. You can subscribe directly here.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
