Week 11’s SEC QB Rankings were the toughest yet, and there’s plenty to discuss following the first loaded SEC slate since Week 4 — including some considerable shakeup in the top 5.
With that said, let’s jump right into this week’s rankings. As always, check out previous rankings below!
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16. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed faced 3rd-and-goal with under 10 seconds remaining. He and the Aggies offense would get 2 shots at the end zone, needing a touchdown and 2-point conversion to force overtime against South Carolina.
Reed, who in just under a minute drove his Aggies 50 yards to the Gamecocks 14-yard-line, failed to connect with an open Aaron Gregory on his first throw. Perhaps spooked by the positioning of the Gamecocks defender, his attempt was just out of Gregory’s reach.
If Reed’s first throw was a “C” effort, his final throw of the game was a solid “F.” Reed sailed the ball out of the left side of the end zone and nearly hit a reporter filming the final play on his phone. The footage speaks for itself:
Reed has little to show for the best passing performance of his season. He completed 25 of his 43 passing attempts for 251 yards, 0 touchdowns and 0 turnovers. The Aggies scored 9 points in an 8-point loss.
Last Week: 16 (-)
15. AJ Swann, Mississippi State
AJ Swann has played way too much football to look as uncomfortable as he did Saturday against his former team. The Mississippi State backup was all over the place in a game where the box score doesn’t tell the full story.
Swann’s day looks decent on paper: He completed 64% of his 36 passing attempts for 254 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Nowhere does it mention that his lone turnover of the evening was in contention for the worst throw by a Mississippi State quarterback this season. And that’s saying something.
Last Week: 15 (-)
14. KJ Jackson, Arkansas
Auburn’s defense grades out as the worst in the SEC, but you wouldn’t know it from Saturday’s box score alone. Arkansas QB KJ Jackson finished under 50% passing with 180 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 telegraphed interception in the first half.
While Jackson deserves some credit for driving to tie the game at 23, a large part of the reason Auburn was able to come back in the first place stems from Jackson’s inefficient play under center. Save a woeful outing against Utah in Week 2, Saturday was Jackson’s least accurate performance of the season.
South Carolina, Texas and LSU remain on Arkansas‘s schedule — the going will only get tougher down the stretch.
Last Week: 14 (-)
13. Tramell Jones Jr., Florida
Jon Sumrall, per usual, called it like he saw it Monday afternoon.
“Didn’t think we played well enough at quarterback on Saturday,” the Gators coach declared.
That may be an understatement. Tramell Jones Jr. was a disaster once again against a strong Sooners defense, faring 10-for-22 for 133 yards with 2 turnovers in a 23-7 loss. The Gators have dropped 4 of their last 5 and looked completely hapless at the quarterback position across that stretch, whether it was Jones or Aaron Philo under center.
This begs the question: Where does Florida go from here?
For now, Sumrall doesn’t have an answer. After the statement mentioned above, Sumrall insisted he has not made a decision on a starter for Week 11 against a Kentucky team looking to shake off their most lopsided loss of the season.
Considering Philo has been benched once already and the remaining schedule is noticeably tamer from a defensive perspective, continuing forward with the sophomore dual-threat QB may prove to be the most practical choice — especially when you consider how poorly the Gators have played up front. Philo, well… he hasn’t handled pressure well this season, and he’s not exactly known for his mobility.
However you choose to look at it, the main issue is still the main issue — Florida has sucked out loud since the start of October, and both quarterbacks have had their hand in the struggle. You know what they say: When you have 2 quarterbacks…
Last week: 9 (-4)
12. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt
Jared Curtis led Vanderbilt to its first SEC win of the season, helping down Mississippi State 25-23. For the first time since 2022, every team in the SEC will finish the season with at least one conference win.
It was business as usual for the freshman quarterback. He’s not putting up Heisman-level numbers and the product on the field as it currently stands is nowhere near perfect, but it remains impressive what Curtis is able to do with so little help around him. The arm talent is still out-of-this-world good.
Cue The Clash: Should he stay or should he go?
Last Week: 13 (+1)
11. George MacIntyre, Tennessee
You’ll have a difficult time finding a quarterback who has thrown more touchdowns that didn’t end up counting than George MacIntyre.
The stat sheet and the eye test tell 2 completely different stories concerning the Vols’ redshirt freshman. It would be easy to say he’s been carried by his defense and rushing attack when you see his season total: 853 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. I see it differently. Tennessee is 4-1 when MacIntyre has attempted more than 10 passes.
MacIntyre isn’t flashy, but he has an underrated arm and has navigated a tough situation well. At some point, though, the scoring plays need to start connecting.
Last Week: 10 (-1)
10. Byrum Brown, Auburn
I’ve seen plenty of fans ask how in the world the Auburn Tigers beat Georgia following the Bulldogs’ spanking of Ole Miss Saturday night. If you subscribe to my line of thinking, there are 2 reasons.
The first is timing. Georgia, if you’ll remember, was fresh off a road victory at Alabama that played more like a heavyweight MMA bout. An exhausted Georgia squad then limped into its final game before the bye week, perhaps overlooking an Auburn team that fought well on the road at Tennessee and was well-rested coming out of its bye week.
The second reason is Byrum Brown.
The Auburn quarterback did not have a flawless game against the Bulldogs, but he set the tone with his physicality. Brown collected 115 yards rushing and 1 touchdown across 26 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per rush. His passing numbers were pretty pedestrian — 15-of-26 for 150 yards and a touchdown — but the game was won with Brown’s legs, which forced Georgia DC Glenn Schumann to be honest with his defensive alignments.
This is relevant because it’s exactly what Brown did to Arkansas on Saturday. Brown collected 300 yards of total offense and carried the rock 23 times for a season-high 121 yards with 1 rushing touchdown and 2 passing touchdowns. What’s better, Brown played his best football under pressure, leading the Tigers offense to 17 4th-quarter points and helping set up the game-winning field goal.
I stand by my past critiques of Brown. I still don’t think he’s a particularly effective passer, and so much of his game is painfully slow. He’s best suited to dominate with a G6 contender. Considering some of the other QBs on this list, though, the middle of the pack seems perfectly fair following another good dual-threat performance.
Last Week: 11 (+1)
9. John Mateer, Oklahoma
It’s been nearly a month since John Mateer last committed a turnover. This has correlated with the best 3-game stretch of Mateer’s season, which should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody.
Whether you want to chalk it up to a newfound confidence or Jason Witten calling the plays, Mateer is playing decent football right now. The Sooners sustained long, backbreaking drives to dispatch No. 24 Florida on Saturday, and Mateer was effective as both a passer and a rusher with a combined 263 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns on 64% completions.
Let’s see if the Oklahoma quarterback can keep it up.
Last Week: 12 (+3)
8. Sam Leavitt, LSU
Allow me to preface this ranking: Sam Leavitt is not a bad quarterback. There’s a healthy dropoff between the No. 8 and No. 9 QB in the SEC, which has been apparent for a few weeks now.
Leavitt’s ability to move the football isn’t in question. He ranks 8th in the nation in passing yards and leads the SEC in both passing yards and passing yards per game. Leavitt is averaging 8.4 yards per attempt, which ranks 4th in the SEC. Finally, Leavitt’s 25 combined touchdowns is tied for first in the SEC alongside Trinidad Chambliss.
So why is he ranked 8th? Simple — the LSU QB cannot handle pressure and has consistently performed poorly in clutch situations. Leavitt put up 396 yards of total offense on Saturday and LSU has 13 points to show for it. That reeks of empty calories, folks.
All that is worrying considering LSU has played exactly 1 top 30 defense ahead of upcoming matchups vs. Texas (No. 10 in total defense) and at Tennessee (No. 18).
Last Week: 4 (-4)
7. Austin Simmons, Mizzou
My remote would have been sent directly through my television screen if I were a Mizzou fan watching Saturday’s loss to Texas. Not just because of the questionable officiating, mind you.
Mizzou receivers dropped dime after dime from Austin Simmons, and the Tigers QB had a tough time finding any sort of rhythm. Simmons finished 23-of-43 for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he easily could have finished with 400+ yards and 3+ touchdowns if his receivers could catch and hold on to the ball.
Mizzou fans should be excited for the future under Simmons, who still has not played his best football despite impeccable arm talent and strength.
Last Week: 7 (-)
6. Arch Manning, Texas
Arch Manning is doing that thing where he plays like the best quarterback in America down the stretch again.
Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic. That shouldn’t discount what Manning has put together across the past few weeks. The Texas QB dropped the hero ball act and has obviously taken the advice of head coach Steve Sarkisian, who has taken notice to Manning’s improved play.
“I think this has been a trend now of the last couple of weeks,” Sarkisian said. “When he plays like that and we can protect him and run the ball, we’re a much more dangerous offense.”
He’s right. Across his 3 past performances against Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Mizzou, Manning has averaged 243 yards and 3 touchdowns per game across 3 straight wins. His outing against Mizzou was by far his best of the year.
Last Week: 8 (+2)
5. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky
Kenny Minchey was uncharacteristically rattled Saturday night inside Neyland Stadium. Can’t say I blame the guy — few have seen success against that Vols’ defense backed by a 100,000-strong wall of pure noise.
Last week I noted that turnovers would surely play a major factor in Week 10’s game, and the box score speaks for itself. Minchey threw his first interception since early September and was stripped off the edge by Vols’ defensive back Qua Moss, which led to a Tennessee touchdown a few plays later to make it 20-6. The score might as well have been 40-0 at that point.
Minchey also made a costly mistake on 4th-and-6 coming out of a timeout. Perhaps not realizing it was 4th down, he threw the ball away when faced with Tennessee pressure yet again. It was that kind of night in Knoxville.
Last Week: 3 (-2)
4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
The Great LaNorris Sellers Turnaround of 2026 has been a treat to watch unfold in real time. The South Carolina quarterback who was once good for at least 1 dumbfounding turnover per game has become one of the most exciting players in the entire country. He’s recaptured that brief glimpse of magic that had folks so captivated in 2024 and turned the dial up to an 11.
Sellers is tough as nails. He fought through an injured ankle and still sprinted past Texas A&M defenders for the 41-yard game-winning score, literally limping into the end zone after giving everything he had. For the evening, Sellers finished with 285 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns with just 1 turnover to seal South Carolina’s 4th straight win.
Could this be Sellers’ Heisman moment? The Gamecocks need 3 more wins if that kind of talk is to be taken seriously.
Last Week: 6 (+2)
3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Last week I pointed out that Trinidad Chambliss has been No. 1 in these rankings all season. After his excellent performance against Auburn, I predicted he wouldn’t give up that spot through the end of the regular season. That take, it turns out, was a little undercooked.
Chambliss was not the main issue in Ole Miss’s embarrassing 5-touchdown loss to Georgia Saturday night. As Ole Miss fans would tell you, OC John David Baker isn’t exactly putting Chambliss in winning situations — nor is the Rebels’ defense, which was picked apart and dominated by Gunner Stockton, Nate Frazier and Georgia’s O-line from start to finish.
This is true for most quarterbacks, but Chambliss has really, really struggled with pressure this season. The Ole Miss QB faced pressure on 33% of his dropbacks and was sacked a season-high 4 times, causing his completion percentage to plummet to 52%.
I’m interested to see how Chambliss responds against a tough OU defense. All the production that has gotten him this far hasn’t magically gone away.
Last Week: 1 (-2)
2. Keelon Russell, Alabama
Hello again, Keelon Russell.
It’s been 3 weeks since Tennessee’s defense and home crowd forced the first bad game we’ve seen from Russell all season, but he looked excellent on Saturday in Baton Rouge. As Bama247’s Brett Greenberg pointed out on Saturday, Russell’s performance against 2 comparable defenses in LSU and Tennessee looked night and day different.
The Alabama QB is back to playing with confidence, collecting 206 yards and 3 touchdowns on 17-of-24 completions. Russell committed no turnovers and took just a pair of sacks against a team averaging the 2nd most sacks per game in the SEC.
Oh, and did I mention Russell isn’t even 100% healthy? According to Kalen DeBoer, Russell is day-to-day for Alabama as the Crimson Tide prepare for Week 11 at Vanderbilt.
Last Week: 5 (+3)
1. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
The Gunner Stockton disrespect has always been puzzling.
Stockton is taking the term “Road Warrior” to new heights this season. Across 3 road games, he’s completed 37 of his 50 passing attempts for 582 yards, 8 combined touchdowns and 1 interception in wins over Alabama, Ole Miss and Arkansas. It sounds fake, but Stockton has never lost a true road game as Georgia’s starter.
The narrative that Georgia can’t win a national title with Stockton under center is, to quote Paul Finebaum, pure hogwash. Stockton has proven time and time again that he can rise to the occasion in big games and big moments. He has an exceptional football IQ, underrated mobility and great weapons around him. He’s nails against the blitz. Now, he’s doing stuff like this…
Don’t sleep.
Last Week: 2 (+1)
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Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
