Recruiting by position: The nation’s top 20 quarterbacks

Landing or missing out on a top quarterback can make or break a recruiting class. As more and more quarterbacks have used the graduate transfer rule to find immediate eligibility at a new school, building long-term depth at signal-caller has become increasingly important for head coaches everywhere.

The 2016 class of quarterbacks coming to the SEC could be talked about for a long time, with the QB recruits rated Nos. 1-3 according to 247Sports composite rankings, choosing Georgia, Ole Miss and Florida. Seven of the top 20 composite ranked quarterbacks will be SEC bound, with a few others committed to familiar rivals.

TOP 20 QUARTERBACKS

1. Jacob Eason, Georgia – The top quarterback of the 2016 class flirted with division rival Florida following UGA’s firing of longtime head coach Mark Richt, but the prized commit from Lake Stevens, Wash. stayed loyal to the Bulldogs and new head coach Kirby Smart. Eason’s closely followed visit to UF in December adds an extra layer of interest to Florida and Georgia’s annual meeting in Jacksonville for the next three or four years. The five-star quarterback’s film shows a signal-caller ready to take over as the starter from day one.
2. Shae Patterson, Ole Miss – The future is bright in Oxford with Patterson, a five-star pro-style prospect, coming on board to run coach Hugh Freeze’s high-powered offense. Patterson should get a year to learn the system while watching QB Chad Kelly close out his college career.
3. Feleipe Franks, Florida – The longtime LSU commit from Crawfordville, Fla. couldn’t resist the urge to stay closer to home and wear orange and blue. Head coach Jim McElwain and his staff targeted Franks from the start of their recruiting for 2016. When Florida’s quarterback needs became evident, Franks warmed up to the Gators. While not as polished as some incoming freshmen (like Eason), Franks will have a chance to win the Gators starting job due to lack of depth.
4. Malik Henry, FSU – When the Long Beach, Calif., quarterback Henry transferred from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., some thought his commitment to FSU might waiver, but he remained firm and will be taking classes in Tallahassee, Fla., this semester. Henry, FSU’s most highly touted quarterback recruit since Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, will see plenty of SEC foes, such as annual rival Florida and opening-weekend opponents Ole Miss (2016) and Alabama (2017).
5. K.J. Costello, Stanford – The four-star Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., recruit will stay in-state, but 410 miles away from home at Stanford. The pro-style quarterback received offers from around the country, including Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
6. Brandon Peters, Michigan – Indiana’s Mr. Football will remain in Big Ten country, but will be playing for Coach Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. In the SEC, Arkansas, LSU and Vanderbilt all offered Peters.
7. Dwayne Haskins, Maryland – Despite the dismissal of Maryland head coach Randy Edsall and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, one of Haskins’ recruiters, the Potomac, Md., quarterback appears to be staying loyal to the home-state Terrapins. The four-star pro-style prospect received SEC offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
8. Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee – In his first full recruiting cycle at Tennessee, offensive coordinator Mike DeBord might have found his quarterback of the future in Guarantano, a four-star dual-threat prospect from Oradell, N.J.. Guarantano also received offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
9. Jack Allison, Miami – Even though the Hurricanes have been through a coaching change, Allison appears to be sticking with UM. The four-star, pro-style prospect also received offers from Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee.
10. Shane Buechele, Texas – The No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the 2016 class behind Guarantano is committed to the Longhorns. The four-star prospect from Arlington, Texas received offers from Kentucky and Ole Miss.
11. Brandon McIlwain, South Carolina – The No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2016 should be an ideal fit for South Carolina offensive coordinator Kurt Roper’s system. McIlwain was also offered by Auburn, Florida (when Roper was on staff) and Tennessee (by DeBord’s predecessor Mike Bajakian).
12. Woody Barrett, Auburn – Tigers coach Gus Malzahn is no doubt excited about landing Barrett, the No. 4 dual-threat prospect of the class. Barrett was also offered by Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee.
13. Jalen Hurts, Alabama – The four-star dual-threat quarterback from Channelview, Texas became the object of an SEC West battle with Alabama winning out over Texas A&M. Hurts, a mid-year enrollee, was also offered by Mississippi State.
14. Jawon Pass, Louisville – The Cardinals snagged the No. 6 dual-threat prospect from the heart of SEC country, Columbus, Ga. Pass was also offered by Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
15. Patrick O’Brien, Nebraska – The four-star pro-style quarterback from San Juan Capistrano, Calif., will be making quite the cultural adjustment at Nebraska. O’Brien was not recruited by any SEC schools.
16. Austin Kendall, Oklahoma – The Waxhaw, N.C. quarterback chose the Sooners over SEC offers from Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee.
17. Jerod Evans, Virginia Tech  – The No. 1 junior college quarterback of the 2016 class was offered by Missouri, but is committed to Virginia Tech.
18. Messiah deWeaver, Michigan State – The four-star pro-style quarterback from Dayton, Ohio, had offers to come down south from Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi State, but committed to Michigan State.
19. Zerrick Cooper, Clemson – South Carolina-Clemson can be added to the list of SEC-related rivalries that look to be impacted by the class of 2016 (Florida-Georgia, Florida-Florida State and Auburn-Alabama). The four-star pro-style quarterback from Jonesboro, Ga., chose Clemson over Kentucky, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
20. Dillon Sterling-Cole, Arizona State – The Houston product drew offers from some of the SEC’s Gulf coast schools – Florida, Mississippi State and Texas A&M – but ultimately pledged to Arizona State.

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.