The quarterback is still the most important position on the football field, and the better a player a team has under center, the better their chances are of winning ball games. So today, we look at the SEC West teams to see where each one stands in terms of their current quarterback depth chart and the future.

Note: All of the star rankings are based on 247Sports.com.

ALABAMA

Starter: Cooper Bateman, junior or Blake Barnett, RS freshman
Backup: David Cornwell, RS freshman
Redshirt: Jalen Hurts, freshman
2017 commitments: Tua Tagovailoa (five-star); Mac Jones (four-star)

Overall: My guess is Bateman will take the first snaps on Saturday against USC, and Barnett will be on deck if Bateman is ineffective. With six possible scholarship QBs on the roster in 2017, expect some attrition. Cornwell, the QB that had the most hype going into the spring, probably won’t stand for being third string very long, so either he’ll have to work himself in the race or move on. Tagovailoa’s commitment looks shaky, too, as it’s hard to see a young man making the move from Hawaii to Alabama with so many Pac-12 options in between. Jones, from Jacksonville, Fla., is actually a good fit for Alabama’s pro-style offense as it’s very similar to the one he’s run at The Bolles School.

ARKANSAS

Starter: Austin Allen, RS junior
Backups: Ty Storey, RS freshman
Redshirt: Cole Kelley, freshman
2017 commitments: Daulton Hyatt (three-star)

Overall: Allen was all but given the starting spot in spring and held on to it nicely. Storey won the backup job over Rafe Peavey, who announced he was transferring to SMU shortly after the decision was made. Overall, Arkansas seems to have a comfortable pattern of quarterbacks with succession plan in place.

AUBURN

Starter: Sean White, sophomore
Backups: Jeremy Johnson, senior; John Franklin III, junior
Redshirt: Woody Barrett, freshman
2017 commitments: None.

Overall: Gus Malzahn is likely putting his own future as head coach of the Tigers into Sean White’s hands. The rap on White is that he’s not as flashy as the other options but a little more consistent. However, his consistency hasn’t led to many trips to the end zone. Malzahn’s future with the program could directly tie into Barrett’s future as he’s a pretty strong fit for Malzahn’s offensive scheme. If White doesn’t make big strides this year, Barrett could push for the job in 2017, which could buy Malzahn some more time.

LSU

Starter: Brandon Harris, junior
Backups: Danny Etling, RS junior; Justin McMillan, RS freshman
Redshirt: Lindsey Scott, freshman
2017 commitments: Lowell Narcisse (four-star); Myles Brennan (three-star)

Overall: Harris will start the season with the job, but were his efforts in the Texas Bowl (14-of-23, 261 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) more of what to expect this season or just a sign of one team taking advantage of another with inferior talent? If Harris can produce similar numbers all season, he will be fine. LSU doesn’t need great play from the position, but Harris needs to be consistent and make plays downfield. The LSU offensive coaches also need to give him the freedom to do that. If Harris falters, Etling is capable of coming in. Scott has apparently jumped McMillan on the depth chart, but the team would like to redshirt him if it can.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Starter: Damian Williams, RS junior OR Nick Fitzgerald, RS sophomore
Backup: Nick Tiano, RS freshman
2017 commitments: Keytaon Thompson (four-star)

Overall: Head coach Dan Mullen will likely let his QB battle roll into the season opener and maybe longer. There was a fourth member of the QB race, but Elijah Staley decided to move on and try his luck in junior college. Bottom line is the Bulldogs won’t be able to replace a special talent like Dak Prescott, so there might be a few changes and a few growing pains at the position until Thompson arrives and develops a little.

OLE MISS

Starter: Chad Kelly, senior
Backup: Shea Patterson, freshman; Jason Pellerin, RS freshman
2017 commitments: Alex Faniel (three-star)

Overall: Kelly’s decision to return for his senior year makes life pretty good for Ole Miss at the position. There have been a lot of good things said about the offseason that Pellerin has had, but make no mistake about it, this is Patterson’s spot to lose in 2017 and moving forward. The Rebels have one QB commit in 2017 but might need a second in case Pellerin moves on after watching Patterson next season.

TEXAS A&M

Starter: Trevor Knight, graduate transfer
Backup: Jake Hubenak, junior
2017 commitments: Kellen Mond (four-star), Connor Blumrick (three-star)

Overall: After the successful trade of Knight for former five-star prospect Kyler Murray to Oklahoma was completed, the Aggies are actually much more stable at the quarterback position, albeit with slightly less natural talent. Luckily, Kevin Sumlin will gladly take the maturity of Knight over the helicopter-dad induced circus that Murray brought to College Station. As for the rest of the Aggies’ QB depth, well Kyle Allen is off to Houston and Kenny “Trill” Hill was recently named the starter at TCU. Knight and Hubenak have game experience, so the Aggies should survive this season. Mond is the future and a good-looking prospect that might get on the fast track to playing time.