Following legendary SEC QBs: What happens after?
It happens every year in college football. Players leave programs, either through graduation or transfer, leaving holes in the depth chart for the following season.
In rare cases, that player is a legendary quarterback who took the program to new heights while re-writing the record book — in short, a guy who is hard to replace.
This year, Mississippi State must replace Dak Prescott. Prescott was that sort of player for the Bulldogs, and finding someone to fill his shoes is a daunting prospect.
If history is any guide, replacing legends at quarterback is a bit of a mixed bag. Here is how the last five programs have fared replacing some of the best quarterbacks in memory:
TEXAS A&M AFTER JOHNNY MANZIEL
Whatever his issues might be as a pro, Manziel was outstanding in College Station. He was the first redshirt freshman to win the Heisman Trophy and accounted for 93 total touchdowns in just two seasons.
In 2014, coach Kevin Sumlin turned the reins over to five-star prospect Kenny Hill, who started out by torching South Carolina in the season opener. Hill eventually lost the job to Kyle Allen, however, and transferred to TCU.
The Aggies finished 8-5 overall and 3-5 in league play, but did finish the year with a win over West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl.
That was only a one-game drop from Manziel’s last season, in which Texas A&M finished 9-4.
AUBURN AFTER CAM NEWTON
Newton’s 2010 season at Auburn was the stuff of legend. He accounted for 50 total touchdowns, won every major award, including the Heisman, and led the Tigers to a 14-0 record and a BCS Championship.
The 2011 season saw Barrett Trotter and Clint Moseley take the snaps, and neither offered the rushing threat that Newton did. The team scored 16 fewer points per game than it did in the 2010 season, and the defense wasn’t able to pick up the slack.
The team finished 8-5 with a win over Virginia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and after a 3-9 record in 2012, the Gene Chizik era was over.
FLORIDA AFTER TIM TEBOW
Tebow was a Heisman Trophy winner, a three-time All-American and two-time national champion at Florida, so it stands to reason that replacing him would be a tall order.
John Brantley took the majority of the snaps in 2010 and, despite completing better than 60 percent of his throws, finished with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9). He also rushed for a net of -111 yards, which was a far cry from Tebow’s 910 yards the previous season.
The Gators finished 8-5, compared to their 13-1 record the year before, and that season was Urban Meyer’s last in Gainesville.
TENNESSEE AFTER PEYTON MANNING
If Peyton Manning ran for governor of Tennessee, he’d stand a decent chance of winning. That’s how good he was in his career as a Volunteer.
Tennessee finished 11-2 and won the SEC championship in Manning’s senior season in 1997. The Vols turned to Tee Martin as his replacement the following fall.
Martin didn’t approach Manning’s numbers, but he was better than expected.
Martin threw for 2,164 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for seven more. Tennessee rode his steady play, a good rushing attack and a stingy defense to a 13-0 record and a BCS Championship.
FLORIDA AFTER DANNY WUERFFEL
Wuerffel, at the controls of coach Steve Spurrier’s Fun-N-Gun offense, led the Gators to the 1996 national championship in a Heisman Trophy campaign.
Spurrier turned to Doug Johnson to replace him, but also gave snaps to Noah Brindise and Jessee Palmer during an 11-2 campaign. While never producing at Wuerffell’s lofty level, Johnson took most of the snaps for the 1998 and 1999 seasons as well.