Seven SEC teams enter spring ball with some degree of uncertainty at quarterback. A couple more teams have a starter in mind but must wait for performance to provide clarity.

That leaves a precious few SEC teams with an experienced quarterback.

Here’s a look at this year’s 14 potential starters, categorized by level of experience:

PROVEN EXPERIENCE

These quarterbacks have started for at least one full season:

Chad Kelly, Ole Miss: Kelly made a smooth transition from East Mississippi Community College to the SEC, leading the league in passing yards (4,042) and touchdowns last season (31). Even with the loss of two potential first-round picks from the his supporting cast, he enters 2016 as a SEC Player of the Year candidate and a Heisman Trophy contender.

Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee: Dobbs combines dual threat ability with a good football IQ for the Volunteers. He produced 2,962 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns last fall, and helped Tennessee close out last season on a six-game winning streak. He’ll be a senior in 2016, and if he takes another step forward in his development, he could make a serious move up NFL Draft boards.

Trevor Knight, Texas A&M: Before transferring, he only got into six games as Baker Mayfield’s backup at Oklahoma last season, but in 2014, Knight passed for 2,300 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for the Sooners.

Knight steps in to provide the Aggies at least a little experience at the position. How quickly he can shake off the rust will be key.

Brandon Harris, LSU: For better or worse, Harris picked up a ton of experience in an up-and-down 2015 campaign. He completed 53.6 percent of his passes for 2,158 yards, 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Harris’ accuracy and decision-making must improve, but he has a season’s worth of game reps under his belt — and a pretty good running game to back him up.

Drew Lock, Missouri: Lock appeared in every game last fall, and started seven SEC games, so he’s experienced. He had the sort of struggles you might expect from a true freshman, completing only 49 percent of his passes and serving up twice as many interceptions (8) as touchdowns.

In his defense, the line and running game underachieved in 2015. There needs to be improvement across the board offensively in 2016.

EXPERIENCE — SMALL SAMPLE

These quarterbacks have made at least one career start:

Drew Barker, Kentucky: Barker started the final two games of 2015 in relief of the now-transferred Patrick Towles, and looked very much like a highly touted redshirt freshman — mixing good throws and decisions with head-scratching ones. He connected on 35 of his 70 passes for 364 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

JUCO QB Stephen Johnson II was brought in to push him this spring, but Barker will likely get first crack at the job in 2016.

Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt: Shurmur played in five games last fall, completing 42.7 percent of his passes for 503 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Since his chief rival for the job, Johnny McCrary, transferred, it seems the Commodores will sink or swim — pardon the pun — with Shurmur’s development in 2016.

POSITION BATTLES

These teams have yet to determine a starting quarterback:

Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett, Jalen Hurts, Alabama: Bateman threw for 291 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions before losing out to Jake Coker. He’ll face a heavy challenge from Barnett, a former five-star recruit. Hurts is an intriguing prospect, but is a long shot in this year’s derby.

History has shown us that Nick Saban isn’t afraid to take a quarterback competition into the regular season. So it might be awhile before a winner is crowned.

Austin Allen, Ricky Town, Rafe Peavey, Ty Storey, Arkansas: Brandon Allen had a spectacular senior season, and his younger brother is one of the candidates vying to replace him. Allen may be the favorite right now, but it’s a wide open competition.

Town is a transfer from Southern Cal, and Peavey and Storey are former highly-rated prospects.

Jeremy Johnson, Sean White, John Franklin III, Auburn: Johnson and White have experience, but neither produced enough in 2015 to avoid an open competition for the starting job in 2016. Johnson threw for 1,054 yards, 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last fall while White added 1,167 yards, a touchdown and 4 interceptions.

Franklin is a JUCO transfer and a former Florida State recruit with the combination of speed and arm strength that makes him an immediate candidate.

Gus Malzahn already has said Franklin has a chance to win the job.

Austin Appleby, Luke Del Rio, Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask, Florida: With Treon Harris moving to receiver, Florida will turn to a Purdue transfer (Appleby), an Oregon State transfer (Del Rio) or a true freshman to start at quarterback this fall. Appleby offers the most experience, having passed for 2,777 yards, 19 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in three years in the Big Ten.

He’s also tough, which Gators fans appreciate in a quarterback.

Franks is a highly regarded recruit who spurned LSU for the Gators and is worth keeping an eye on in this race.

Greyson Lambert, Jacob Eason, Brice Ramsey, Georgia: Lambert returns after completing 63 percent of his passes for 1,959 yards, 12 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in 2015. Those numbers would assure a guy of more playing time at most places, but Athens is not most places.

Especially not with Eason coming to town, carrying all of the weight and expectations of a five-star recruiting ranking. He’s drawing scouting comparisons to Drew Bledsoe, and barring something unforeseen, he’ll play this fall.

Nick Fitzgerald, Elijah Staley, Damian Williams, Nick Tiano, Mississippi State: Fitzgerald and Williams have a little experience in mop-up duty, but Staley and Tiano are also in the mix for the unenviable task of replacing Dak Prescott.

Fitzgerald enters spring with an edge, but Dan Mullen already has said past results won’t matter. It’s anyone’s job to win.

Perry Orth, Lorenzo Nunez, Connor Mitch, Brandon McIlwain, South Carolina: Three guys with starting experience and a true freshman are the top contenders. Orth passed for 1,929 yards, 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions and started the lion’s share of the games after Mitch and Nunez went down with injuries.

Nunez is South Carolina’s leading returning rusher, with 375 yards. He also scored twice.

McIlwain, also a baseball player for the Gamecocks, also fits the athletic profile of an ideal quarterback for new co-offensive coordinator Kurt Roper’s scheme. He will participate in spring practice.