Ranking the top 5 quarterback rooms in the SEC
Big time SEC football games are won in the trenches, of course, but a star quarterback — or a great quarterback room — remains the great equalizer and the great elevator.
A gargantuan jump from Joe Burrow was the reason LSU was able to finally clear the Bama hurdle and claim the program’s fourth national championship last January. Just as Tua Tagovailoa helped rescue the national championship for Alabama in 2017 after Jalen Hurts struggled, so did having a former SEC Offensive Player of the Year in Hurts on the bench helped rescue Alabama from Georgia again when Tagovailoa was injured in 2018.
Jake Fromm led Georgia, a program that had not played for a national championship in almost 40 years, to the title game as a freshman. He also became only the third SEC starter to lead his team to 3 consecutive SEC Championship games. Had he faltered as a freshman or sophomore, a pair of 5-star recruits, including an eventual Heisman finalist, were waiting in the wings.
At Florida, a story straight out of Friday Night Lights saw seldom-used and lightly recruited Texan Kyle Trask to play the role of Matt Saracen and step in for starter Feleipe Franks to lead Florida to an 11-win season and an Orange Bowl victory in 2019.
Depth matters.
The lack of it can either be damning — see Florida having to turn to the likes of Tyler Murphy and Skyler Morninwheg in 2013 en route to a 4-8 campaign; or require innovation, like Kentucky’s staff overhauling their whole offense and installing a single-wing system for jack-of-all-trades Lynn Bowden Jr. last season.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which eliminated spring football almost entirely across the country, will place even greater pressure on deep quarterback rooms.
With a veteran QB and experienced QB room — there is less need for instructional and installation moments in limited practices and more time for game-planning and quality reps for other guys. The result? In a season where most offseason coaching occurred on Zoom or Google Meet, the programs with established veterans at the quarterback spot, along with “safety valve” depth at the QB position, will be at a distinct advantage.
In the SEC, those advantages are most evident in places where: (1) a veteran QB returns as the sure-fire QB 1 and (2) there is experienced or high-rent talent depth behind them as an insurance blanket.
Before we rank the top 5 QB rooms in the SEC (plus two “almosts”) that fit that profile, let’s start with 2 that barely missed the cut.
Almost: Arkansas, Mississippi State
Mike Leach scored his first Starkville coup in convincing KJ Costello, the Stanford gunslinger who is a perfect fit for Leach’s Air Raid, to follow him to Mississippi State. The Bulldogs get his 25 career starts, which includes over 6,000 yards of production in a Power 5 league, to transition to a new scheme under Leach.
Having backup Garrett Shrader, a dual-threat who started at times last season, means Leach has a built-in backup plan if things go south with the injury-prone Costello. Vanderbilt transfer Allan Walters, who was a recruiting coup for the Commodores, transfers in and adds knowledge and depth.
As for Arkansas, the Hogs start the year with 1 of only 2 returning SEC quarterbacks to win a New Year’s 6 bowl in Feleipe Franks. A 3-year starter in the SEC, Franks’ presence in Fayetteville is the one sweet piece of medicine Hogs fans have as they face down college football’s most brutal schedule. Franks’s backup, Malik Hornsby, proved Sam Pittman brought his recruiting juice with him from Athens, and the dual-threat joins KJ Jefferson in giving the Hogs 2 blue-chip talents to learn from Franks and step in if needed. That’s a deep room with a veteran at the top, and merits mention in this list.
5. Texas A&M
The math says Kellen Mond took a step back last season, with his yards per attempt number (6.9) just above the national average (6.8) and his rushing yards total the smallest (340) it has been in his 3 years on campus. That’s surprising for a 3rd-year starter, and even more surprising for a player in his second year in Jimbo Fisher’s system.
Still, Mond is going to be a 4-year SEC starter and Fisher has a masterful track record in coaxing production out of experienced starters. It’s now or never for Mond, who is blessed with a cornucopia of NFL type talent but hasn’t yet put it all together. Sometimes that sense of finality can push a player on the brink of greatness over the top.
Behind Mond, the Aggies feature highly coveted 4-star quarterback Haynes King, a multisport star from Longview, Texas that everyone recruited who has shined in fall camp, and Zach Calzada, Mond’s primary backup a year ago who is a self-described “overachiever” with a chip on his shoulder.
It’s a good blend and one Fisher should make the most of in 2020.
4. Ole Miss
Since helping Nick Saban win a national championship with Jake Coker restored his status as “young offensive genius,” Lane Kiffin has wisely catered his offense to the strengths of the quarterback he’s had at his disposal, whether it was Coker at Alabama or dual-threat Jason Driskel or pocket passer Chris Robison at FAU. The latter two helped FAU win double-digit games in 2 of his 3 seasons on the beach in Boca Raton, and are part of the reason he is back on an SEC campus as a head coach.
He inherits a quarterback room with 3 types of players, all of whom have huge talent.
The favorite for the job is probably John Rhys Plumlee, the fastest quarterback in college football who is electrifying every time he leaves the pocket. Kiffin can cater his offense around that player, and though he certainly wishes he’d have had a spring to do so, at least Plumlee has played plenty of SEC football.
Matt Corral, the rocket-armed gunslinger who is competing with Plumlee for the job, also started at times last season and has looked confident in camp.
Another blue-chip, Grant Tisdale, elected to return to Ole Miss when Kiffin got the job, and it’s hard to know if he’ll factor in given he lacks the playing time of Plumlee and Corral. Nevertheless, he was a big recruiting win for the Rebs and having a player of his caliber as the third-string option speaks to the quarterback room’s depth in Oxford.
3. Alabama
There are enough “don’t sleep on Mac Jones” and “Mac Jones is underrated” pieces on the internet that the Alabama incumbent starter isn’t really “underrated” anymore. He’s just a very talented quarterback that Pro Football Focus ranks as one of the top 10 returning quarterbacks in college football. If you watched him shred Auburn’s elite defense in the Iron Bowl, only to be undone by a bit of a fluky pick-6, you know the kid can flat-out play.
Jones won’t ever be Tua, who leaves Alabama a legend 3rd in school history in yards, 1st in completion percentage and 1st in touchdowns produced. But he can be a steady starter and you just know that Steve Sarkisian, in his second campaign, will put him in a position to succeed.
Behind him, Bryce Young has the Bama faithful thinking they already have “the next Tua” on campus. Those expectations aren’t fair, but if you’ve seen Young play, you get why people are so excited.
Also worth noting? Paul Tyson of Trussville, Alabama, whose grandfather was a guy named Bear Bryant, was a blue-chip in his own right and he — not Young — led the second-team offense in the fall’s first scrimmage. This is a deep quarterback room with the potential to be the SEC’s best.
2. Georgia
From a pure “experience” standpoint, this is the most experienced room in the league. Jamie Newman, who has NFL size and mobility, threw for 2,868 yards and rushed for 574 more last season at Wake Forest. He is battling USC (the California one) transfer JT Daniels for the starting job. Daniels, more of a Trask-like pocket style passer with a big arm, threw for 2,672 yards as the freshman starter at USC before an injury cost him the job last season.
There is also high-rent talent waiting in the wings, with Carson Beck, the No. 2 high school quarterback out of Florida per the 247sports composite, on deck. D’Wan Mathis, another blue-chip with prototypical NFL size, might be “the smartest of the bunch,” a Georgia staffer told me last week. “Don’t count any of these guys out right now as they are all getting first-team reps.”
The Dawgs slot in at No. 2 — and not No. 1 — for two reasons.
First and most important, Georgia is installing a new system on offense under Todd Monken. The loss of spring football was lamented by Smart and the early returns in fall camp indicate that the QB play has been sloppy as both competitors adjust to new demands.
Second, not a single player in Georgia’s quarterback room has taken an SEC snap. Newman, who has received in ways entirely unfair to him, comparisons to Cam Newton, has been a trendy pick for first-team All-SEC and postseason awards. The talent is there, but the on-field results, at least to date, haven’t been.
In his 3 games last season against top 50 S &P+ defenses (Clemson, Michigan State, Virginia Tech) Newman was 0-3 and completed 34-of-79 passes (43%), with 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Those numbers are pedestrian at best, and his rushing yards in those games (40 rushes for 136) are hardly terrifying.
Daniels’ numbers against good competition are better, but the reality is both will face better defenses week in and week out in the SEC. Of course, he’ll also both be surrounded by the league’s best talent outside of Tuscaloosa. We’ll see how that movie ends soon.
1. Florida
The best combination of experience, talent waiting in the wings and system continuity is in Gainesville.
Trask, who started only 10 games, threw for nearly 3,000 yards and did so behind a leaky offensive line with little to no ground game. Expect a jump from Trask, who still has plenty he can improve upon and should, if early reports out of fall camp are accurate, have an improved offensive line and a run game to create balance and better open up the intermediate pass game.
His backup, Emory Jones, was a highly-touted recruit every major Power 5 program offered who has played in spots in each of his years in Gainesville. Dan Mullen said last week that Jones’ grasp of the offense is much improved this summer, and he could play an expanded role in the offense this fall. In any event, should anything happen to Trask, he’s an excellent security blanket and, as many in the social media-sphere have pointed out, a more natural fit for Mullen’s version of the spread.
Behind them, Mullen has raved about Anthony Richardson, another blue-chip and ideal fit for Mullen’s system who was the No. 1 high school quarterback out of Florida last year, per the 247 composite.
Collectively, Mullen, who has coached and developed multiple Heisman-winning quarterbacks and first-round draft picks, has the best quarterback room in the SEC.
LMAO… I can’t wait to see the nonsense thats about to get posted.
This article seems to be set up to do just that. I’d honestly put Alabama ahead of Florida.
Why though? Trask has more experience than Mac Jones and Emory has more experience than Young. Sure, both Alabama QBs have better recruiting rankings than the Florida QBs, but experience wise, it’s hands down Florida
I put Florida first. They have a consistent known in Trask and Jones has show flashes in SEC games.
Meanwhile, Alabama has a stud in Mac Jones and a guy who has never played a single college football down.
If lack of SEC experience is going to be the knock on UGA, it has to be even more so for lack of ANY FBS experience.
It’s almost as if I don’t value experience as the sole factor for ranking QBs. Listen, you don’t need to always have seen a guy play a numch to know they are gonna be studs. Bryce Young is a stud right now. Mac Jones is a top 10 QB in the country. Either guy would start at Florida. I think if you look at Mac Jones, Young, Trask, and Emory Jones, I’d go Mac, Young, Emory, Trask, in that order, possibly Young first. He’s that good. I don’t think Trask is very good. I think Emory is better but has his limits as a passer.
1. Alabama–I think people fail to realize just how talented Bryce Young is–I believe he’s one of just 4 high school QBs to receive a 101 rating from 247sports in-house rankings.
2. Florida–more SEC game-experience than UGA’s room, albeit perhaps with a lower ceiling.
3. Georgia–two QBs with double-digit D1 starting experience.
4. Ole Miss–I’m pulling for both Plumlee & Corral. Both might be at UGA had circumstances been slightly different.
5. I don’t even know or care.
Figured 5 would go to USC Jr. Hilinkski was a top recruit & had a decent Fr yr. The transfer hill is a 5 yt guy that knows that offense to a T & if it wasn’t for injuries could’ve had a stellar career by now. Doty seems like the real deal & was the No 2 DT Qb & also you have Joyner as the Emergency qb. All 4 stars. Definitely should’ve been them I’d say.
I really like Hilinski. I think he’ll thrive under Bobo’s offense.
Only if muschimp stays out of the way. For once!
The Gators win this one hands-down. Georgia at #2-With two(2) Quarterbacks that have not ever played one down in the SEC ? No logic there at all. Reality has to be accounted for in these articles.
Is Trevor Lawrence good? How can we know if he’s never played a full SEC schedule? Nonsense. You can tell when guys are talented. Doesn’t matter which conference they are taking snaps in.
I’m pretty sure Tom Brady, Big Ben, P. Mahomes, Rodgers, L. Jackson, Matt Ryan, etc never played in the SEC either. Those guys are pretty good too.
Yikes, super bad take there.
LOL. Trask is the 48th-best returning QB in CFB. Very few returning QBs were as bad throwing the ball 10 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage. Very few returning QBs had the least to do with his own success.
I swear, the sheer idiocy of the narrative surrounding this dink and dunker who relied on his very good receiving corps for the vast majority of his stats last year is just… lunacy.
You’re the epitome of a broken record.
A broken Nickelback record
What’s JT Daniels PFF ranking? (It’s 118 out of 136) Good luck
Yep, not great, but they were grading him on a half of football from last year and that factored into the low ranking.
Hmm. So you are saying 47 qbs are better? Does my math check out? Or are you basing this off of someone else’s opinion or a single stat category?
I believe that’s a PFF ranking.
Gotcha. So Newman a top 3 QB in college football. Got it thanks.
I mean, if you wanna go with the guys who have studied every single play and look at players solely in the context of their abilities in a vacuum, then yeah. I’d trust them over you any day.
Agree with Jm399s
Carolina’s QB Room:
Ryan Hilinski – 4 Star, #2 Pro QB, Top 100
Luke Doty – 4 Star, #4 DT QB, Top 100
Collin Hill – 5 Year Starter / Transfer
Emergency QB – Dak Joyner, 4 Star DT QB
That is an impressive room. Will be even better when Gunner Stockton gets there.
Very impressive room, but the head coach has continuously seen QBs get worse each year that they have played under him. Unless you guys replace Muschamp, I wouldn’t expect much QB success.
I’m banking on Bobo being the magic ticket. Regardless of people’s feelings, he is magic with QBs.
Joe Tereshinski, Joe Cox, Hudson Mason, Brice Ramsey …
It wasn’t all peaches’n’cream for Bobo and UGA QB’s.
Still boggles my mind we won 10 games back to back with Hutson Mason and Greyson Lambert.
Elite Defense and run game. Studs and Depth that USC doesn’t quite have.
I’m not interested in getting into a rankings debate, but I can see how fans of Florida, UGA. Alabama, Ole Miss, and SC would be very happy with their QB rooms. The Aggies would be a question mark for me.
You are correct. I’m very content.
My Rankings: 1. Florida 2. UGA 3. Alabama 4. USC Jr. 5. Ole Miss
Ehh…I kind of agree. If we’re going on potential though I would say Bama should be #2 since Young is the second coming.
With JT coming off injury and Newman being an unknown because he hasn’t played in the SEC (big eyeroll) I get why Uf would be ahead. I think at the end of the year it will be a different story. I know Trask performed well but I think he’ll step back this season.
I can see where you’re going with that, but that’s why its a ranking of quarterback rooms, not just quarterbacks. You have to have good 2nd options.
If Trask regresses, they can just put in Emory Jones.
Man O Man I hope that happens!!!
Emory Jones = Treon Harris V2
I don’t know if you are a UGA fan but I wouldn’t go picking on Treon Harris personally.
Ah who cares about that DawgsofWar clown.
But why wouldn’t you offend Treon Harris personally?
I don’t think he ever lost to UGA…
If you think what the democrat party and Jill Biden are doing to a never-was, dimwitted, broken down, old, senile man is wrong
What SDS is doing to turd nation is a capital offense
How do you turn an article about SEC QB rooms into a political argument? Get a life.
Oh it’s very easy –
Who is your favorite anti-American, marxist democrat?
uncle quid pro quo hair-sniffing joe, aoc, omar, peelosi, mad maxine, john osspuss, the multi-millionaire socialist bernie, cameltoe harris, hillary the carpetmuncher etc?
You don’t see the similarities of a mullet lead UF Gators and a potical party lead by traitorous marxist, wanna-bees that belong in the Star Wars bar scene?
Just kidding ’78 – you should be proud to be a card carrying democrat.
Orange man is bad, he grabs p*ssy.
If it means distancing myself from people like you then I’m all for it.
UGADAWG78
I agree about DawgsofWar – he was a huge, beastly, bulging man.
Not our type of person, whereas you and I appreciate the slight, cowardly, effeminate type.
“he was a huge, beastly, bulging man”
not likely
Word on the street is that Mrs ’78 thinks a #2 pencil is huge and beastly.
Oh wait, it was erroneous of me to just assume there would be a Mrs ’78, my apologies for stereo-typing you.
Seriously do you think this makes you look tough? It’s pathetic. You don’t know me. GTFOH
Why don’t you ask the players constantly protesting.
No Mrs. 78. At least anymore. Word on the street is she killed herself because she was ashamed of being married to such a loser.
Yeah you’re on here with multiple accounts talking about my family and I’m the loser. Sure thing buddy. Get help.
I have help. Have you not noticed the other users on here who want to get rid of you? That’s all the help I need.
Looks like Yep and TDOW got banned. Wonder how long until they get new accounts…. over/under set at 30 minutes
How did Negan survive? He posted a crazy book on a TAMU article about racists..
IDK?? I really think Negan may be…special
SDS doesn’t seem to have a real plan to deal with it. I wish they would just let us block people. Then they could converse with themselves
LOL Yep is already back
That’s a sad person to be so he!! Bent and angry that he has to continue to try and push his nonsense.
I’m not going to lie I like posting on here and talking to you guys (about football) but it’s become unbearable. I don’t know how much longer I will last. I might have to take a break and see if it calms down.
How have you not been bannned but for the fact that you toe the white apologist line? 75% of what you post is political.
Great, so as planned, all I have to do is keep it up to silence your stupid liberal @ss.
Probably because I don’t threaten people or use thi N word…just my guess.
I have been here since 2010.. It’s just gotten worse. At no point has it ever calmed down. Every year there seems to be more and more trolls that add nothing.
This year we have the trolls and people pushing a political agenda… What’s crazy is the trolls are now Pushing their political agendas. LMAO
I like sugar and I like tea…
I’m glad, why don’t you go sing kumbaya, douchebag. I’ll say whatever I godd@mn please, liberals like you be d@mned.
I never minded trolls that talked football. It was all just part of the game and tbh it was kind of funny sometimes.
These dudes are lunatics. I talk politics more than I want to but I never initiate the political talk. I just respond to their nonsense so I guess that’s on me.
And I didn’t threaten you..,I merely suggested that your kind should kill yourselves.
I try to avoid talking politics as much as possible. Especially on a football forum.
Some trolling is one thing but it’s really gotten out of hand.. It gets hard to ignore when most of the comment sections are are filled with walls of nonsense.
bamatime
you are still leaking, and I don’t what that means
To be honest I’m starting to believe a lot of the trolls are the same one or two people.. Notice how they tend to leave and show up At the same time?
Yeah. I hope that’s true. I hate to think there are that many miserable people.
UGADAWG78 and BamaTime I feel the exact same. So my apologies for being drawn in with Yep. It wasn’t even political – it’s about morals with him (and all his troll accounts). BT you and I haven’t always agreed but at least we kept it away from that kind of trash talk. Trying to ignore these trolls, SDS seems a little lazy overall but they should really put in just a little more effort on the moderation…
Thank god we have you to look to when it comes to “morals.” I know this is tough for a liberal like you, but why don’t you try and worry about yourself for a change? Since you’ve already admitted to being non-religious, it’s obviously not my salvation you’re concerned with. Like all other liberals, you’re a self-righteous douchebag who uses “morality” as a guise for controlling the actions of others.
I’m sure you’re an expert at having your actions controlled by others lol
Good one, dipsh*t.
I have a dream, that one day, I won’t have to listen to listen to guilty whites like you b*tch about racism or mourn the death of narcotics addicts who try and attack cops. I have a dream today!
I have a dream, that one day, the skin of the protesters will again be pierced by the sting of high pressure water cannons until you wont be able to tell what race they once were and lungs filled with tear gas! I have a dream!
Looks like the p-boys have us outnumbered here!
I’d go
1. Bama
2. UGA
3. Ole Miss
4. Florida
5. South Carolina
Seriously, ole miss above florida? SMH
Yeah, if I had to rank the 4 best Qbs from those two schools I’d go
Plumlee
Jones
Corrall
Trask
Trask really isn’t very good. It’s not because I dislike Florida. I just think he’s extremely average, very limited, and a product of an offensive genius in Dan Mullen who played to his strengths. I think if you saw Plumlee, Corall, or Jones starting at UF, the offense would be able to open up even more. I think if DBs did a better job holding on to Trask’s bad throws last year, you would have seen him benched.
In summation, I put Florida at 4 because they have a very talented QB and a very average QB. I put Ole Miss ahead because they have a QB who I believe has an elite skill-set and a QB who is starter quality.
You may not agree with my evaluation and that’s fine but at least I will show up and defend it.
I think I’d have to agree about OLE MISS > FLA
Not that returning experience or quality depth aren’t important, but I don’t think we can assign the same level of criticality to these in 2020 as in years past. The biggest factor I see for the upcoming season is which coaching staffs can keep their guys focused, virus-free, and least distracted by current events. I think when we look back in December, that will be a huge talking point.
“Ranking the top 5 quarterback rooms in the SEC
Neil Blackmon | 4 hours ago”
article had the shelf life of a fruit fly
Too bad you didn’t wait a few hours to post this. Where does Georgia rank now?
UGA drops at least a spot with the news of Jamie Newman opting out. 2020 just keeps on giving…
Time to redo this list and move UGA down like 2-3 spots
I got UF Bama UGA/ Sc ole miss with or with out Newman
I have UGA below USC and ole miss. UGA has no qb with any sec starting experience and the only qb they have with any experience is coming off an injury and isn’t even medically cleared to play yet
It’s great if your quarterback can rescue the team, but it’s bad if your team needs to be rescued. How many SEC programs need to be rescued this year?
It’s good if your quarterback runs part of the playbook very effectively, it’s bad if the other team knows what you are going to run when they see him come in.
It’s great if no matter what quarterback the coach sends into the game the offense gets first downs. It’s bad if no matter what quarterback the coach sends into the game, your team can’t get first downs.
It’s bad if your quarterback is inconsistent. It’s worse if your quarterback is consistently bad
It’s good if your quarterback is accurate. It’s bad if the other team knows who he is throwing to.
Truly good O-lines don’t care who their coach sends in at quarterback. Truly good defensive secondaries don’t care who the opponent sends in at quarterback.
To hold a 2020 program up in the light of this. I think Missouri’s Robinson can do enough things well to get first downs for a fair part of the game. I think Bazelak, however, is the thrower and quick threat to defense that has to react to the look of the play. Maybe Taylor will have one or two playbook series he runs better than the others. Will the Freshman from St. Louis on the field?, He needs to get snaps if he is going to make it for 4 years in the SEC. It’s a great year for the HC to be the OC at Missouri. I would say that the strength coach better have the Oline in top shape for 2020 because versatility, quickness, brains, cardio-vascular fitness is going to be what this attack is going to demand.
BAMA QBs aren’t really that good, they always have lots of talent around them doing most the work.. When the pressure is on, and they are required to step up and save the day, they fail miserably.. Just look at the most recent playoff games.. Alabama always had running backs that were awesome, so they didn’t need a great qb. Until the running back dry streak is over, they won’t win big games