Quarterbacks: There are a lot of them! Each week throughout the season, we’ll help you keep the game’s most important position in perspective by ranking the SEC starters 1-14 according to highly scientific processes and/or pure gut-level instinct. Previously: Week 1 … Week 2 … Week 3 … Week 4 … Week 5 … Week 6 … Week 7 … Week 8 … Week 9 … Week 10 … Week 11 … Week 12. … Week 13.

1. Jayden Daniels, LSU

Daniels wrapped up his regular season with a typically gonzo stat line in a 42-30 win over Texas A&M, the cherry on top of arguably the most productive season by any quarterback in D-I history. Who is arguing that? I am arguing that, right now.

Typically, this would be the point to compare Daniels’ output with the other two relevant quarterbacks in the Heisman race, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. But with all due respect to Nix and Penix, both of whom are having fine seasons worthy of a ticket to New York, that narrow point of reference is unfair to Daniels.

Not only is Daniels leading the nation in every relevant category, in most of them, he’s leading by a lot. He’s accounting for 412 yards per game (rushing and passing), compared to Nix’s 334 ypg and Penix’s 324. He’s accounted for 50 total touchdowns to Nix’s 43 and Penix’s 35. Daniels’ 11.7 yards per attempt is a full 2 yards more per attempt than Nix (9.7) and 2.6 more than Penix (9.1). His overall efficiency rating (208.0 – a single-season FBS record) is nearly 20 points ahead of Nix (189.8) and 45 points ahead of Penix (163.3). He has accounted for 75.2% of his team’s total offense, compared to 62.7% for Nix and 69.2% for Penix. Daniels is easily outpacing both in terms of Total QBR, Total EPA, and overall grading by Pro Football Focus. I could go on.

Again, respect to Nix and Penix, who have a monster showdown on deck this weekend for the Pac-12 championship and (probably) a ticket to the College Football Playoff, while Daniels’ college career is effectively over pending his decision on whether or not to play in (probably) the ReliaQuest Bowl. But the tale of the tape does not lie. And it is not close.

In fact, to really do justice to Daniels’ historic output this season it’s necessary to turn to, well, history. Thirteen quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy since 2007, the year Florida’s Tim Tebow stormed to the podium on the strength of a compelling stat line despite his team failing to even win its own division with a 9-3 record, just as Daniels is attempting to do this year. Here’s how those 13 quarterbacks’ production in their Heisman-winning seasons stacks up against Daniels’ production in 2023:

If you don’t want to parse all that, here’s where Daniels ranks in each of those categories, compared to the previous 13 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks:

• Total Offense: 1st
• Yards Per Attempt: 1st
• Touchdowns Per Game: 3rd
• Pass Efficiency: 1st (and an FBS record)
• Total QBR: 1st
• EPA Per Game: 1st
• PFF Grade: 2nd (tie)

Is the picture clear enough? Is there anything Nix or Penix could realistically do in the Pac-12 Championship Game to justify ignoring Daniels’ raw statistical dominance? On paper, no. On the strength of 11th-hour sentiment … we’ll see. Final impressions are worth a lot, especially when they involve raising a trophy at the end. Nix and Penix are a couple of veterans who have endured a lot over the course of their careers, including major injuries, and come out the other side as winners. Numbers are a hard sell against stories. But in this race, let’s be clear that that’s what the case for the other guys amounts to: Pure sentiment.
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(Last week: 1⬌)

2. Carson Beck, Georgia

Are we fully sold on Beck? Like, all the way? Last week, I wrote about about his success as a “system” quarterback, in the best sense. It’s a testament to the system at Georgia that navigating a 12-0 regular season while barely breaking a sweat is almost taken for granted. Entering the postseason, though, he faces the same question that loomed ahead of Stetson Bennett IV at this point in the calendar the past two years: What if the system hits a glitch? Beck has yet to play against a Playoff-caliber opponent, under consistent pressure from an opposing pass rush, or saddled by a 4th-quarter deficit. How will he respond if and when he does?

Bennett, of course, ultimately passed all of those tests, which is one of the reasons confidence in his statistically identical successor is so high. For Beck, his first big exam comes Saturday against Alabama, which (unlike the past 2 years) looks like a must-win game for Georgia to crack the CFP field. If he makes dispatching the Tide look as routine as the rest of his assignments to date, betting against a 3-peat is going to look that much more foolish.
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(Last week: 2⬌)

3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama

Milroe’s boom-or-bust performance at Auburn was typical of his boom-or-bust season. Slightly more than half of his 366 total yards on Saturday came on just 5 plays, all of them game-changers in a game that seemed to turn about a dozen different times:

  • 1st quarter: A 33-yard completion to Malik Benson on 3rd-and-17, extending Bama’s opening possession en route to a touchdown and a 7-0 lead;
  • 2nd quarter: A 68-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Burton immediately following the Tigers’ second touchdown, putting Alabama back on top 17-14 heading into the half;
  • 3rd quarter: A 37-yard run into Auburn territory immediately following the Tigers’ third touchdown, setting up a go-ahead field goal attempt (no good);
  • 4th quarter: A 19-yard scramble on 3rd-and-20 with Bama trailing 24-20 and the clock winding down, setting up a 4th-and-1 conversion on the ensuing play;

And, of course:

  • 4th quarter: The game-winning heave to Isaiah Bond on 4th-and-31 following a Keystone Kops sequence of events in the final minute, an instant entry into the book of Iron Bowl lore.

Uneven as it was, Milroe’s afternoon yielded 2 of his best numbers of the season in terms of both passer rating (184.8) and Total QBR (89.5). Just as important, given his reckless reputation: No turnovers for the 3rd time in the past 4 games.
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(Last week: 3⬌)

4. Brady Cook, Missouri

It’s easy to forget on this side of Mizzou’s 10-2 breakthrough that, at this time last year, Cook’s future atop the depth chart was very much in doubt. Not anymore. While his bottom-line production may not leap off the page, his consistency was a cornerstone of the Tigers’ success. He accounted for multiple touchdowns in 11 games; a passer rating of 140+ in 10 games; and a QBR rating of 70+ in 9. His only “bad” game, in a 30-21 loss at Georgia, still yielded the highest point total the Bulldogs allowed in SEC play.
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(Last week: 4⬌)

5. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Dart was challenged for his job over the offseason and took it to heart, responding with significant gains over his 2022 output in yards per attempt, overall efficiency, and QBR. His biggest improvement: Interceptions, which he effectively cut in half from 11 in 362 attempts (3.0%) to just 5 in 318 attempts (1.6%). Although Dart tapped the brakes last week on Lane Kiffin’s premature report that he’d already decided to stay in school in 2024, all signs point to another year in Oxford and more positive returns ahead.
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(Last week: 5⬌)

6. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina

Rattler had a forgettable night against Clemson, setting career lows for passing yards (112), yards per attempt (3.5), and efficiency (73.2) in a 16-7 loss. Afterward, he spoke in the past tense, more or less acknowledging he’s on his way out without coming right out and saying it. Wednesday, he made it official: He’s declaring for the NFL Draft.

For a guy barely 2 years removed from opening the 2021 season as the literal Heisman favorite, there’s no way to describe Rattler’s trajectory except as a disappointment. Once a 5-star recruit and an aspiring first-rounder, he’ll go out as the underachieving face of a 5-7 team with limited pro prospects. Then again, as volatile as his time in Columbia has been, for a guy operating without much of a supporting cast, his presence was often the only thing keeping South Carolina afloat.

Last year’s back-to-back upsets over Tennessee and Clemson — spoiling both teams’ Playoff hopes in the process — are two of the indelible wins in school history. Of the many reasons for the Gamecocks’ failure to launch this year, Rattler ranks well down the list. Here’s guessing he will be missed.
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(Last week: 6⬌)

7. Joe Milton III, Tennessee

After Jayden Daniels, Milton is the only other player on this list who is definitively out of eligibility: Assuming he opts in, Tennessee’s bowl game (likely the Gator Bowl) will be his last in a college uniform. He’s coming off his best statistical outing as a Vol, a 383-yard, 4-touchdown bonanza against Vanderbilt that marked his first game with 300+ yards passing or with more than 2 TD passes. Of course, after presiding over an 0-4 record in the 4 biggest games of his only season as the starter, putting the torch to Vandy isn’t exactly going to earn him an exalted place in Rocky Top lore. Milton’s raw physical tools might still get him drafted; in the meantime, the fan base is ready to turn the page to the heir apparent, 5-star freshman Nico Iamalavea.
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(Last week: 7⬌)

8. Devin Leary, Kentucky

Leary played arguably his best game as a Wildcat in a season-saving, 38-31 upset at Louisville, finishing with season-highs for efficiency (169.1) and QBR (85.4) vs. a Power 5 opponent. Now, the thousand-dollar question: Where does he stand for 2024?

Technically, Leary is a 6th-year senior whose eligibility has expired. But at his previous school, NC State, he lost most of 2 seasons to injuries in 2020 and ’22, and could appeal to the NCAA for a medical hardship that would restore 1 of those years — if he wants it. He’s been noncommittal on that point, telling reporters last week (prior to the Louisville game) that his focus is “week to week” and that he hasn’t looked into the waiver process.

Whatever he decides, Kentucky needs to know ASAP if it has a vacancy to fill in the December portal window. Viable SEC starters won’t be on the market for long, and few of them will have any interest in potentially competing with an incumbent. And the stakes these days are just too high to leave in the hands of the next man up on the depth chart, in this case the seldom-used Kaiya Sheron.
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(Last week: 9⬆)

9. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas

Jefferson is still a Razorback. All the vibes coming out of Fayetteville, however, point toward the portal. His production cratered this year in what was supposed to be his culminating season, which ended last week with Jefferson watching a blowout loss to Missouri from the sideline after leaving the game with a knee injury. Before kickoff, he published an Instagram post that said “Last One,” which doesn’t take much sleuthing to decode. “In all honesty if he put it out there, it probably means he’s had all of the college or all of the Arkansas he wants,” coach Sam Pittman said after the game, indicating he and Jefferson hadn’t gotten around to that conversation.

He also posted this.

Jefferson has the option of staying in school for a 6th year, and his combination of size, athleticism and experience would make him an intriguing option for any team in the market for a veteran. (TCU, current home of Jefferson’s former offensive coordinator at Arkansas, Kendal Briles, would be an obvious candidate.) Of course, those are the same qualities that were supposed to make him an intriguing prospect at the next level, where his stock hasn’t fallen so much as it never quite got off the ground in the first place. The transition from Briles’ system to an allegedly more “pro style” offense was supposed to give Jefferson more opportunities to do things pro scouts want to see; instead, the Hogs were plagued by injuries, the surrounding cast was devoid of healthy weapons, and OC Dan Enos was fired in October. Wherever he lands — back in Fayetteville, at another school, or in the NFL Draft — a maxed-out Jefferson is still a tantalizing possibility.
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(Last week: 8⬇)

10. Payton Thorne, Auburn

Auburn has a big decision to make concerning Thorne’s status as QB1 and not much time to make it. On one hand, he improved markedly over the second half of the season, culminating in a near-upset in the Iron Bowl. On the other, the turnaround probably had more to do with a frontloaded conference slate than it did with a lightbulb flickering on. The passing game was a nonentity against the top half of the schedule, with Thorne averaging a meager 5.0 per attempt in the Tigers’ 5 conference losses. Against Alabama, he finished 5-for-16 for 91 yards and 2 interceptions in a game the defense and ground attack gave the Tigers a real chance to win.

Last year, Hugh Freeze struck out in the more fertile December portal window and had to settle for Thorne, a refugee from Michigan State, after spring practice. This year, he can’t afford to wait. Whether he can live with the prospect of Thorne as the incumbent or not, it shouldn’t take long to find out.
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(Last week: 10⬌)

11. Will Rogers, Mississippi State

It’s a little bit surreal to imagine Rogers, the most prolific passer in Mississippi State history by a country mile, suiting up somewhere else — or, for that matter, that he still has eligibility to spend somewhere else. Then again, his announcement this week that he’s on the move for his 5th and final round on campus didn’t exactly come as a surprise, either: Between injury, regression, and the Bulldogs’ second head-coaching change in as many years, all signs pointed to a tenure that had run its course. With 40 career starts and 94 touchdowns under his belt, Rogers figures to be one of the safest bets on the transfer market.

The challenge for the new head coach, Jeff Lebby, is to find someone who plausibly represents an upgrade. That rules out Rogers’ understudies, senior Mike Wright and true freshman Chris Parsons, both of whom struggled in his absence, to put it mildly. Finding the right fit in the portal will go a long way toward setting the course in Lebby’s first year on the job.
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(Last week: 12⬆)

12. Jaylen Henderson, Texas A&M

Henderson, a 3rd-year transfer from Fresno State, held down the fort admirably in November, accounting for 8 total touchdowns and a 164.9 passer rating in place of an injured Max Johnson. (Johnson subsequently announced his plans to move on as a grad transfer with 2 years of eligibility remaining.) There’s no uncertainty about Conner Weigman‘s status as QB1 once he returns from the foot injury that ended his season in Week 4, but with Johnson’s exit and no other heir apparent waiting in the wings it is safe to pencil in Henderson as the presumptive backup heading into 2024. And for a team whose opening-day starter has failed to make it out of September in 3 consecutive seasons, the Aggies don’t need to be reminded of the value of good insurance.
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(Last week: 11⬇)

13. Max Brown, Florida

Brown’s first career start against Florida State went the way first career starts against Florida State tend to go: Badly. After a solid first quarter, he was a nonfactor over the next 3, accounting for exactly 5 yards (including negative yardage on sacks) en route to a 24-15 loss that ended the Gators’ season at 5-7. Suffice to say that if Graham Mertz is looking over his shoulder next year following his recovery from a broken collarbone, it will be 5-star freshman DJ Lagway he sees in the rearview.
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(Last week: 13⬌)

14. AJ Swann or Ken Seals, Vanderbilt

Both flashed some initial promise in the early stages of their careers, but neither Swann nor Seals ever managed to settle into the starting job for long, and both are on their way out with very little to show football-wise for their time in Nashville. They leave with a combined 0-25 record as starters in SEC play.

Vandy can’t be quite as cavalier as the competition in the portal due to academics. Three scholarship QBs are set to return in ’24, of whom only redshirt freshman Walter Taylor saw the field this year in an occasional Wildcat role. Two more are on the way in the incoming recruiting class. One way or another, Clark Lea desperately needs results in a make-or-break year for his tenure.
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(Last week: 14⬌)

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