History tells us it’ll happen.

We’ll see a true freshman SEC quarterback get the call to become the guy. Shoot, LSU had 2 true freshman quarterbacks start multiple games in 2020. MSU had Will Rogers, South Carolina had Luke Doty, Tennessee had Harrison Bailey and Vanderbilt had Ken Seals start every game of 2020. Six true freshmen started games for 5 SEC teams.

That’s a wild thought considering the offseason that was. Even in the event that the 2021 offseason is at least somewhat normal, it’s difficult to predict that we’ll again see a half dozen true freshman quarterbacks start SEC games. That’s probably not the best sign if that’s playing out.

Then again, maybe when we actually have spring games, fan bases will be convinced that the next great SEC quarterback is on their team’s roster.

Playing as a true freshman is often related to opportunity. Bryce Young, the No. 2 recruit in the entire 2020 class, wasn’t one of those 6 true freshman starters in the SEC. Why? Mac Jones had one of the best seasons of any college quarterback in the 21st century. He also stayed healthy.

Sometimes it takes an injury (Myles Brennan). Sometimes it takes poor performance (Collin Hill/Tennessee’s quarterback room). Or sometimes, you’re just the best guy in the room from the jump (Seals).

Opportunity comes in a variety of forms. If I’m betting on 5 SEC freshman quarterbacks to start a game in 2021, here’s who I’d go with (remember that this isn’t saying I think they’ll be the Week 1 starter):

Kaidon Salter, Tennessee

If I were Salter, I would’ve had a massive fist pump the second that Josh Heupel was announced as Tennessee’s next head coach. Sure, Salter signed with a different coaching staff, but now he’ll work with somebody who actually knows how to develop a quarterback. Heupel’s track record working with quarterbacks like Sam Bradford (as quarterbacks coach), Drew Lock (as OC), McKenzie Milton and Dillon Gabriel (as head coach) bodes well. Really well.

Salter is a true dual-threat gunslinger from Texas who can improv like Gabriel. Confidence isn’t lacking, and neither is opportunity. Salter will battle against the aforementioned Bailey and Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker, who committed to Tennessee before the coaching decision was made. On the surface, a true freshman who weighs 185 pounds doesn’t really have a shot to win a battle against a pair of quarterbacks who started in Power 5 games last year.

The good news for Salter is that Bailey and Hooker will also be learning a new offense. Neither is a natural fit, either. Bailey’s lack of mobility could hold him back and Hooker doesn’t throw as well on the run, both of which are things Salter does well. Heupel can make this a legitimate battle into fall camp. That’ll give Salter some time to get up to speed and put on weight.

Do I think Salter is the guy from the jump? Probably not. But unless Heupel goes out and gets a grad transfer, Tennessee’s Week 1 starter won’t be hand-picked by the new coach. Salter is the most natural fit in Heupel’s system. If he wants to start that clock in 2021 in the midst of what should be an otherwise frustrating season on Rocky Top, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Sawyer Robertson, Mississippi State

Wait. Didn’t I just mention how Rogers started as a true freshman? Yes. So does that mean I think Robertson will step in and start over Rogers from the jump? No. But I think there’s a strong chance that Robertson is at least QB2.

Sam Houston State transfer Jack Kristofek and former Vanderbilt transfer Allan Walters were hand-picked by Leach, as well. Walters has an extra year in the system, but without him being eligible in 2020, we didn’t really see what he was capable of. Former 4-star quarterbacks Garrett Shrader and Jalen Mayden transferred, and KJ Costello is off to the NFL. The quarterback turnover was inevitable for Leach, who is historically particular about his signal-callers.

What does he like about Robertson? A lot. For starters, he threw a ton in high school. He completed 64% of his 1,251 passes (!) in 3 seasons as one of the best quarterbacks in Texas. He has a quick delivery that allows him to handle pressure and keep a defense on its heels. At 6-3, 200 pounds, Robertson has some room to grow a bit physically, but he can already make all the throws.

There’s also no guarantee that Rogers has a stranglehold on the starting job. While he had a brutal situation starting behind a lackluster offensive line, he still averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt. Rogers’ Year 2 jump — and MSU’s offensive line improving enough to keep him upright — could be what determines how quick Robertson’s path is.

Dematrius Davis, Auburn

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I’m out on Bo Nix. Like, I’m out on him being a solid SEC quarterback. In 2 full years as a starter with (mostly) favorable surroundings, Nix wasn’t even an average SEC quarterback. Bryan Harsin and Mike Bobo might not be nearly as loyal to Nix as Gus Malzahn was.

Ergo, an opportunity awaits for Davis.

Davis, like Nix, was a decorated high school quarterback with multiple state championships. He doesn’t have a ton of size at 5-10, but in addition to moving well like Doty, who started in Bobo’s offense at the end of last season, Davis could be just what the doctor ordered for this new coaching staff. Davis is comfortable stepping up in the pocket and setting his feet, which is the exact thing that’s plagued Nix.

It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff evaluates Nix. Will he be taken on as a reclamation project and talked about as the starter? Or will this be a true camp battle along with 2020 Auburn signee Chayil Garnett? I’d assume the latter is a strong possibility, and even if Nix is the guy, there could be a much shorter leash.

Davis could be an impressive spring away from really putting pressure on the new coaching staff to roll with a true freshman.

Eli Stowers, Texas A&M

My gut says that Jimbo Fisher won’t turn to a true freshman to replace Kellen Mond and that Haynes King will be given every opportunity to succeed in that offense. Fisher isn’t known for rolling out true freshman starters, especially not at quarterback.

Still, we’re talking about a quarterback room with 0 career starts and 30 career FBS pass attempts between King and Zach Calzada (A&M also added Hawaii transfer Zach Daniel as a walk-on). Given A&M’s sky-high expectations in 2021, there won’t be much wiggle room for a new starting quarterback who struggles. As much as Fisher loves digging his heels in when he settles on a quarterback, Stowers could easily find himself as the backup sitting there an injury/poor performance away from getting the starting job.

Stowers, like the 3 previously mentioned true freshmen on this list, lit it up playing his high school ball in Texas. He already has the size to play in the SEC at 6-4, 215 pounds, and like Mond, he is indeed a true dual-threat, which is a major prerequisite in Fisher’s offense. There won’t be questions about excelling against high-level competition for Stowers.

The more pressing issue for him could be whether he can beat out Calzada for the No. 2 job. Mond was the rare guy who went 3 years in the SEC without missing a start. There’s no guarantee his successor is quite as durable.

And if Stowers gets an opportunity, there’s a good chance he doesn’t look back surrounded by a group that’s loaded with proven offensive skill player talent.

Colten Gauthier, South Carolina

This is another great example of a team with an incumbent starter who we assume will be QB1 for the entire season with a new coaching staff. I’m not here to bet against Luke Doty being QB1 to start the Shane Beamer era, but this could easily be a “playing the hand you were dealt” situation. Ryan Hilinski transferred, and Jay Urich and Collin Hill are both gone. Dakereon Joyner switched to receiver last year. That’s putting a lot of hopes on Doty, who didn’t lead South Carolina to the 20-point mark in any of his 3 starts as a true freshman in 2020.

Unless Hilinski comes back to South Carolina after Bobo’s departure for Auburn, it’s safe to say the Gamecocks aren’t exactly loaded with depth at quarterback with 2 scholarship quarterbacks. Consider that all the more reason to buy some Gauthier stock while it’s low.

As a 6-3, Air Raid quarterback, he’ll bring something totally different to the table than Doty. New offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield wants to be versatile (he was Temple’s offensive coordinator when XFL/NFL quarterback PJ Walker became a star). His background doesn’t suggest he’ll have a set style with an obvious fit at quarterback.

There’s something else worth remembering — Gauthier was Beamer’s first official signee at South Carolina. Beamer gave him a lot of credit for holding the class together when he had limited time to salvage it himself. That doesn’t necessarily guarantee Beamer wants to roll him out in Year 1, but clearly, he values his leadership. That matters for a new head coach trying to win over a locker room.

If South Carolina doesn’t somehow become active on the grad transfer market — I expect it will — then the mobile Doty could be the only thing standing in the way of Gauthier going from 3-star recruit to true freshman SEC starter.

And a thought about Brock Vandagriff …

He’s not going to beat out JT Daniels for the starting job. Barring an injury/off-field incident, the hay is in the barn with that one.

But as for whether the 5-star quarterback will see the field as a true freshman, it’ll be interesting to see how Kirby Smart handles his backup situation. Carson Beck has become the forgotten guy in the Georgia quarterback room. Does he see reps as a redshirt freshman? Does Smart turn to Stetson Bennett IV in the event of a Daniels injury because of his experience?

Most intriguing will be his management of Vandagriff, who flipped from Oklahoma to Georgia. Vandagriff would have plenty of suitors if he found himself buried on the depth chart as a true freshman. How much does Smart worry about keeping him happy and involved in the right way after how the Justin Fields thing played out? Even in the likely event that 2021 is Daniels’ last year in college and the job will open up in 2022, Smart has to approach this the right way. He already watched 2 former 5-star quarterbacks leave and succeed elsewhere. The last thing he wants is for Vandagriff to join that club.

It might be a bit early to even suggest that. Georgia has a quarterback situation that most teams would trade for in a heartbeat, and now, it actually has an offense that can maximize that talent. As is always the case though, with great talent comes great responsibility.

Just remember that when Vandagriff gets a whole lot of garbage time snaps this year.