Preseason SEC Quarterback Power Rankings
By Michael Luciano
Outside of a couple starts who will make fine professional quarterbacks, plenty of SEC teams have a lot of questions to answer at the position. Between three graduate transfers slated to start and two underclassman who saw either no time or very limited action, the SEC could look very different as compared to years past due to the uncertainty at quarterback. While there is still a season yet to be played, this is how the projected starters at quarterback are looking as game time inches closer.
14. Joey Gatewood, Auburn
Jarrett Stidham's tenure as a Tiger has officially ended with Stidham being selected in the fourth round by the New England Patriots. His departure has left Gus Malzahn and Auburn without any experience at the most important position. Following the transfer of Malik Willis, only redshirt freshman Gatewood and true freshman Bo Nix remain. Due to Gatewood's year of experience as a redshirt, the 6-5, 235 pound dual threat with outrageous potential gets the nod. Expectations should be tempered for this wild-card, but he his physical tools should give Malzahn confidence.
13. Matt Corral, Ole Miss
Corral played sparingly last year, filling in for the now-graduated Jordan Ta'amu only briefly. The slinky sophomore may have gone 16-22 with two touchdowns, but he did go 10-10 in the second half against Louisiana-Monroe. If his cameo in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State is any indication of what he might be in his first season as a starter, expect a few pretty throws mixed in with some poor pocket presence. In other words, par for the course for a first-year underclassman starter.
12. Tommy Stevens, Mississippi State
The 6-5, 230 pound Stevens had a tough time getting any meaningful snaps in by virtue of being buried behind former Penn State quarterback and current Baltimore Ravens rookie Trace McSorley. He decided to transfer and link up with former Penn State OC Joe Moorhead in Starkville. Stevens can run, will stand in the pocket and absorb hits with his big frame, and has a hose for a right arm, but he'll need to show he can handle the SEC before be can be declared a solid replacement for Nick Fitzgerald.
11. Riley Neal, Vanderbilt
A 6-6, 225 pound pocket passer, Neal completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,917 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four picks last season under Mike Neu at Ball State. He even managed to play well and make some nice throws when the Cardinals took on Notre Dame on the road. Neal transferred down south, where he should be trusted to start over Mo Hasan. Neal proved himself in the MAC, but in order to impress Derek Mason and NFL scouts, he'll need to prove he can handle the SEC.
10. Ben Hicks, Arkansas
The quarterback room in Fayetteville will look much different this season, as Ty Storey and Cole Kelley transferred to Western Kentucky and Southeastern Louisiana, respectively. Coming in to replace them are former Texas A&M QB Nick Starkel and Ben Hicks, whom Chad Morris coached at SMU before he took the Arkansas job. Hicks wowed all of us with a 33 TD, 12 INT season, but the loss of Morris to Arkansas and receivers Trey Quinn and Courtland Sutton to the NFL saw Hicks regress, barely completing 55 percent of his throws. Productive but not precise, Hicks' familiarity with Morris should give him the edge over Starkel.
9. Terry Wilson, Kentucky
Wilson was the architect of arguably the greatest season in Kentucky football history, as he, Benny Snell, and Mark Stoops helped the Wildcats win 10 games. With Snell gone, however, Wilson will need to prove he's not just a runner and can win games by himself through the air. An 11-8 TD/INT ratio has made many doubtful of Wilson's skill as a dropback passer. Stoops should have Kentucky ready to compete in the SEC East yet again, but their ceiling is capped unless Wilson can suddenly transform into a more accurate passer than he was last year.
8. Jake Bentley, South Carolina
A coach's son with a terrific arm, Bentley was a serious disappointment last season, as the Gamecocks only managed to win seven games despite having Bentley, San Francisco 49ers rookie Deebo Samuel, and Bryan Edwards. Bentley might have topped 3,000 yards and tossed 27 touchdowns, but his completion percentage has dropped from 65.8 to 62.2 to 61.9 percent in his junior year. However, there is reason to believe he and ex-Clemson running back Tavion Feaster will form an excellent duo in Columbia.
7. Joe Burrow, LSU
Burrow finally got some playing time this past season under Ed Orgeron at LSU after sitting behind JT Barrett, Cardale Jones, and Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State. Burrow's 16-5 TD/INT ratio looks good, but his 57.8 completion percentage in an offense that did not go deep downfield very often should give LSU fans some cause for concern. LSU will have their usually strong run game thanks to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but LSU will once again be relegated to being a "very good" team that won't compete for the SEC West title unless we start to see more of Burrow as a passer.
6. Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee
As he moves into his junior season, we finally got to see some of the beautiful downfield throws that made Guarantano such a coveted recruit. With 12 touchdowns against only three picks last year, Guarantano has proven that he can evolve his game, resist the urge to make risky throws, and perform behind a suspect offensive line. With former Georgia OC Jim Chaney, who will be easily the best offensive coach Guarantano has ever had, taking the reigns at OC in Knoxville, expect another significant bump for Guarantano's numbers in Year 3 as Jeremy Pruitt finally puts a respectable team together.
5. Feleipe Franks, Florida
It's amazing what one year away from Jim McElwain will do for your quarterback. In Dan Mullen's offense, Franks excelled in year two, throwing 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions, as compared to nine touchdowns and eight picks during his freshman season. The 6-6, 240 pound Franks may never be a surgically accurate passer, but his arm and legs were effective enough to help Florida win 10 games and defeat Michigan in the Peach Bowl. If Franks continues improving in the pocket, Florida should compete for the SEC East this year.
4. Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
In much the same way that Franks benefited from Dan Mullen instead of Jim McElwain, the difference in Mind under Jimbo Fisher as compared to Kevin Sumlin is night and day. Mond threw for 3,107 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only nine picks while running for 474 yards and seven scores. Like Franks, Mond must work on his accuracy. In addition, the 215 pounder is a little on the frail side for a running quarterback and must add weight. If he does both of those things to any degree, watch out for the Aggies in the SEC West.
3. Kelly Bryant, Missouri
While Barry Odom and Mizzou will have to sit out bowl season due to an NCAA ban, they managed to snag arguably the top quarterback transfer target at the time in Kelly Bryant. After the Trevor Lawrence hype machine swallowed Bryant whole and relegated him to the bench, he transferred to Missouri to try and show off his stuff for pro scouts. While a 13-8 TD/INT ratio is nothing special, his playmaking ability is hard to come by and should serve Missouri well this year. If he shows that he has the requisite arm strength to make tight window throws, Bryant could play on Sundays.
2. Jake Fromm, Georgia
Georgia's offense will take a step back this year, as they are without running back Elijah Holyfield and their four top receivers from last year (Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley, Terry Godwin, Jeremiah Holloman) due to either the NFL or off-field stuff. Even with that Fromm should have the Bulldogs as SEC East favorites. With a 67 percent completion percentage to go along with 30 touchdowns against only six picks, Fromm remains one of the best and most dependable gunslingers in the country. If he continues to show that he hasn't lost his deadly accuracy and can answer questions about his arm strength, Fromm will likely be selected in the first round next year.
1. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
An obvious choice, perhaps, but Tua is clearly the best returning quarterback in the country not named Trevor Lawrence. After narrowly losing out to Kyler Murray in the 2019 Heisman voting, Tagovailoa is set to decimate SEC defenses next year thanks to his deep ball and the talents of wide receivers like Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, and Jaylen Waddle. Some Alabama, and potentially even national, records are poised to fall ahead of Tua's junior season. If he performs like he did last year, he could be the No. 1 overall pick.