Best SEC Quarterbacks of All Time

While the conference has a reputation as a bastion of strong running games and physical defense, the SEC has produced some of the finest quarterbacks ever to play the game at the collegiate and pro levels. In just the last 25 years alone, this conference has spawned multiple Heisman winners, record-breakers, and surefire Hall of Famers under center.

The likes of Steve Spurrier (1966 Heisman Trophy winner), David Greene (third all-time in SEC passing yards) Drew Lock (record-holder fo passing touchdowns in a season with 44, second all-time in SEC passing yards) just missed the cut for this list of the eight best to every line up under center in college football's best conference. That should tell you everything you need to know about how formidable this group truly is.

8. Tim Couch, Kentucky

Tim Couch walked so the air raid quarterbacks of today could run. Kentucky head coach Hal Mumme brought the innovative scheme to the big time with Couch as his trigger man, and the QB responded by shattering just about every SEC's passing record on the books. In his Wildcat career, Couch threw for 8,435 yards and 74 touchdowns in two years as a starter. He still holds the conference's single-season completion percentage record, and parlayed his explosive college career into a No. 1 overall selection by the reborn Cleveland Browns.

7. AJ McCarron, Alabama

AJ McCarron was the ultimate Nick Saban quarterback pre-Tua Tagovailoa. With 77 touchdowns in his four years on the team against just 15 picks, McCarron almost never put the ball in harm's way, dictating the pace of games expertly while the Tide's usually dominant running game and nasty defense propelled them to two championships with McCarron at the helm. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2013, and has continued to parlay his accuracy into a host of NFL backup jobs. He currently sits behind Deshaun Watson on Houston's depth chart.

6. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

Sometimes, the brightest stars burn out the quickest, and no one epitomizes that more than Johnny Manziel. His personal demons and lackluster pro career have somewhat overshadowed one of the most legendary college careers ever. After becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman -- in a year in which he upset Alabama and piled up over 5,100 yards from scrimmage and 47 touchdowns, no less -- Manziel followed up with 46 total touchdowns the following year. Picked No. 22 overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, Manziel still holds the SEC's career completion percentage mark.

5. Aaron Murray, Georgia

The four-year starter is the most statistically prolific passer in conference history. Aaron Murray holds career SEC records for passing yards (13,166) and passing touchdowns (121) despite playing in a Mark Richt offense that wasn't always keen on chucking the ball all over the field. Some criticized Murray for not winning enough big games, but those failures go more on Richt than on the QB. Murray was picked in the fifth round of the 2014 draft by Kansas City, but was cut in 2015; he has since made a living as an analyst for CBS and a QB for the AAF's Atlanta Legends and, most recently, the XFL's Tampa Bay Vipers.

4. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Tua's numbers are so cartoonishly inflated that they almost don't seem real. In two years of starting under Saban at Alabama, Tagovailoa has 81 touchdown passes against only nine interceptions. he has a chance to break both Manziel's career and Couch's single-season completion percentage record, all the while leading the Crimson Tide to the No. 1 overall ranking and establishing himself as the favorite to win the Heisman this year. With his impending selection by the Miami Dolphins looking more likely by the day, Tua will continue his assault on the college football record books.

3. Danny Wuerffel, Florida

Before Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel brought the "fun-n-gun" to the SEC, the conference was reliant on the Bo Jacksons and Herschel Walkers of the world carrying the ball 40 times a game while triple-options and I-formation ruled the day. After Wuerffel broke every passing record in the books, won the 1996 Heisman, led Florida to an SEC title in four straight seasons, and won the school's first-ever national championship, the SEC finally wised up and starting to cut it loose downfield more frequently. A record-setter and a trailblazer, Wuerffel remains a deity in Gainesville.

2. Peyton Manning, Tennessee

As a high school and collegiate prospect, Manning was viewed as a messiah meant to lead a team to the promised land. He did just that for the Colts and Broncos in the NFL, but before that, he helped the Tennessee Volunteers re-establish themselves as a top national program. Peyton, who finished in the top eight in the Heisman voting each of his last three years, holds pretty much every Tennessee passing record there is to hold, and translated his prolific college career into one of the greatest professional careers in American sports history.

1. Tim Tebow, Florida

Who else could really have gone No. 1? In four years at Florida, Tebow threw 88 touchdowns against just 16 picks while rushing for 57 more scores. While scoring 55 times and winning the Heisman in 2007 might be his finest individual achievement, Tebow was a major part of two championship-winning Gators teams, winning every major award that needed to be won and drawing never-before-seen attention to the Gator program. Tebow is not only far and away the greatest SEC quarterback ever; he might be the greatest college football player of all time.