SEC Football: Power Ranking Every Team's QBs Post-Spring Practice
Springtime in the SEC is over, and wouldn't you know it, there are still a lot of quarterback battles to be sorted out. With a few exceptions, quarterback races in the SEC were wide open; it was the talk of spring ball across the conference.
Now that spring games have come and gone, it's time to take stock of each team's quarterback situation.
Keep in mind these are rankings based on what transpired during spring. Is there a starter in place? If not, how much longer will the competition carry on? What do the options look like? These are things that are taken into consideration.
In other words, the rankings are a snapshot of where each program is right now with its quarterback picture. They're not a projection of how good (or bad) every quarterback will be—or who will even start.
As you'll see, teams with ongoing quarterback battles will generally rank toward the bottom, while teams with a clear-cut front-runner or starter will generally be toward the top.
With that, let's get to the power rankings and let the controversy begin.
No. 14 Vanderbilt
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Unfortunately, Vanderbilt had what looked like a starting quarterback. The emphasis here is on "had."
Though Patton Robinette didn't technically exit the spring as the starter, he appeared to have the inside track. However, shortly after spring ended, Robinette announced he would be retiring from football because of a history of injuries plus his desire to pursue medical school.
That leaves Johnny McCrary, Wade Freebeck, and Shawn Stankavage to resume the competition with Kyle Shurmur joining later this summer. McCrary led all passers a year ago with 985 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions in seven game appearances. That's not exactly the most asthetically pleasing group of numbers.
No. 13 South Carolina
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This is where things start to get muddled and someone has to be No. 13. With apologies to South Carolina, the Gamecocks come in lowest in a tight group toward the bottom of the power rankings.
As for the competition itself, redshirt sophomore Connor Mitch has the edge at the moment over Perry Orth and Michael Scarnecchia. 2015 signee Lorenzo Nunez will join the competition later this summer, according to head coach Steve Spurrier.
"Lorenzo Nunez was here watching the scrimmage," Spurrier said, via B/R colleague Barrett Sallee. "He'll be ready to step into the competition as soon as he gets on campus in the summer. We're still trying to see if one guy is better than the rest."
Indeed, the competition still has a ways to go. To say Mitch has an edge in experience is being generous. Last season, he appeared in two games and completed two passes on six attempts.
No. 12 Ole Miss
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For the first time in roughly 20 years, Bo Wallace isn't the quarterback for Ole Miss. The Rebels have a three-way battle at the moment to name his successor: Clemson transfer Chad Kelly, Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade.
Buchanan has a slight edge exiting spring, but the battle is far from over.
"Again, even if we say that he has the lead, it is so minute and so small and so far from being over," head coach Hugh Freeze said following the spring game in quotes provided by the university. "That is everything being transparent and that is how I felt today. I might feel differently come Monday. I will watch the film this weekend, and we will see."
There's still a line of thought that Kelly, assuming he can stay out of trouble and develop his game, has a great chance to win the job in preseason camp. Kelly's physically gifted and had success at the community college level. Now it's a matter of whether he can process the playbook to Freeze's liking.
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No. 11 LSU
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Say this for LSU's quarterback competition: At least one player, junior Anthony Jennings, has several starts under his belt. A lot of other teams around the SEC toward the bottom of these power rankings are breaking in guys for the first time.
With that out of the way, the Tigers still have a lot of concerns under center.
Even though Jennings started 12 games last season, he never pulled away from his competitor, Brandon Harris. Throughout spring, the two have been neck-and-neck in a competition that could continue right into Week 1.
“One guy will walk out there first in the McNeese game,” offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said, per Scott Rabalais of The Advocate. “But there’s a lot of football between now and that opening game. If you name a starter, and Les (Miles) and I have talked about this, you’ve still got all summer and fall camp. You can make tremendous improvement in these next three months.”
As it relates to the quarterback competition, are Jennings and Harris this close because they've both made strides, or because they can't separate themselves? Or, is it a little bit of both? We'll find in a few months.
No. 10 Florida
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Following its spring game, Florida was pretty much in the same spot it was a couple of months ago in regards to the quarterback battle. It's a dead heat that will continue through the summer and into preseason camp.
Redshirt freshman Will Grier is a better fit for first-year head coach Jim McElwain's offense, but he has zero game experience at the college level. Sophomore Treon Harris is a dual-threat QB and started six games last season. However, he has a lot of developing to do as a passer.
Grier has the edge at the moment and played well in the spring game, going 8-of-11 for 136 yards. Barring an upset, it feels like Grier is on track to get the nod heading into Week 1.
No. 9 Alabama
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The SEC's most-watched quarterback battle checks in at No. 9 on the power rankings.
What started out as a five-man race at the beginning of spring practice has, unofficially, narrowed to a two-horse battle. Florida State transfer Jake Coker is the likely front-runner at this time, but redshirt freshman David Cornwell has generated some buzz as well.
And, shoot, for good measure, let's throw in a wild Braxton Miller transfer rumor.
Head coach Nick Saban has been known to take his time naming a starting quarterback, but at this point, should anyone be anxious about Coker? He came to the Tide last offseason with many outside expectations that he would start right away. Instead, he fell behind Blake Sims and was the No. 2 guy. That was understandable considering Sims was a locker room leader and had more time with Lane Kiffin's offense.
The question now is whether the proverbial light has turned on for Coker and Saban is keeping it mum, or whether the light has turned on at all.
No. 8 Kentucky
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Redshirt junior and incumbent starter Patrick Towles is the presumed front-runner to start again in 2015. However, Towles has been challenged by redshirt freshman Drew Barker, and head coach Mark Stoops hasn't made an announcement yet.
He doesn't plan on making one for a while, either. With new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson in the fold, the Wildcats are simply trying to install and perfect the new offense. Which quarterback grasps it and handles it the best should have the inside track.
"Patrick played well and was our starter coming off the year, and he knows he's got to improve to hold that position and again, that's no different than any position," Stoops told Jennifer Smith of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Last season, Towles threw for 2,718 yards and 14 touchdowns and added another six scores on the ground. However, he ranked toward the bottom of the SEC in passer rating and yards per pass attempt.
No. 7 Georgia
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Exiting spring, Georgia feels it has two solid options at quarterback. Redshirt freshman Jacob Park had some nice moments in the spring game, but the race is likely down to Brice Ramsey, last year's No. 2, and Faton Bauta.
Of the two, Ramsey is of the pro-style variety and has the stronger arm to push the ball down the field. Bauta gives the offense more athleticism with his running ability. As Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com notes, the competition is expected to carry into the fall with the possibility of both quarterbacks playing this season:
"Bulldogs coach Mark Richt, who is looking for departed starter Hutson Mason’s replacement, said the search would continue when his team begins preseason camp in late July. Richt said he hoped to have a starter named by Georgia’s Sept. 5 opener against Louisiana-Monroe, but wouldn’t rule out playing two quarterbacks to start the season.
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No matter which quarterback gets the nod, the offense still goes through sophomore running back Nick Chubb.
No. 6 Missouri
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Missouri's starting quarterback job is, without question, Maty Mauk's. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen.
As a freshman in 2013, Mauk filled in fairly well for the injured James Franklin, giving fans promise that Mauk's turn as a starter would yield good results. That didn't quite turn out to be the case.
As a sophomore starter, Mauk was all over the map. At one point, he went four straight games—against South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Vanderbilt—completing less than 50 percent of his passes. In that stretch, he threw two touchdowns, both against the Commodores, to five interceptions.
Granted, wide receiver play was a bit hit-and-miss. Additionally, according to Edward Aschoff of ESPN.com, Mauk was playing through shoulder pain throughout the second half of the season. Still, there's no doubt Mauk has to be better.
He certainly can be. Mauk is a tremendous athlete, which means if he improves as a passer, he's up there with Joshua Dobbs at Tennessee among the more dangerous players in the SEC East.
No. 5 Arkansas
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Arkansas' offense goes through the running game. It's that simple. Break down the Razorbacks' play-calling, and it's 60-40 in favor of the run. When you have one of the deepest backfields in the SEC and a huge offensive line, why wouldn't you run the ball?
However, don't sleep on Hogs quarterback Brandon Allen. He's been thrown under the dreaded "game manager" category, but he has the chance to be more than that. In the spring game, Allen went 17-of-21 for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
Yes, Allen was wearing a green no-contact jersey. Yes, he was going against the second-team defense. His stats do need to be taken for what they're worth. That said, Allen threw a beautiful deep ball to receiver Keon Hatcher for a 65-yard touchdown. It was one of several nice throws Allen made that day.
And that's what you have to take away from a performance like that. Did Allen make good decisions? Was he accurate? Given the no-pressure situation he was in, he checked off those boxes.
Arkansas will continue to be a run-heavy offense in 2015. If Allen can make the next step in his development, though, he gives the Hogs another dimension stretching the field in a way that wasn't there a year ago.
No. 4 Texas A&M
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Even though he was a 5-star recruit in 2014, Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen didn't start in Week 1 for the Aggies. Instead, sophomore Kenny Hill got the nod and threw for more than 500 yards against South Carolina.
But that success didn't last long. Hill was benched following a 59-0 loss to Alabama, and Allen was given the nod for the following game against Louisiana-Monroe. Allen was 3-2 in five starts and threw for 1,322 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year. He also displayed some surprising running ability in the Liberty Bowl win over West Virginia.
Though Allen is the clear-cut guy for the Aggies exiting spring, he'll compete with incoming freshman Kyler Murray in preseason camp. Murray is a former 5-star prospect as well who's left the Texas high school football scene as a legend.
Speaking with Zach Barnett of FootballScoop.com, Aggies offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said he's willing to give Murray a chance to show what he has.
"It’s going to be interesting," Spavital said. "I always take those freshmen quarterbacks and I throw them in the fire. I always give them the opportunity to win the starting job if they can handle it or not. It’s going to be interesting to see him go out there and compete."
It'll be a fascinating competition, for sure. Allen is a terrific passer with better-than-advertised athleticism and a ton of upside.
No. 3 Tennessee
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For the first time in a while, Tennessee has stability at quarterback thanks to junior Joshua Dobbs. Though he didn't see action through the first seven games in 2014, Dobbs provided a much-needed spark for the Vols in an eventual loss to Alabama last October.
Dobbs took over from there, going 4-1 as a starter in the last five games, including a TaxSlayer Bowl win over Iowa.
Though Tennessee broke in a new offensive coordinator this spring, Mike DeBord, Dobbs looked like he had total control over the offense in the spring game. What's more is that he displayed improved accuracy and mechanics. Dobbs was already a gifted athlete, but now he's morphing into a legitimate passer as well. By the coaches' accounts, he's a more vocal leader, too.
In short, Dobbs is becoming everything a program wants in a "franchise" quarterback. That reason, among others, is why the Vols are gaining momentum as preseason SEC East favorites.
No. 2 Auburn
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Auburn, like many of its SEC counterparts, entered spring with a quarterback competition. Unlike its conference rivals, though, the Tigers came out the other side with a definitive answer.
It's a good thing head coach Gus Malzahn didn't wait too long to name Jeremy Johnson the starter. It was the worst-kept secret that the junior was in line to succeed Nick Marshall. While Johnson and redshirt freshman Sean White were technically competing for the job, this was Johnson's to lose, hands down.
"I'm ready for it. It's been like that even when I wasn't the starting quarterback," Johnson said on Auburn's official website. "You've got to handle yourself in a different fashion than everyone else and people on the street. I carry myself very well, I feel like."
Johnson saw limited action last season, but he started the season opener against Arkansas while Marshall sat with a suspension. In that game—in one half, actually—Johnson threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
To rank him this high despite his lack of experience is a risk, but there are big expectations for him. B/R colleague Barrett Sallee, who normally handles SEC coverage, thinks Johnson could be primed for a Heisman-contending season.
No. 1 Mississippi State
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Can Mississippi State replicate the success of last year's 10-win season? For that matter, can it come close? The Bulldogs lose so, so much on both sides of the ball, but the turnover in the defensive front seven is the most glaring.
Despite all the question marks that won't be answered for some time, there's no doubt Mississippi State has the best quarterback in the SEC in Dak Prescott. The senior was named a first-team All-SEC selection by both the coaches and media last year.
In all, Prescott combined to account for 4,435 total yards and 41 touchdowns. He also led the SEC with 341 total yards of offense per game. He's the perfect fit for head coach Dan Mullen's offense and is carving out his own legacy with the Bulldogs. Prescott was in the Heisman running for a while last season and enters 2015 in the discussion once again.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.
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