SEC Football: Power Ranking Every Team's QBs Post Spring Practice
The quarterback position is one of the SEC's giant mysteries heading into the 2016 season.
Aside from Ole Miss' Chad Kelly and Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs, no quarterbacks in the conference have proved they can handle the responsibility of running the offense for an SEC football team.
There is potential, though.
Texas A&M's Trevor Knight had success early in his Oklahoma career before losing his job and transferring. Georgia's Jacob Eason has more upside than any player in the conference, and LSU's Brandon Harris is entering his second full season as a starter in Baton Rouge.
How do the quarterback situations stack up after spring practice? Here's our ranking based on talent, versatility and track record.
14. Vanderbilt Commodores
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Vanderbilt finished 112th in passing offense a year ago, when it averaged just 171.8 yards per game through the air. Johnny McCrary took the majority of those snaps but gave way to Kyle Shurmur late in the year and ultimately transferred.
Now a sophomore, Shurmur is back after completing 42.7 percent of his passes for 503 yards, five touchdowns and three picks last year. He's in a battle with Shawn Stankavage and Wade Freebeck this offseason.
Shurmur, a former 4-star prospect, has the most upside but will need to be more consistent if the Commodores are going to take pressure off stud running back Ralph Webb.
Can he be? With an offensive line that struggled this spring and no proven wide receiver outside to keep defenses honest deep, that question remains unanswered.
13. Missouri Tigers
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Much like Kyle Shurmur at Vanderbilt, Missouri quarterback Drew Lock was thrust into a bad situation as a freshman last year after Maty Mauk's struggles/suspension on a team that didn't have much to work with outside.
It showed.
Lock, a former 4-star prospect, completed just 49 percent of his passes (129-of-263) for 1,332 yards, four touchdowns and eight interceptions on an offense that finished 113th in the nation in passing (165.5 YPG).
Lock has potential and should benefit from an entire offseason working with a group of wide receivers with upside, including Nate Brown and J'Mon Moore.
But the coaching change, shift to offensive coordinator Josh Heupel and last season's struggles make it hard to trust Missouri's quarterbacks this offseason.
12. South Carolina Gamecocks
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South Carolina's crowded quarterback battle opened up this spring, after injuries to Perry Orth and Lorenzo Nunez opened the door for true freshman early enrollee Brandon McIlwain to become a legitimate front-runner for new head coach Will Muschamp.
But Orth should be back from his collarbone injury in time for fall camp and will battle McIlwain for the top spot on the depth chart.
McIlwain has the upside thanks to his arm strength and ability to create on the ground—a big part of offensive coordinator Kurt Roper's plan. But Orth has the experience after playing in all 12 games last year, when he threw 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
We'll see how it evolves throughout the offseason. Don't be surprised if Muschamp and Roper take advantage of the grace period that first-year head coaches enjoy and trot out McIlwain in order to let him learn on the fly.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
11. Auburn Tigers
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Three quarterbacks are vying for the top spot on the depth chart for Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn—two of whom started games last year.
Jeremy Johnson entered last year with enough hype to fill Jordan-Hare Stadium, but Malzahn benched him after just three games in favor of Sean White, as Auburn's passing attack struggled throughout the season (173.7 YPG).
Enter John Franklin III.
The former East Mississippi Community College backup signed with Auburn in December in the hopes of bringing the threat of a running quarterback to an offense that needs it in order to thrive.
None of the quarterbacks looked like superstars in the spring game in which Auburn converted just one of 22 third-down opportunities, but Franklin's elusiveness was clear, even though quarterbacks weren't "live." Malzahn has no choice but to let it ride with the new guy.
"I believe I'm going to be out there on Sept. 3 the first snap of the game," Franklin said following the spring game.
10. Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is entering the post-Dak Prescott era with a massive hole at quarterback, but he is looking to fill it with guys who are capable of operating the exact same system.
Damian Williams filled in for Prescott against Ole Miss in 2013 and served as a backup in 2014. Nick Fitzgerald (6'5", 227 lbs) backed up Prescott last year, and Elijah Staley (6'6", 248 lbs) has the size and power to serve as "Dak 2.0."
Who's it going to be?
That's up in the air.
"They better do a lot of throwing and get out there and work with the different receivers and getting timing down," Mullen, said according to the school. "Studying film, you have to do some things 10,000 times if you want to succeed. I mean, they should be at the dorms at night getting their foot work down."
All three primary options have the power to be a bruiser between the tackles just like Prescott, and they have showed at times to hit the short and intermediate passes with consistency. That's exactly what elevated Prescott to the No. 1 job three years ago.
9. Kentucky Wildcats
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Former 4-star prospect Drew Barker was tabbed as the starting quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats following the spring game in which he completed 12 of his 18 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
"Stoops on Drew Barker: He will be the starting QB (in the fall).
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) April 16, 2016"
The redshirt sophomore completed half of his passes last year (35-of-70) for 364 yards, one touchdown and two picks after replacing Patrick Towles as the starter in November.
He showed off his accuracy on some tough passes in the spring game, including several over linebackers but under safeties. With a solid offensive line, a talented one-two punch at running back to take pressure off, the presence of a solid wide receiving corps that includes Garrett Johnson, and new offensive coordinator Eddie Gran running a more balanced attack, Barker could live up to his hype in 2016.
8. Arkansas Razorbacks
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Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema surprised the college football world when he named junior Austin Allen his starting quarterback with a week-and-a-half to go in spring practice out of a four-man, ultra-talented battle that included Rafe Peavey, Ty Storey and Ricky Town.
Allen responded in the spring game by completed 13 of his 19 passes for 141 yards, but he didn't toss a touchdown.
"The fifth Arkansas edge is we earn everything," Bielema said in a release when he announced Allen as the starter.
He isn't experienced, though. Allen attempted just three passes a year ago, completing one (a 35-yard touchdown to Jeremy Sprinkle). As a freshman in 2014, he completed eight of his 16 passes for 153 yards, zero touchdowns and one pick.
It's a retooling year for the entire Arkansas offense thanks to significant roster attrition at key spots. But a veteran wide receiving corps and the small bit of experience Allen has gained in the system over the last couple of years should allow him to be a solid game manager in his first season as the starter.
7. Georgia Bulldogs
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Georgia returns two veterans at quarterback—redshirt junior Brice Ramsey and last year's starter Greyson Lambert.
Despite that, all eyes are on true freshman early enrollee, and former 5-star recruit, Jacob Eason.
The Lake Stevens, Washington, native completed 19 of 29 passes for 244 yards and one touchdown in Georgia's spring game, when he also showed off his touch deep on several passes including two down the sideline to Riley Ridley and Reggie Davis.
"He throws BBs," head coach Kirby Smart said in the postgame press conference. "Sometimes he throws them to the other team and sometimes he throws them to our team, but he throws BBs, now. He can spin the ball. He can spin the ball."
So Smart now has a big decision to make. Does he go the conservative route and name Lambert the starter, knowing that he doesn't have the arm to stretch the field? Does he go with Ramsey, knowing that he struggles with consistency but has a big arm? Or does he go with Eason, knowing he has a big arm and the most upside of the group?
In his first year as the head coach and with the grace period that goes along with it, the choice is a no-brainer. Eason should be the man.
6. LSU Tigers
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The jury is out on LSU's quarterback situation, with quarterback Brandon Harris—specifically his ability to take pressure off running back Leonard Fournette—being the one thing standing in the way between LSU and a run at the national title.
Harris completed 53.6 percent of his passes last year (148-of-276) for 2,158 yards, 13 touchdowns and six picks. He will enter his second full season as the starter in Baton Rouge with a ton of weapons around him.
But he hasn't shown the ability to stretch the field deep consistently and is a dual-threat quarterback who head coach Les Miles tries to fit into his ultra-conservative scheme—something he has done for the better part of a decade, save for the Zach Mettenberger era.
If Harris can't get the job done, former Purdue quarterback Danny Etling is there as insurance.
It's hard to trust LSU's quarterbacks because the unquestioned starter—Harris—doesn't fit the philosophy that Miles espouses. Will the fact that Miles was nearly fired last season force him to open things up? If he doesn't, it could be another frustrating year for LSU's offense.
5. Texas A&M Aggies
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At this point in his career, your opinion is probably already made up on what kind of quarterback Texas A&M (and former Oklahoma) quarterback really is. You either think he's the star who lit up Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl with four touchdown passes but got beat out by an even better quarterback (Baker Mayfield) at Oklahoma, or you think he's the mediocre backup who completed just five of his 16 passes in place of an injured Mayfield against TCU in 2015.
He's in a perfect situation at Texas A&M now.
There's a small village of ultra-talented weapons outside in College Station including Christian Kirk, Josh Reynolds and Ricky Seals-Jones. New offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will run his power/tempo scheme, which is exactly what Texas A&M needs. Plus, Knight won't have to be "the man" all the time—which is something that has haunted Aggies quarterbacks over the last couple of years.
Knight will be fine at Texas A&M and will look much more like the guy who torched Alabama in January 2013 than the one who nearly cost Oklahoma its College Football Playoff berth last year.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
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No, Alabama's quarterbacks didn't look great in the spring game that finished with a 7-3 score, and enough questions at quarterback have occupied sports radio in the state for five months.
The battle that includes junior Cooper Bateman, sophomore David Cornwell, redshirt freshman Blake Barnett and true freshman Jalen Hurts will last into fall camp, but don't place too much emphasis on where it stands right now.
Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has been successful in each of the last two seasons after mediocre springs from Blake Sims and Jacob Coker, and the four players vying for the top spot on the depth chart this year are talented enough to follow in their footsteps.
The personnel is a work in progress. That much is clear. The position, though, is in good hands thanks to Kiffin.
3. Florida Gators
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Florida's offense was a joke for the final month-and-a-half of the 2015 season, after former starter Will Grier was suspended (and eventually transferred).
It's not a joke anymore.
Luke Del Rio completed 10 of his 11 passes in the spring game for 176 yards and two touchdowns and looked like he had a firm grasp of what head coach Jim McElwain expects from his signal-caller.
"Today, he did a really good job of sliding in the pocket, taking his eyes where he needed to based on the pressure and...you know what...I thought he was pretty good," McElwain said.
Is he going to win the Heisman Trophy? Of course not. He's not being asked to.
Florida's defense is loaded again with studs like Caleb Brantley up front, Jarrad Davis at linebacker and Jalen Tabor and Marcus Maye in the secondary. What's more, Florida appears to have found a kicker in Eddy Pineiro after struggling last year in that department.
With those two aspects of the team in place, all McElwain needs is a quarterback who can manage the game well. Del Rio is that guy, and he will bring stability back to the position after it disappeared in mid-October last year.
2. Tennessee Volunteers
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Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs has already proved to be a dynamic running threat in Tennessee's multidimensional rushing attack. He rushed for 671 yards and 11 touchdowns last year in a backfield that included Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara.
Through the air, though, he was hit-or-miss.
He completed 59.6 percent of his passes (205-for-354) for 2,291 yards, 15 touchdowns, five picks and a rather pedestrian 6.7 yards per attempt. Part of those struggles is on a wide receiving corps that hasn't lived up to its potential, but Dobbs is going to have to be more of a threat if Tennessee is going to contend for the College Football Playoff.
As I pointed out following Tennessee's spring game, that wide receiving corps appeared to have found answers in Preston Williams and Jeff George, which will help vault Dobbs into Heisman consideration as a senior in 2016.
1. Ole Miss Rebels
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When your name is just behind Johnny Manziel and ahead of Cam Newton in the SEC record book, you're doing something right.
That's where Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly's 2015 season landed him, when he posted the third-best offensive season in conference history (4,542 total yards) behind Manziel's 5,116 in 2012 and Newton's 4,873 in 2013.
He's back, along with head coach Hugh Freeze's proven system, a talented wide receiving corps that includes Quincy Adeboyejo and Damore'ea Stringfellow and a running game that should be better with the presence of redshirt freshman Eric Swinney.
Yeah, the 13 interceptions from 2015 are concerning. But Kelly was a superstar last year, and another year in the system will only help him grow as a pure passer.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
