SEC Media Days have come and gone, which means we’ve passed our last official stop of the offseason, folks. We are inching closer and closer towards the kickoff of the 2018 season. But, I’ll try and contain my excitement long enough to get this article written. One thing that’s interesting about the SEC this year is the depth of the quarterback position.
What was once a league predicated on running the ball and playing stout defense now fields a collection of at least eight elite quarterbacks. Some of whom will likely be playing on Sundays. Don’t get me wrong. The SEC is still known for its running backs and defenders. But, now, it’s a little more than that. The league is evolving with the rest of college football.
So, in the spirit of list season (that spell during the offseason when nothing is going on so, as content producers, we just make a ton of positional review and top 10 lists), I figured I’d take a look at the position and see where each program stacks up.
Top 10 SEC Quarterbacks for 2018
10. Feleipe Franks, Florida – Franks throws interceptions and does not complete passes. Typically, those aren’t the makings of a good quarterback. But, the guy is still dynamic on offense. Placing him here is all about getting a fresh start with quarterback whisperer Dan Mullen at the helm in Gainesville. That’s assuming he can hold off a couple of freshmen who will be coming for the job. 2017 stat line: 1,438 passing yards, nine passing TDs, eight INT, 54.59% completion percentage.
9. Keller Chryst, Tennessee – Conventional wisdom may suggest that Jarrett Guarantano will be the starter for the Vols, but I think new head coach went out and grabbed Chryst as a graduate transfer for a reason. He was proven winner at Stanford, and has some prolific stats to go with it. I think he nabs the job and doesn’t look back. 2017 stat line (at Stanford): 962 passing yards, eight passing TDs, four INT, 54.2% completion percentage.
8. Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt – There is a huge drop off after #8, but I think Shurmur deserves to be included in the upper echelon of SEC quarterbacks. The Commodores weren’t very good, but Shurmur still tossed 26 touchdown passes. He enters 2018 as one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the league, and should find himself inside the top five in all of the major quarterback stats yet again. 2017 stat line: 2,823 passing yards, 26 passing TDs, 10 INT, 57.90% completion percentage.
7. Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss – This kid is going to have that Rebels offense electrifying defenses come Fall, and his stats should look bloated from it. I like the multiple problems that Ta’amu presents to opposing defenses. If he can play as consistently as he did to close out 2017, he’s going to be a stud. 2017 stat line: 1,682 passing yards, 11 passing TDs, four INT, 66.47% completion percentage.
6. Jake Bentley, South Carolina – South Carolina should be a winner in 2018, as their ascension seemed to kick off last season. Bentley was a large part of that, and should be again this year, especially if the Gamecocks can put more points on the board than they did last season. 2017 stat line: 2,555 passing yards, 16 passing TDs, 11 INT, 62.43% completion percentage.
5. Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State – If Fitzgerald doesn’t suffer that gruesome leg injury last season, he’s not only topping this list, but he’s probably in the Heisman discussion as well. He is that prolific, that important, and that damn good. But, I want to see how he responds to an injury that isn’t easy to come back from before I put him any higher. 2017 stat line: 1,782 passing yards, 15 passing TDs, 11 INT, 55.59% completion percentage.
4. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama – I get that Alabama may have never had a quarterback prospect quite like Tagovailoa, but I still say we need to pump the brakes for the time being – especially with the Heisman talk. We’ve seen one solid half in a meaningful game. Though it happened to be the most meaningful game of the year, I’m not ready to put him ahead of some of the more proven guys in the SEC. 2017 stat line: 636 passing yards, 11 passing TDs, two INT, 63.6% completion percentage.
3. Jarrett Stidham, Auburn – Stidham is thinking NFL. He had a pretty unprecedented season as a first year starter and enters 2018 with a ton of weapons on offense. If he continues to develop, this guy could enter the Heisman discussion and have Auburn contending for a National Championship. 2017 stat line: 2,827 passing yards, 17 passing TDs, four INT, 66.67% completion percentage.
2. Jake Fromm, Georgia – He came in as a freshman and unseated a guy who was pretty damn good, Jacob Eason, at Georgia. That Bulldogs team had a killer rushing attack and defense that led them to a National Championship game appearance, but Fromm’s work was largely underrated. This kid is special. 2017 stat line: 2,173 passing yards, 21 passing TDs, five INT, 63.04% completion percentage.
1. Drew Lock, Missouri – We named Lock the SEC MVP for 2017 for his ridiculous stats at Mizzou. His 44 touchdown passes led the entire nation last season, and he sat atop nearly all of the SEC passing lists. The Tigers should be better around Lock this year, so we’ll so how he performs with higher expectations on them this season. But, I expect he’ll continue to thrive. Some have even projected Lock as the #1 pick in the NFL Draft next Spring. 2017 stat line: 3,695 passing yards, 43 passing TDs, 12 INT, 58.18% completion percentage.
So, what do you think, SEC fans? Who’s your #1 quarterback heading into 2018?
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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