2021 is a bit of a strange year with regards to the quarterback position in the SEC. Gone are incumbents like Kellen Mond, Kyle Trask and, gasp, even Feleipe Franks. The conference may be experiencing some turnover at the position but there is plenty of room at the top for an up-and-comer.
SEC Quarterback Tiers
The Expendables
- Luke Doty (South Carolina). The Gamecocks just haven’t been able to get it right at the QB position since the Connor Shaw era. Doty possesses upper-tier athleticism but his skills could take awhile to mesh with this new South Carolina offense.
- Ken Seals (Vanderbilt). We saw Seals provide a few sparks during another forgettable season for Vanderbilt. If he sticks around in this offense and new coach Clark Lea is patient with him, then perhaps he can become an Austyn-Carta Samuels for the ‘Dores down the road.
Help is on the Way!
- Joey Gatewood/Beau Allen (Kentucky). This is one of those “can only go up from here” situations. Kentucky has played, largely, without an actual quarterback for so long that seeing either of these guys drop back, reading defense and hitting receivers will feel like a treat.
- Joe Milton, Hendon Hooker, Harrison Bailey (Tennessee). Following the underwhelming Jarrett Guarantano era, this QB battle is shaping up to be a doozy. With up-tempo, pass-happy Josh Heupel now at the helm in Knoxville, expect the Vol offense to shine while the team attempts to climb back to the top of the SEC east.
- Myles Brennan/Max Johnson (LSU). The Tigers need a reboot in the worst way after 2020. Myles Brennan was playing well early despite losses to Mississippi State and Missouri and Johnson was able to lead LSU to wins over Florida and Ole Miss late in the year. There is still a wealth of talent in Tigerland and whomever is named starting QB should be able to take full advantage.
The Hall Monitors
- Connor Bazelak (Missouri). Baze appears to have that “ol’ reliable” quality about him. He has good command of the offense and is very poised. His downfield passing game certainly needs work and his TD numbers (umm…7 to be exact) aren’t going to jump off the page but coach Eli Drinkwitz knows what he has in his starting QB.
- Bo Nix (Auburn). Yes, Nix is still at Auburn and at this point, he kind of his what he is. New coach Bryan Harsin and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo must find a way to get more out of this player in 2021 for Auburn to reach its potential.
- Will Rogers (Miss. State). As a freshman, Rogers took some lumps before solidifying himself as a reliable starter going forward. It remains to be seen if Mike Leach’s air-raid offense will be successful long term but the Bulldogs have a starter they can count on in 2021.
D-Generation X: Out With the Old, In with the New
- Bryce Young (Alabama).Perhaps the most talented quarterback that Nick Saban has ever recruited at Alabama, Young could emerge as an immediate Heisman contender given the Tide’s embarrassment of riches all over the field.
- Emory Jones (Florida). We saw Kyle Trask become a fearless leader and a dangerous passer under Dan Mullen. Jones’ mobility will be paramount to his success as his time has finally come after three years of waiting in the wings.
- K.J. Jefferson (Arkansas). We’ve seen merely a few glimpses of Jefferson’s potential but a 274 yard, 3 TD, 0 INT game against Missouri late in the season has Razorback fans salivating. Feleipe Franks was merely a stopgap for coach Sam Pittman but with Jefferson at the helm, you’ll see Arkansas’ offense grow by leaps and bounds.
- Haynes King (Texas A&M). King is almost a complete unknown at this point and taking over for the underrated Kellen Mond won’t be easy. Expectations are high in Aggieland and King certainly has the pedigree and surrounding talent to take the program to the next level.
The Top Guns
- J.T. Daniels (Georgia). Daniels emerged late in 2020 due to being slowed by an injury but his trajectory is pointing way up. The Bulldogs are the favorites, once again, to win the SEC east although he’ll have to rely on a young receiving corpse with the loss of talented WR George Pickens this spring.
- Matt Corral (Ole Miss). We’ll see what Corral is made of as he handles the pressure of being handed the keys to the kingdom after having to battle for the position for much of his career. Lane Kiffin’s offense started off like gang busters last year in Oxford as Corral led the SEC in eight statistical categories and led the nation in total offense.
