The college football season is right around the corner and that means constant projections and predictions when it comes to trying to forecast how things will play out. The SEC will certainly offer plenty of intrigue as the defending national champion Alabama looks to begin its title defense with a new quarterback under center. While it may come as a surprise to some, the Crimson Tide should be just fine based on our projections. Here is a look at how the SEC quarterbacks rank from best to worst heading in to the 2016 season.
#1 Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
Kelly completed 65.1% of his passes for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns in an impressive 2015 season that included a win over Alabama. The pressure will be a lot greater for Kelly with fewer returning starters on both sides of the football this season but he is expected to put up big numbers once again as the SEC’s top-ranked quarterback.
#2 Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee
Dobbs is the biggest reason for all of the talk about the Vols being poised to challenge for an SEC championship in 2016. He has a cannon arm and he can run the ball effectively as a dual-threat passer as well. Dobbs completed nearly 60% of his passes for 2,291 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 671 yards and 11 scores in 2015. With a little bit more efficiency, he can challenge Kelly for the top spot on this list.
#3 Trevor Knight, Texas A&M
The Aggies’ search for a starting quarterback ended with Knight, who lost the No. 1 slot at Oklahoma when Baker Mayfield stole his job following an impressive two years with the Sooners. Knight has the potential to put up big numbers in the A&M offense and he automatically slides in to the third spot on this list.
#4 Jacob Eason, Georgia
There has been a lot of chatter about the Bulldogs delivering an SEC East title this season and it has a lot to do with their freshman quarterback. Eason has all of the tools to put up big numbers in his college debut and he will have some outstanding offensive weapons helping him to get the job done.
#5 Luke Del Rio, Florida
Del Rio is another incoming quarterback that will have a chance to make an immediate impact after transferring to Florida from Oregon State. Del Rio has limited playing experience but the Gators’ coaching staff has really talked him up to the point where expectations are high for 2016.
#6 Cooper Batemen, Alabama
There is a precedent for Alabama quarterbacks succeeding in their first years under center and that should be the case for Batemen as well. He might not be as talented or polished as Jake Coker was a year ago but the 6’3’’, 224-pound junior should be just fine insulated by a solid cast of weapons in the Crimson Tide offense.
#7 Brandon Harris, LSU
The Tigers desperately need Harris to emerge and provide a steady presence in the passing game to take some of the pressure off of star running back Leonard Fournette. Harris has the raw skill set to be successful but he was far too inconsistent a year ago when he threw for just 13 touchdowns compared to six interceptions with a 53.8 completion percentage.
#8 Austin Allen, Arkansas
Allen will step in to fill the void left by his brother Brandon and it should be a natural transition. Austin is a lot like Brandon in that he can both throw and run the ball at a high level but there will be a transition period.
#9 Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State
Expectations are high for Fitzgerald and he certainly has the raw talent to put up big numbers as the replacement for Dak Prescott at Mississippi State. There will be some growing pains with Fitzgerald but unlike some other quarterback at the bottom of this list it might actually be worth it.
#10 Lorenzo Nunez, South Carolina
Nunez does a quality job scrambling with the football but he needs to improve his throwing mechanics in order to hit his spots on a more consistent basis. South Carolina will include some aspects of the option on offense this season and that should help improve his overall production.
#11 Drew Lock, Missouri
Lock completed only 49% of his passes for Missouri a year ago and there isn’t much reason to expect substantial improvement in 2016.
#12 Kyle Shurmur, Vanderbilt
Shumer is a gunslinger but the problem is that he isn’t very accurate. That has led to plenty of inconsistencies that the Vanderbilt receiving core isn’t talented enough to mask on a consistent basis.
#13 Drew Barker, Kentucky
Kentucky will play out another rebuilding year with an inaccurate quarterback that does not throw far. Barker is a known quantity but there just isn’t enough quality there with the Wildcats’ quarterback.
#14 John Franklin, Auburn
The Tigers are starting over again after Jeremy Johnson failed to live up to expectations It is a different direction but not necessarily all that promising for Auburn.
