2024 SEC Media Days Poll: Who is the best quarterback in the league in 2024?

DALLAS — There can only be one QB1 on the First-Team All-SEC squad. 

From veteran starters to high-upside sophomores, college football’s top conference returns some of the top quarterbacks this fall. 

Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe all start for preseason Top 5 teams and were featured on the cover of the EA Sports College Football 25 video game. 

Mizzou’s Brady Cook and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart are multi-year starters who have New Year Six wins on their resume. Former 5-stars Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee) and Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma) are ready to take the keys for a pair of blue-blood programs. 

Then there’s vets like Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Connor Weigman (Texas A&M) and Graham Mertz (Florida), who have all flashed moments of brilliance. 

It would shock no one if the SEC produced another Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback again this season. 

So who is the best gunslinger in the league in 2024?

During SEC Media Days in Dallas, I polled 50 media members on this very question. I asked folks connected to all 16 teams, plus national reporters from the likes of On3, ESPN, The Athletic, CBS Sports, SEC Network and others. 

Some voted anonymously, while others put their vote on record. Some based their selection off NFL Draft potential, while others leaned toward statistical dominance or electric upside. 

Here’s what the straw poll spit out:

Carson Beck — 31 votes

JD Pickell, On3: “If I had one drive to save my life, I’d want (Beck) leading that drive. Accurate. Poised. Primed for a big Year 2 in that system. 

Cole Cubelic, ESPN: “It’s Carson Beck. Not even a debate from me. That’s a easy one.”

Quinn Ewers — 8 votes

Matt Baker, Tampa Bay Times: “I don’t feel good about. I think it’s close with him and Beck. I think Sark’s track record with offensive mind will unlock more from him this year.”

Barrett Sallee, College Football Smothered & Covered: “Quinn Ewers. But ask me in an hour and I might say Carson.”  

Jaxson Dart — 5 votes

Josh Pate, CBS Sports: “Dart? None stand out above the rest. Ask me again in four months and I might have a different answer.”

Jake Crain, Crain & Co.: “Best fit. Best offense. I think Lane wants him to win the Heisman.”

Jalen Milroe — 5 votes

Seth Emerson, The Athletic: “Milroe has the highest upside and can win you a game by himself. Beck may be a guy you take first (in the N NFL Draft). Beck is more consistent, but I’m and upside guy. I wish I could split my vote but if I can’t, I lean Milroe.”

Joe Goodman, Al.com: “It’s gotta be Jalen. He’s such a ridiculous athlete. I will say, the thing I like about Beck is that he reminds me of a serial killer. In a good way.”  

Brady Cook — 1 vote

Michael Bratton, SEC Mike: “Year 2 with Kirby Moore. Now it may be unfair to lump him into this, but he gets to throw the ball to Luther Burden. The best player in college football.” 

Thoughts on the 2024 Best SEC Quarterback Poll

I did not vote in my own straw poll, but if I did, I also would’ve tabbed Beck as QB1 in 2024. 

Georgia’s offense has been somehow underrated this offseason, and with Beck returning, a Top 5 unit has a chance to be even better in 2024. Beck had solid numbers in his first season as a starter (nearly 4,000 yards, 24 touchdowns to six picks) — and that was with him mostly sitting out fourth quarters all last season. Now he’ll be asked to shoulder a bigger load this fall with Clemson, Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss all on the schedule. 

Many of the voters who went with Beck cited how (among all SEC quarterbacks) he is the top preference for NFL scouts right now. 

“He’s got the best arm,” said Brent Dougherty of 3HL on 104.5 in Nashville. 

“They tell me he’s the best prospect.”

Still, I was a bit surprised he was such an overwhelming favorite. 

Despite Texas’ overwhelming presence at SEC Media Days, voters clearly weren’t swayed by all the Hook’Em in Dallas. I didn’t end up with an exact tally of second or third-place votes (*I didn’t ask for a 1-2-3 ballot but some gave one anyway), but anecdotally, Quinn Ewers was named third as much as he was first. 

The fact that Dart and Milroe ended up with same number of votes was also interesting. I believe both quarterbacks actually have better Heisman Trophy chances — based on raw stats and narrative — than Beck, and Milroe would be my pick for the top quarterback in the conference had Beck left for the draft in the offseason. 

Milroe only receiving five votes could look quite silly come the end of the year, too. In most every game Alabama plays this season, he will be the best raw athlete on the field. 

That’s not hyperbole, either. 

As one well-connected person told me this week in Dallas, Milroe was the second-fastest player on the Tide in 2022 as the team’s backup quarterback — and his GPS numbers have only gotten better since then. 

If Kalen DeBoer can get Milroe to limit his turnovers, then he could do some wild things with a guy armed with a howitzer who can run like a cheetah. 

Brady Cook getting a vote was a bold take, especially considering neither Nussmeier or Weigman got a single mention. Cook will lead a fringe Top 10 team and is surrounded by a ton of talent, so I guess the potential is there?

Lastly, a couple of unnamed media members were tempted to go with Iamaleava, which would’ve been really bold after the former top recruit started just a single game for Tennessee last year. But the fact it was even considered shows how high some are on the tantalizing talent.