SEC Quarterback Battles: The latest intel from fall camp

The SEC is ripe with quality quarterbacks entering the 2022 season, with seven cemented starters representing their school at SEC Media Days last month.

Bryce Young, Alabama

KJ Jefferson, Arkansas 

Anthony Richardson, Florida 

Stetson Bennett, Georgia

Will Levis, Kentucky

Hendon Hooker, Tennessee

Mike Wright, Vanderbilt

Wright was officially named the Commodores’ starter in Atlanta, while two other quarterbacks who didn’t attend media days — South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and Mississippi State’s Will Rogers — are also defined QB1s. Earlier this week, Eli Drinkwitz quickly ended Missouri’s competition, tabbing Brady Cook as the Tigers’ Week 1 starter. 

So where does that leave the rest of quarterback battles within the conference? How are the competitions sorting out at Texas A&M, Auburn and LSU? What about Ole Miss?

Here’s the latest intel a couple weeks into fall camp on four SEC quarterback battles:

Auburn — Zach Calzada vs. TJ Finley vs. Robby Ashford 

Buzz: Exiting spring practice, the whispers on the Plains had Texas A&M transfer Zach Calzada as the likely favorite to win the Tigers’ starting job — even though the Georgia native was sidelined recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered against Auburn last November.

The offseason rumblings and early returns from fall camp have done little to dissuade that prediction. 

TJ Finley, who was the incumbent starter after taking over for the injured Bo Nix the final four games in 2021, missed a golden opportunity to grab some momentum during the spring. Oregon transfer Robby Ashford was more impressive on A-Day, and while he doesn’t look likely to start Week 1 vs. Mercer, I expect Ashford to play a role for Auburn this fall — especially since head coach Bryan Harsin seems open to the idea of a two-quarterback system. 

As for Calzada, Harsin has lauded the transfer’s impressive work ethic and leadership style. He’s quickly won over his Tigers’ teammates, with star tailback Tank Bigsby raving about Calzada at SEC Media Daysby touting the big-armed quarterback’s toughness and heart. 

“You want to play with somebody who has that dog in him,” Bigsby said.

LSU — Jayden Daniels vs. Myles Brennan vs. Garrett Nussmeier

Buzz: Of the four open competitions in the SEC, the Tigers appear the farthest away from determining who will start their Week 1 opener against Florida State. 

All three options are intriguing. All three quarterbacks are quite different, and all three quarterbacks are receiving first-team reps in camp. 

Brian Kelly has never hesitated rotating quarterbacks, so that remains a real possibility the deeper we get into training camp without one guy emerging from the pack. 

Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels was Kelly’s hand-picked option out of the portal, but the former Notre Dame coach also convinced Myles Brennan to not transfer and return to the program. Meanwhile, Garrett Nussmeier was the talk of spring practice. The redshirt sophomore recently tweaked his ankle in camp, and though the injury isn’t considered serious, any significant missed time only further opens the door for Daniels or Brennan to grab the job. 

This one is too close to call for now, but as new Tigers offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said recently, “There comes a line of demarcation where we’ve got to get ready to win game one and who gives us the best opportunity to do that. We’re not anywhere close to that yet but those decisions will be made by Coach Kelly when the cutoff happens and hopefully it’s an easy decision.”

Ole Miss — Luke Altmyer vs. Jaxson Dart

Buzz: Jaxon Dart was among the more highly-celebrated transfers this offseason, but the former 5-star Southern Cal quarterback has yet to lock down the Rebels’ job — both in the spring and now in fall camp.

Luke Altmyer has refused to cede the competition, impressing coaches and teammates with his competitive fire and leadership. 

Lane Kiffin has rotated Dart and Altmyer with the 1s early in training camp. Both have had up and down moments, per Kiffin, leading me to believe a starter might not be decided until early in the season. 

The Rebels have a very easy September, so Kiffin could opt to play both quarterbacks over the first few weeks of the season before landing on a bonafide QB1 before conference play begins in October.

Texas A&M — Haynes King vs. Max Johnson vs. Conner Weigman

Buzz: Although many presumed that Max Johnson would ultimately win the Aggies’ starting job after transferring from LSU — where he beat Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M just last season and had a 27-6 touchdown to interception ratio — the intel out of College Station has Haynes King as the early front-runner in the three-way competition. 

Although 5-star freshman Conner Weigman can’t be completely ruled out, the battle truly appears down to King versus Johnson. 

While Fisher recently dismissed any notion the job had been decided, King has reportedly been running more with the 1s. 

Johnson has the most playing experience among the trio, but King, who was the incumbent last season before breaking his leg in Week 2 at Colorado, is the most well-versed in Fisher’s complicated RPO system. He has a tremendous ceiling, and his freelance abilities are enticing, too.  

Healthy and explosive again, King has the tools to elevate the Aggies’ passing attack, especially if he can improve his footwork and decision-making over the rest of fall camp.