Ranking All 16 SEC Starting Quarterbacks

Talking Season officially kicked off on Tuesday with the start of Big 12 Media Days. Over the next three weeks, you’ll see many preseason prognosticators list the best of the best ahead of the upcoming college football season. Before the Kentucky Sports Radio crew heads to Atlanta for SEC Media Days, it’s time to share a list of our own.

When the SEC failed to send four teams to the CFB last fall, many folks were quick to blame the Selection Committee or the schedule for the league’s “down year,” rather than searching for the root of the problem. The reality is that the quarterback play was far from elite. That’s changing this fall.

Allow me to share the definitive list of SEC quarterbacks ranked. Enjoy these infallible rankings that will surely prove to be 100% accurate in December.

16. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee

Tennessee traded a volleyball player for a guy who completed 55% of his passes in the Sun Belt. Josh Heupel will make things easy for Joey Aguilar, but he doesn’t have a wealth of weapons to turn easy throws into big gains on a regular basis. As they did last year, Tennessee will have to win by playing defense and running the football.

15. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State

He’s one of seven returning starters in the SEC, but Blake Shapen only played in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. The numbers will be fine in Jeff Lebby’s offense, but this QB is going to take some lumps for the worst team in the league.

14. Zach Calzada, Kentucky

The Kentucky quarterback will be this year’s Diego Pavia. Zach Calzada has all of the intangibles to put the team on his back to win a few big games, and he’ll have to with an unproven wide receiver room and an offensive coordinator who struggled mightily during his first season in Lexington.

13. Beau Pribula, Missouri

12. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

Marcel Reed and Beau Pribula are cut from the same cloth. They will make their hay by using their legs to put defenses on their toes, but neither is good enough to put the fear of God in the eyes of opposing defensive backs. You’ll see some fine highlights mixed in with inconsistent play.

11. Austin Simmons, Ole Miss

10. Ty Simpson, Alabama

9. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

In the transfer portal era, it’s rare to see quarterbacks who weathered the storm as backups, only to rise up and lead their team to glory as starters. Austin Simmons might have the best play-caller, but has the least amount of “sure thing” weapons to work with. Ryan Grubb should be able to get more out of the Alabama offense, but after watching Jalen Milroe‘s up and down 2024 season, are we really supposed to believe Ty Simpson can do it now, even though he couldn’t do it last year? Gunner Stockton gets the edge over his counterparts because Kirby Smart wisely fixed the program’s wide receiver problems in the portal.

8. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

You can sum up Diego Pavia‘s game in two words: Dudes Rock.

7. Jackson Arnold, Auburn

There is no bigger boom or bust player in the SEC than Jackson Arnold. He could be thrown under the bus by Hugh Freeze for their star true freshman by week six, and it wouldn’t be surprising. However, I believe he got hit by too many buses last year without any healthy, quality wide receivers behind a terrible offensive line. He’ll have enough protection and arguably the best group of pass-catchers in the SEC to help him look like a former five-star quarterback.

6. DJ Lagway, Florida

On his best day, DJ Lagway is probably the most gifted quarterback in the SEC. The problem is his durability. He got injured multiple times last year, then missed the spring with an injury in his throwing arm. It smells like a sophomore slump is right around the corner.

5. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

LaNorris Sellers was the No. 2 player on Dane Brugler’s first 2026 NFL Mock Draft. Why would an offensive coordinator choose to walk away from coaching such a talented player?

4. John Mateer, Oklahoma

Oklahoma football can’t be successful without a top-flight quarterback. That’s why they got the best the transfer portal had to offer and brought in his play-caller from Washington State. Last fall, John Mateer threw for more than 3,000 yards and nearly rushed for a thousand more. He will be one of the most dynamic playmakers in the SEC.

3. Taylen Green, Arkansas

Taylen Green took a step forward from Boise State to Arkansas, throwing for 3,154 yards and scoring 23 total touchdowns. After getting a year under his belt in the SEC, I’m expecting another big leap forward. All he has to do is cut back on the turnovers and the Hogs will be calling Bobby Petrino the best thing since sliced bread (again).

2. Arch Manning, Texas

The long-awaited debut of the Manning Prince that was Promised is here. The expectations for Arch Manning couldn’t get any higher. They will be impossible to exceed, but he will still be the top pick in the NFL Draft after Sark guides Manning through an SEC gauntlet on the way to a Texas National Championship.

1. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

Brian Kelly already has one Heisman Trophy winner at LSU, and Jayden Daniels wasn’t the perfect Kelly QB prototype. Garrett Nussmeier is exactly that. The son of a quarterbacks coach, Nussmeier was asked to do everything for the LSU offense last fall, and he performed well under that pressure, despite throwing a league-high 12 picks. He’ll be challenged right away at Clemson. If Nussmeier passes that test, the Tigers have a clear path to the CFP as he plays his way into the Heisman ceremony.

Got thoughts? Continue the conversation on KSBoard, the KSR Message Board.