QB Outlook: SEC East

Mock draft season has taken over, and there is buzz in the air. In the Bluegrass, Will Levis is returning for his redshirt senior season, and expectations are high for Kentucky football. However, this is the SEC, and expectations are high for every program.

In the East, we are entering a very interesting season for the division in 2022. Georgia finally has won a national championship and is entering repeat mode. Florida is starting a new era and has a lot of snaps to replace. Tennessee is ahead of schedule with Josh Heupel. South Carolina is looking to make a jump in year two with Shane Beamer. Things aren’t trending great for Eliah Drinkwitz and Missouri heading into year three. Clark Lea still has a long road ahead at Vanderbilt.

Most of you readers know where Kentucky stands going into the season. The Wildcats are a legitimate preseason top 25 team and have a great chance to emerge as Georgia’s top competition once again in the division. That is mainly due to the return of Will Levis at quarterback as the program could have a premium player at the sport’s most important position. That will give Mark Stoops and his program many winning opportunities in 2022.

But how does everyone else stand at quarterback? KSR is diving into the SEC East as the division appears to have made some legitimate upgrades in the passing game.

No one is challenging Stetson Bennett

• 65.5% completion rate, 2,862 yards, 10.0 yards per attempt, 29 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 53.3% passing success rate, 50.5% first down/touchdown rate, 8.7% PBU/INT rate, 4.6% sack rate

In 2021, a former-walk on quarterback led Georgia to their first national championship in over four decades. There will likely be a movie made about this one day. However, instead of riding into the sunset, Stetson Bennett is back for one more ride as a super senior in Athens.

The talk throughout the spring at Georgia was how this is Bennett’s show, and there will be no more looking over the shoulder. However, the Bulldogs were run-heavy last season, and when asked to throw the ball more than 35 times Bennett had his worst two games of the season against Charleston Southern and Alabama in the SEC Championship.

Georgia feels comfortable with Bennett, and it’s clear that the Bulldogs can win at a high level with him taking the snaps. However, questions still remain if he can beat teams with a dropback passing game if needed. Those will have to be answered later in the year as Georgia will once again surround their quarterback with NFL talent.

In the shadows, Carson Beck appeared to outplay former top-30 recruit Brock Vandagriff in the spring and could be the guy as a redshirt sophomore if something happens to Bennett.

Anthony Richardson or bust at Florida

• 59.4% completion rate, 529 yards, 8.3 yards per attempt, 6 touchdowns, 5 interceptions

All last season, both fans and media called for Anthony Richardson to be the guy at quarterback for Florida. However, Dan Mullen decided to stick with Emory Jones for most of the season. During spring practice, Jones left and has since transferred to Arizona State. That means it’s AR15 time in The Swamp.

The redshirt sophomore started just one game last season, but flashed an intriguing skillset at 6-foot-4 and 237 pounds. Richardson clearly won the job in spring game and appears to be a great fit for Billy Napier’s outside zone offense where play-action concepts using Richardson’s athletic ability to move the pocket will be used frequently.

Ok, Anthony Richardson 👀 @GatorsFB @GVOaant pic.twitter.com/3koNhibHpr

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 5, 2021

The Gainesville (Fla.) Eastside product and former top-250 recruit is getting major draft buzz and will be called a Heisman darkhorse by many. When digging into the Florida roster, Richardson will need to be a star because there appears to be lack of high level talent with huge questions marks at offensive line, running back, and wide receiver. Ohio State transfer Jack Miller is the top reserve, but is nowhere close to pushing Richardson.

There is a good chance that things could get rocky for Napier in year one at Florida. However, the potential of Richardson gives the Gators a high ceiling. If the big quarterback can put it all together Florida could play above expectations.

Hendon Hooker has path to Heisman Trophy contention

• 68% completion rate, 2,945 yards, 9.7 yards per attempt, 31 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 52.6% passing success rate, 45.7% first down/touchdown rate, 8.6% PBU/INT rate, 10.4% sack rate, 50% rushing success rate on 128 non-sack attempts

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the SEC season in 2021 occurred on Rocky Top. The Vols finished just 7-6 in the first year under Josh Heupel, but it was clear that improvements were made to Tennessee football. The new look started in Week 2 when Hendon Hooker came off the bench to replace Michigan transfer Joe Milton.

From that point on, Tennessee morphed into a top-10 offense in Heupel’s spread offense that involves super spacing with numerous vertical targets in the passing game. Hooker was the key to unlocking everything as the veteran delivered the ball accurately to all three levels, made smart reads, and hurt defenses with his legs. The Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley product took too many sacks, but consistently created explosive plays.

Like Bennett, Hooker has decided to return for his super senior season and that has created high expectations on Rocky Top. Tennessee has one of the best offenses in college football on paper entering the yer and should post some big numbers. If the wins follow, Hooker could find himself in the Heisman conversation in a system that has seen good quarterbacks post video game numbers.

Spencer Rattler hype is building

• In 3 seasons at Oklahoma: 70.1% completion rate, 4,595 yards, 8.9 yards per attempt, 40 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 53.5% passing success rate in 2021, 52% passing success rate in 2020

Despite a year filled with bad offense, South Carolina got hot to end the 2021 season finishing 3-2 down the stretch with home wins over Florida and Auburn and a Belk Bowl victory over North Carolina. That has created palpable buzz for Shane Beamer entering year two.

To cash in on the hype, South Carolina leaned into the transfer portal to upgrade their roster.

Carolina brought on nine scholarship transfers since the end of last season, and Spencer Rattler was the gem of the group. After three season in Lincoln Riley’s system at Oklahoma, the former top-20 recruit out of Phoenix is heading to the SEC.

Rattler was replaced by five-star true freshman Caleb Williams at Oklahoma in 2021, but had more than a few moments of good play in 17 starts for the Sooners. The redshirt junior has a live arm with off-platform playmaking skills that will give the South Carolina offense a huge jolt.

The Spencer Rattler hype continues to grow on this timeline… pic.twitter.com/LXH0WwlPUG

— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) March 8, 2022

The variance window could be pretty big here as Marcus Satterfield is still a bit unproven as an offensive coordinator with the Gamecocks trying to install an offensive system that mimics what Sean McVay is doing with the Los Angeles Rams. Expect under center, wide zone stretch, and the utilization of tight ends in many formations.

Rattler is hoping for a career reset in this pro-style attack that will allow him to show what made him such a high-profile recruit. The addition helps raise both Carolina’s floor and ceiling with junior Luke Doty serving as a quality backup.

Missouri might be entering no man’s land

• Brady Cook and Tyler Macon combined to throw 75 passes last season

Eliah Drinkwitz and Missouri football entered the 2021 year with much promise. The Tigers were a surprise team in 2020 finishing .500 in the SEC only season with wins huge home wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, and LSU. As redshirt freshman Connor Bazelak flashed at quarterback, the Tigers were a sneaky team entering 2021.

However, Bazelak played through an injury and took a step back statistically in 2021. The Ohio native left the program after the season and transferred to Indiana. Drinkwitz attacked the transfer portal and hosted numerous quarterbacks on visits. Yet, Missouri could not log a key recruiting win after pulling in a top-15 haul in the class of 2022 in average star rating. That leaves the Tigers in a huge transition spot entering 2022.

Missouri has signed a high school quarterback in three consecutive classes for Drinkwitz, and those are the guys that Mizzou will enter the season with. Redshirt sophomore Brady Cook had a solid performance in the bowl game and seems to have the inside track to QB1. Redshirt freshman Tyler Macon is not far behind and brings a dual-threat element to the position. Top-250 recruit Sam Horn will arrive to campus this summer, and the All-American Bowl participant has some major tools, but will likely need time to develop.

Add in the loss of highly productive tailback Tyler Badie, and the Tigers have big questions surrounding their offense in 2022.

Vanderbilt could still be in year zero

• Ken Seals: 56.7% completion rate, 1,181 yards, 5.3 yards per attempt, 5 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
• Mike Wright: 53.1% completion rate, 1,042 yards, 6.0 yards per attempt, 8 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 376 rushing yards

Vanderbilt saw a platoon at quarterback last season. Both Ken Seals and Mike Wright return for their junior seasons with starting experience. The battle is still brewing, but Wright seems like the player to beat. However, the roster is still being rebuilt by Clark Lea’s staff, and expectations should not be very high for this position.

In the 2022 recruiting class, Vanderbilt flipped AJ Swann from Maryland, and the top-500 recruit could be the long-term answer. Don’t be surprised if the Canton (Ga.) Cherokee quarterback is thrown into the fire as a true freshman. The rebuild continues on the West End.