SEC QB Rankings: Matt Corral, JT Daniels in Top Two as Week One Begins
The wait is over and we've officially made it to the start of the 2021 football season in the Southeastern Conference.
The first SEC matchup of the season is Thursday evening between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Bowling Green Falcons at 7 p.m. CT in Neyland Stadium.
I released the first edition of the 2021 SEC quarterback rankings back in June before fall camp commenced, and as with every year, there have been changes with starters who weren't originally expected to get the nod taking the top spot on the depth chart and some battles becoming more heated than expected.
Here's a look at where each signal-caller stands in the updated rankings and the analysis of each from the previous rankings:
1. Matt Corral, Ole Miss.
One of the most talked-about quarterbacks in the nation, Corral possesses solid accuracy and the ability to get the job done outside of the pocket when necessary.
He had a pair of down games last year as far as interceptions go, but they weren't representative of who he is as a passer on a regular basis. Corral and this Ole Miss team are going to be a fun one to watch -- the talent within this year's Rebels roster is reflective of the hype surrounding Oxford right now.
Head coach Lane Kiffin told reporters that he doesn't want to "rat poison" Corral, but that watching what he brings to the table as a passer in resemblant of a "video game."
“I don’t want to rat poison him, but he’s done a great job from a leadership standpoint,” Kiffin said. “And from an offensive standpoint, the guy’s accuracy is, I think I said, ‘insane’ today. Some of the throws that were made … it was at one point like a video game where there’s not an inaccurate throw.”
Before Fall Camp:
Corral enters his second year under Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss after he won the starting job over John Rhys Plumlee in 2020, which ended up being a breakout season for him.
He finished out the year with a completion percentage of 70.9% with 3,337 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Sure, Corral did have two particularly bad games last year where he threw multiple interceptions, but that’s not indicative of how accurate of a passer he is given his impressive completion percentage.
Expect the junior to only build off of the momentum he had in 2020, though he’ll have to deal with the loss of passing targets Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah.
It’s hard to imagine that being a major issue, though, considering Corral put up almost 400 yards of offense without Moore, Yeboah, Braylon Sanders and Jerrion Ealy against a top-20 defense in the Outback Bowl.
2. JT Daniels, Georgia.
The gap between Corral and Daniels in these rankings is extremely small, and if Daniels looks like he did in those four games last year, he could find himself switching spots with the Rebels quarterback.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken has had plenty of good things to say about Daniels, especially about how in control of the offense he is and his comfort level with the scheme. The potential for both Daniels as a quarterback and Georgia as a whole is sky-high.
Before Fall Camp:
Daniels wowed a lot of us last year and seems to have the “it” factor you want in an elite quarterback, but the sample size we’re looking at with him isn’t incredibly large.
There were only four games that we saw of the signal-caller at Georgia last year, but in that time, he showed notable arm strength, the ability to lead his receivers open and overall ignite the passing game in a way that could allow Georgia to be something special if he keeps it up in 2021.
Daniels ended last season with a 67.2% completion percentage, 1,231 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Note that he did that with a mostly inexperienced group of pass-catchers, and the idea of what Daniels and Georgia could do in a complete and normal offseason becomes very exciting.
3. Bryce Young, Alabama.
There's a lot of optimism Young will be one of the conference's best quarterbacks this year, with some even predicting he could be the best in the SEC by season's end. Obviously, there's a lot he'll have to show before that becomes any type of realistic possibility, but he's got everything he needs around him at Alabama to reach a high level of success.
And if he proves to be as good as we thought he could be as a recruit, Alabama has more than just a passer it can rely on.
Before Fall Camp:
There’s a lot of hype surrounding Bryce Young, who was drawn comparisons to the likes of Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson, heading into 2021.
The highly-touted recruit passed for 333 yards and one touchdown in the Alabama spring game, putting on a good performance despite a completion percentage that could have been a bit better by Alabama standards.
Young saw very little action last year with Mac Jones on the field, ending off 2020 with a completion percentage of 59.1%, 156 passing yards and one touchdown.
There’s tremendous upside for Young in a Crimson Tide offense filled to the brim with talent (as it always seems to be).
4. Max Johnson, LSU.
Johnson's primary competition going into the fall was Myles Brennan, though true freshman Garrett Nussmeier has made a lot of noise within what was an open quarterback competition before Johnson was officially named the starter.
Johnson got the nod shortly after it was announced that Brennan had suffered a broken left arm. The second-year quarterback has a high ceiling and has already shown he can step in tough situations, recording a 2-0 record as a starter with wins over a Florida team that was ranked sixth in the nation at the time and a respectable Ole Miss team in 2020.
Before Fall Camp:
The quarterback competition at LSU is very much considered wide open between Max Johnson, Myles Brennan and Garrett Nussmeier.
But Johnson seems to be the logical frontrunner, ending off last season with a 2-0 record as the team’s starter and taking the first reps at spring practice. Just a true freshman in 2020, Johnson showed an impressive amount of mobility with upside (and room to improve) as a passer.
He posted a stat line with a 58.7% completion percentage, 1,069 passing yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He also had 119 rushing yards on 54 carries with two touchdowns.
Based purely on seniority, Brennan has the upper hand as 2021 will mark the fifth season of his college career. But even after all this time, we still don’t know exactly who Brennan is as a quarterback.
He’s only seen limited action as the starter, only taking the field on rare occasions behind Danny Etling and Joe Burrow. Brennan put on a mostly poor showing against Mississippi State in the 2020 season opener, showing positive progression in the games to follow, though those were against what many considered to be lesser opponents.
Brennan sustained a severe injury to his abdomen against Missouri, ending his season. At that time, he had a completion percentage of 60.3%, 1,112 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
5. Emory Jones, Florida.
Dan Mullen's offense seems like the perfect fit for Jones, who has shown versatility in what we've seen of him. Jones seems to be comfortable with the position he's in at Florida.
Mullen has had a variety of different quarterbacks with very different strengths and weaknesses succeed under him and it's hard to imagine Jones will be any different, though he does still have to prove he can stay consistent while playing a much bigger role.
“It definitely makes me feel good about coach Mullen,” Jones told reporters. “That was a reason that I chose to come to Florida, him and his way with quarterbacks. He creates the offense around his quarterbacks, so that’s definitely exciting for me. It takes advantage of all of my abilities.”
Before Fall Camp:
2021 marks the first year we’ll get a true look at who Emory Jones is as a full-time quarterback.
Over his past three years with the Gators, we’ve seen Jones mostly in limited action or as a Wildcat quarterback. Jones has shown a good deal of mobility and the ability to make plays on his own with it, but there’s something to be desired in the little bit that we’ve seen of him as a passer.
Jones ended the 2020 season with a 56.3% completion percentage, 221 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
It will be interesting to see what the Gators offense looks like throughout the season and how Jones fares in an expanded role.
6. Haynes King, Texas A&M.
It doesn't come as much of a surprise that King ultimately took the job over Calzada, and how well he does will be a sure factor in whether or not Texas A&M can live up to the hype it has garnered this offseason.
To say the sample size we've seen of King is small is an understatement, but if he's anything like what we think he can be, his name will quickly enter bigger conversations.
Aggies running back Isaiah Spiller is just one of many who has spoken highly of King, calling him one of the fastest players on the team, so his speed and athleticism is bound to impress greatly if that holds true.
Before Fall Camp:
Haynes King is an intriguing prospect who could be a quick riser in 2021. There’s an equal chance he could tumble down them just as rapidly, granted that he does beat out Zach Calzada as many expect him to do in the fall.
Regardless of which quarterback wins out, the next Texas A&M passer will be surrounded by a wealth of weapons with several players from the 2020 season returning. While this is a good thing for any quarterback, it also means they’ll have little excuse if and when things go south.
In the four career pass attempts we’ve seen from King, he’s shown poise in the pocket, the ability to move the ball downfield with big plays and the ability to gain significant yardage on the run.
We’ll see if King becomes the “x-factor” some have pinned him to be in the conference this year.
7. Connor Bazelak, Missouri.
Bazelak showed some flashes as a true freshman but, as with practically all college football players entering the second season of their career, there's a lot of development to be had. An improved offensive line should make it easier for Bazelak to level up this year.
Before Fall Camp:
Connor Bazelak was a player who quickly garnered attention in 2020 after he upset LSU with a 406-yard, four-touchdown performance against LSU.
What came after that was a bit underwhelming, as he only threw three touchdown passes over the last seven games on Mizzou’s schedule. Accompany that with five interceptions, and that’s not a pretty stat line.
Still, we can’t forget that true freshmen will be true freshmen at the end of the day, and there’s no denying Bazelak has the tools to be a competent and consistent starter if he can continue to grow. One area we’d particularly like to see him get better in is throwing the deep ball, though it makes sense he struggled with it early coming from a triple-option offense in high school.
Bazelak finished the 2020 season with a 67.3% completion percentage, 2,366 passing yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions.
8. Will Rogers, Mississippi State.
Photo credit: Mississippi State Athletics
Rogers is listed with an OR alongside South Alabama transfer Chance Lovertich at the top of the depth chart, but head coach Mike Leach has said multiple times that Rogers would be the team's starting quarterback "if the season started today." There are still a couple of days to go until the season-opener against LA Tech, but it's hard to imagine a scenario in which we don't see Rogers behind the offensive line at the beginning of the game Saturday.
Rogers has consistently improved throughout fall camp and will look to build off that momentum after a full offseason.
Before Fall Camp:
Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach says the quarterback battle the Bulldogs have going is “wide open.”
Players like Daniel Greek and Chance Lovertich have shown some good things on the practice field, but it would be nothing less than shocking to see the starting job go to anyone other than Southern Miss transfer Jack Abraham or sophomore Will Rogers.
Leach said last season that Rogers was “ahead of schedule” before he ultimately took the starting job from Stanford transfer quarterback KJ Costello.
In his time at the helm, Rogers showed ability to manipulate defenses, learn quickly and push the ball downfield. But he’ll have to continue to expand upon that in a big way in order to stay above a more experienced Abraham on the depth chart.
Rogers ended the 2020 season with a 69.1% completion percentage, 1,976 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Abraham ended his final season with Southern Miss with a 65.1% completion percentage, 1,224 passing yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
9. Bo Nix, Auburn.
The time for Nix to turn the corner like we've been waiting on is slim now, but he's in a decent situation to do so at Auburn. Nix was listed as the starter when the Auburn depth chart came out, with LSU transfer TJ Finley behind him at No. 2.
Based on Auburn coach Bryan Harsin's recent comments, it doesn't seem like there is much distance between the two. In order to keep the job, Nix is going to need to establish a sense of consistency and not be as quick to leave the pocket as we've seen him in the past.
Before Fall Camp:
Bo Nix may be the best choice Auburn currently has at quarterback, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to see a high level of success in the SEC.
To this point, he hasn’t. Throughout his college career, we’ve seen Nix struggle with things like throwing the ball behind his receivers and struggling to maintain overall accuracy.
Nix finished out 2020 with a 59.9% completion percentage, 2,415 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
It’s now or never for Nix to turn the corner.
10. Joe Milton, Tennessee.
I originally thought this one was going to come down to Harrison Bailey and Hendon Hooker, but that's not the case as Vols head coach announced that Milton would be the quarterback taking the reins in Week 1.
Heupel specifically mentioned skills and decision-making as factors in the choice to start Milton, who could either make Michigan miss him or fizzle quickly if the pairing ultimately doesn't work out.
Milton is definitely an interesting prospect, built more like a defensive player than an offensive one at 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds. He has the athletic ability to take off and run and become an asset in the ground game and has solid arm strength as a passer. He needs to improve in the latter category, though as his 56.7% completion percentage would suggest.
Before Fall Camp: (was not included in June rankings)
11. Will Levis, Kentucky.
Levis may not have gotten to Kentucky until the summer, but the fact was named a 2021 team captain goes to show that he's already made a great impression on the team. (He may also be the most interesting quarterback in the SEC, not just because of what he does on the field).
The junior joins the Wildcats after transferring from Penn State, where he finished out the 2020 season completing 33-of-55 passing attempts (60%) for 421 yards with one touchdown. On the ground, he had 260 yards on 82 carries with three touchdowns.
Levis has been well-received by the coaching staff at Kentucky and has been praised for his abilities as a passer. Levis brings a level of versatility after playing the "Lion", a hybrid role at Penn State.
Before Fall Camp: (was not included in June rankings)
12. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas.
Jefferson has drawn praise from Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles in his time with the team, though Briles has noted that the quarterback has been up-and-down with accuracy. In some of his most recent comments, Briles did say that Jefferson is in a good spot accuracy-wise and that he'd like Jefferson to stay around 65%.
With accuracy being the most important trait in a quarterback, this will be something to keep watch on.
Before Fall Camp:
With the departure of Feleipe Franks, this season will be KJ Jefferson’s first as a full-time starter for the Razorbacks. Jefferson has shown issues mechanically speaking and where footwork is concerned, but he seems to have gotten better in both areas — at least based on the glimpse we got of him in the spring.
Jefferson ended off the 2020 season with a completion percentage of 48.8% with 295 passing yards and three touchdowns while Franks was in Fayetteville.
If he can be a steady passer, stays as good on the deep ball as he’s looked and can really get things going with wide receiver Treylon Burks, Arkansas could have something on offense.
13. Ken Seals, Vanderbilt.
Seals did some impressive things last year considering how early on he was (and still is) in his career, and he'll try to build upon that in 2021 after cementing himself in front of Mike Wright. We'll see how in control he looks of the offense after getting one year under his belt and hopefully with a team that shows improvement under Clark Lea after it did not win a single game last year.
Before Fall Camp:
It’s not easy being a true freshman quarterback at a school not known for producing at the position and one that doesn’t have the most superior supporting cast.
Still, despite the odds being stacked against him, Seals has put together some good drives against tough opponents, helping his offense move the chains and standing strong in the pocket.
Sure, Seals showed plenty of signs of the freshman growing pains last year, but he also showed the makings of a foundation of a legitimate SEC quarterback.
Seals finished out 2020 with a 64.8% completion percentage, 1,928 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
14. Zeb Noland, South Carolina.
Noland is easily one of the hottest stories in college football right now. The former NDSU Bison originally headed to South Carolina to be a graduate assistant on Shane Beamer's coaching staff.
But now, with Luke Doty injured, the quarterback who once played backup to Trey Lance is being called upon to step up. And don't get caught up too much in the narrative that he's an "Uncle Rico" as Beamer puts it.
Noland can surely throw it over those mountains, and be taken seriously doing so.
"I know what the narrative may be out there, so let's forget about it and lose the narrative that [Noland] hasn't played a football game in two or three years and he was walking up and down the hall like Uncle Rico talking about what he did back in the day as a quarterback," Beamer said Tuesday. "He played quarterback a couple of months ago -- three months ago. He's been a graduate assistant coach since June.
"Like I told you when we activated him to our roster, he's played in a college football game a hell of a lot more recently than anybody on our team. Is it a little bit unique? Yes. But it wasn't like he played a few years ago. He played a few months ago."
Before Fall Camp: (was not included in June rankings)
