Ranking Every SEC QB Ahead of the 2022 Season
The 2022 college football season is roughly one month away and there's a lot of excitement surrounding how things could play out in the Southeastern Conference this fall.
The SEC features one of the top quarterbacks in the nation in 2022, who stands a chance at winning another Heisman Trophy and becoming a first-round pick next April. Outside of him are several other candidates who could make their way into the spotlight this year.
Here's how each SEC quarterback ranks ahead of the season:
1. Bryce Young, Alabama.
Young is in contention to be one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, pinned as the No. 1 overall pick in some mock drafts ahead of next April. While undersized, Young has shown the potential to come up big for last year's otherwise shaky Alabama team and is one of the most mechanically sound passers in the nation.
He's smart with the football and rarely misses or risks an interception, finishing out the 2021 season with a 66.9% completion rate, 4,872 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 547 attempts.
Between his football IQ, athleticism and reliability as a passer, this is a quarterback who should transition to the NFL easily.
2. Will Rogers, Mississippi State.
Rogers has flown under the radar for the better part of his career, but quickly rose to receiving national attention after a successful 2021 season.
He took a big step forward last year as a sophomore, impressing as he broke school and conference records, ending the season with a 73.9% completion rate, 4,739 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The second half of the season was where Rogers made his biggest strides in getting the ball out faster, his decision-making and ball placement. Rogers has been consistently praised for his intangibles with his leadership ability coming up frequently in conversation, but things seem to be coming together for him on the field in a way that could make for a meteoric rise in 2022.
3. Will Levis, Kentucky.
Few quarterbacks in the upcoming draft compare to Levis where athleticism and physical tools are concerned. Transitioning from the Taysom Hill type of "Lion" role at Penn State to that of a traditional quarterback is a big jump to make, but it's one Levis has done a fine job of to this point.
Levis has made significant strides mechanically and has continued to grow as a pure passer -- something that on top of everything else could quickly cement him as one of the top prospects regardless of position in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He ended out last season with a 66% completion rate, 2,826 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
4. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee.
Hooker isn't as talked about as some of the other SEC quarterbacks who are considered potential early-round picks, but he's been an essential piece to a Tennessee offense that has found new life under head coach Josh Heupel.
Hooker finished out the 2021 season with a 68.2% completion rate, 2,945 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and and three interceptions. In addition to his accuracy as a passer, Hooker is a quarterback who can also get things done on the ground, rushing for 620 yards with five touchdowns in 2021.
Hooker needs to throw with more touch and cut down on some of his overthrows in 2022, but he's got a tight release and plenty of arm strength to put the ball wherever he wants it on the field. If he shows some added development as a passer this fall, this is a quarterback whose name will be heard a lot more in April.
5. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas.
Jefferson leaves little be desired in terms of an NFL-ready frame, highly athletic for a 6-foot-3, 245-pound signal-caller. Jefferson did some of this best work last season on the ground, carrying the ball 146 times for 664 yards with six touchdowns.
There's no question Jefferson is tough to tackle and can do damage with his legs, but he struggled as a passer initially. He recorded a completion rate of 70% or higher in the final five games of the season despite having an equal amount of games with a completion rate of 60% or lower. Jefferson has continued to do some fine-tuning throwing the ball better this offseason and could be a big riser in 2022 if he can stay consistent through the air.
6. Stetson Bennett, UGA.
There's been much debate as to just where Bennett's ceiling is after he took the snaps for a Georgia team that ultimately went on to win the national championship. He's done a lot to keep drives alive for Georgia with his mobility and is something he's definitely made work to his advantage, but he's struggled with some decision-making issues at critical times.
At the same time, it's important to note Bennett was getting limited reps not far away from this same time last year, a point that head coach Kirby Smart has raised. How Bennett can continue to progress will have a lot to do with how he can rise and where his draft stock will ultimately stand.
En route to Georgia's title game win, Bennett completed 64.5% of his passes for 2,862 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
7. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina.
Rattler still brings a lot of raw potential to the table, but seemed to be in his head a lot and failed to complete some easy throws last season. Sometimes a change of scenery is all a quarterback needs to hit their ceiling, and Rattler is in a good position to do that with a rising South Carolina team under Shane Beamer.
I asked Beamer about Rattler's strongest qualities and what drew him to bringing the quarterback on to Oklahoma, and it's clear he's got the confidence and support behind him heading into the season.
“There’s a lot to like. Obviously the talent speaks for itself, but the thing that was really attractive about Spencer beyond the talent was the fact he has played a lot of football," Beamer said.
"As far as what we look for at the quarterback position, it’s accuracy first and formemost. In today’s time, you’ve got to be athletic enough to get yourself out of trouble. You don’t have to be Kyler Murray, but you’ve got to be athletic enough… and have the competitive spirit and the leadership qualities you want at that position. Being around Spencer at Oklahoma, I knew he had what we were looking for."
Rattler was benched in favor of Caleb Williams during the 2021 season, finishing the year with a 74.9% completion rate, 1,483 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
8. Anthony Richardson, Florida.
Richardson has greatly impressed with his athleticism and arm strength, but still has a ways to go accuracy-wise and needs to play more games to show he can be consistent as a starter on an every week basis.
The 6-foot-4, 232-pounder's decision-making needs to improve in Year 2, but that shouldn't be a major area of concern unless it continues down the line, considering this is a player who still has limited in-game experience. Still, his ability to throw with good touch and anticipation have been redeeming qualities for him through the air and he's a constant threat with his legs.
Over a small sample size of games, he completed 59.4% of his passes for 529 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He's projected by a number of analysts to be a first-round draft pick, so his performance this year as a starting quarterback for a full season will play a role into if he stays on that trajectory.
9. LSU QB.
The Tigers have solid quarterback room between Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels, Myles Brennan, Garrett Nussmeier and Walker Howard. There's uncertainty as to who will be the starter this season with a competition that will go on through fall camp. It's easy to argue that Nussmeier and Howard have the highest ceiling in the room and could elevate LSU back to its former glory. But as far as experience goes, the sixth-year Brennan has the edge and Daniels has played three seasons himself.
LSU has a decision to make here between upside and experience with some guesses the Tigers could potentially use multiple quarterbacks this year or use a rotating system.
10. Max Johnson/Haynes King, Texas A&M.
King flashed early on in his career but the sample size is small because of the injury he sustained that limited him to just two games last season. In the film that King has put up, he's shown promise as a passer and an outstanding amount of speed, putting up a 4.5-second 40-yard dash time.
Johnson brings his own element of mobility and led LSU to some impressive wins like the upset over Florida when he assumed the starting position for the Tigers. He's been up-and-down as a passer, but was thrown into a situation at LSU where there were a lot of deficiencies within an offense that put a lot on the inexperienced quarterback.
This will be among the SEC quarterback battles to keep an eye on throughout fall camp. King has the edge in terms of spending more time in Jimbo Fisher's system, but Johnson has more game reps.
11. Jaxson Dart/Luke Altmyer, Ole Miss.
The Rebels face a tough task in replacing quarterback Matt Corral who is now preparing for his rookie year with the Carolina Panthers. Just as to who will be taking the snaps in Oxford remains to be seen, as it will be a closely fought competition between USC transfer Jaxson Dart and returning quarterback Luke Altmyer.
Altmyer has had moments where he rises to the occasion and looks like a seasoned player despite his young age, but also had moments where he very much looked like a freshman. He has the slight edge as far as having a year with Ole Miss under his belt, but that alone won't guarantee him the starting gig.
Dart, who has some things in his skillset that show some resemblance to Corral, has shown upside and the ability to make plays with his legs. But, just as Altmyer did, he struggled with inaccuracy and turnovers throughout the spring.
Dart completed 61.9% of his passes for 1,353 passing yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions over six games at USC last year. Altmyer was good for 54.1% of his passing attempts with 192 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions over four appearances in 2021.
12. Brady Cook, Missouri.
This is an ongoing competition that will continue into the fall, but Cook seems to have the advantage for now. He saw action in five games last season as a redshirt freshman, starting in the season finale Armed Forces Bowl against Army. Over five appearances in 2021, he completed 79.3% of his passing attempts for 345 yards with two touchdowns.
He was also solid in the spring game, throwing for three touchdowns. While Tyler Macon, Sam Horn and an experienced Jack Abraham could make a push as things play out in camp, Cook seems to be the most realistic option to take the reins at the start of the season.
13. TJ Finley/Zach Calzada, Auburn.
Auburn has one of the shakiest quarterback situations in the nation heading into the 2022 season, and there are areas like decision-making in which both Finley and Calzada need to see vast improvement. Calzada has largely been perceived as the frontrunner here after starting 10 games for Texas A&M in 2021 and leading the Aggies to a huge upset victory over Alabama. Finley obviously still shouldn't be counted out, but there's a reason why Bryan Harsin brought in two transfer signal-callers.
14. Mike Wright, Vanderbilt.
With Wright officially named the starter for the Commodores, it's going to be interesting to see how he can elevate a Vanderbilt team that's been among the conference's lowliest for years.
Ken Seals showed a lot of reason for optimism in his own right in his time as the starter, but at the end of the day, Vanderbilt's offensive line has been subpar and that puts Seals at a severe disadvantage since he's more of a traditional pocket passer. Wright has much more mobility to his game, something that helps him make more of a bad situation in a way that Seals cannot.
Over 10 appearances last year, Wright completed 53.1% of his passes for 1,042 passing yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. He also carried the ball 91 times for 376 yards with one rushing score.
