We are 67 days away from Florida Gators football. As part of our season preview, Gator Country will rank all 12 projected starting quarterbacks that Florida will face in 2025.
No.1 LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier
After throwing for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is the best quarterback Florida will face next season. The Tigers reloaded at wide receiver by adding Barion Brown and Nic Anderson through the transfer portal, giving Nussmeier a stable of versatile weapons offensively. Nussmeier has elite arm talent with the ability to accurately place throws at all three levels of the defense. The 6’2, 200 is a true pocket passer but does display some athleticism with his ability to throw on the run. Nussmeier is an aggressive quarterback by nature, attempting 86 passes over 20+ yards last season. If Nussmeier can lower his 12-interception total from last year and improve his ball security (five fumbles) when the pocket collapses, there’s no reason LSU’s quarterback couldn’t be in the conversation for QB1.
No.2 Texas’ Arch Manning
I’m buying into the Arch Manning hype train, which won’t be a popular opinion amongst Gator Nation. Manning is set to take over at Texas after sitting behind Quinn Ewers for two seasons. In limited time last season, Manning completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns while tossing two interceptions. Standing at 6’4, 225 pounds, Manning has all the tools to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country next season. The dual threat quarterback was used situationally in the running game last year, where he tallied 108 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. Manning is a difficult quarterback to rank given his lack of playing time, but I’m banking on the potential in 2025.
No.3 Miami’s Carson Beck
Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck transferred to Miami instead of declaring for the NFL Draft. I am not as high as Beck’s reported four-million-dollar NIL valuation, but it’s hard to argue with the experience that Beck brings to Coral Gables. In two years as Georgia’s starting quarterback, Beck posted a 52-18 touchdown to interception ratio while tossing for a combined 7,426 yards. After a sensational 2023 season which had Beck ranked as one of the top quarterbacks in the country, the Jacksonville native suffered a letdown 2024 campaign. Beck’s completion percentage dropped nearly 8% while tossing a career high 12 interceptions, a figure that doubled from his 2023 season. Beck’s game goes to a different level with an elite supporting cast. Time will tell whether Miami has enough weapons to compliment Beck’s game.
No.4 Ole Miss’s Austin Simmons
One of my dark horses heading into the 2025 season is Ole Miss’s Austin Simmons, who backed up first round pick Jaxson Dart last year. Simmons completed 19-34 passes (59.4%) for 282 yards and two touchdowns throughout his freshman campaign. When Dart briefly left the game vs Georgia last season, Simmons kept the Rebels in the game by completing five of six passes for 64 yards vs one of the country’s best defenses. The 6’4, 215-pound left-handed quarterback has a huge ceiling as a pocket passer with real athleticism and the ability to make throws on the run. Like Manning, Simmons is difficult to rank given his lack of playing time, but I’m expecting a breakout year from the sophomore.
No.5 Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed
Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed put together a fairly impressive 2024 season despite leaving fall camp as the Aggies’ backup quarterback. Reed completed 61.3% of his passes for 1,864 yards and 15 touchdowns while tossing six interceptions last year. While the 6’2, 180-pound quarterback had his limitations as a passer, Reed was one of the more dynamic runners in all of college football as highlighted by 547 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground. After starting 6-0, the Aggies lost four of their last five games as Reed tossed six interceptions during that span. With a full offseason as QB1, I expect Reed to make a sizeable jump as he irons out his deficiencies as a passer.
No.6 Georgia’s Gunner Stockton
Georgia’s Gunner Stockton took over after Beck went down with an injury late in the season, completing 70.3% of his passes for 440 yards and one touchdown. While the completion percentage is impressive, Stockton was not asked to do a whole lot in the Bulldogs’ offense as the overwhelming majority of his passes were from 0-9 yards or behind the line of scrimmage. Still, Stockton beat Texas in the SEC Championship and put together a decent stat line vs a tough Notre Dame defense in the CFB Playoffs, looking the part of a starting quarterback in the SEC. With the additions of wide receivers Noah Thomas and Zachariah Branch this offseason, Georgia should have a better supporting cast around Stockton.
No.7 USF’s Byrum Brown
While not a power five quarterback, Byrum Brown is one that I would be circling in 2025 given Florida’s recent history of struggling with running quarterbacks. The 6’3, 225-pound dual threat quarterback had his 2024 season cut short due to injury in somewhat of a letdown season. One year prior, Brown tossed for 3,292 yards and 26 touchdowns while posting a 64.8 completion percentage. Despite being sacked 38 times in 2023, Brown tallied 809 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. In total, Brown combined for 4,101 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2023. Brown needs to work on his deep ball accuracy, but his ability to make defenders miss makes him a threat for opposing defenses at all times.
No.8 Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar
The Volunteers quarterback room got shaken up after Nico Iamaleava’s departure late in the offseason, but Tennessee was able to land App State quarterback Joey Aguilar, who may end up being an upgrade. In two seasons with App State, Aguilar combined for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns while tossing 24 interceptions. The knock on Aguilar is his decision making, posting a 5.4% turnover worthy play rate last season. That number spiked to 7.6% when facing pressure. Aguilar threw nine interceptions with a clean pocket in 2024, which is a big concern for more moving forward. However, the 6’3, 220-pound quarterback is an aggressive passer that is constantly looking down field, as highlighted by his 11.7 average depth of target. Aguilar’s aggressive nature should be a great fit for a Josh Heupel style offense.
No.9 FSU’s Tommy Castellanos
FSU starting quarterback Tommy Castellanos is on his third collegiate team in four seasons after being benched during the 2024 season with Boston College. Even still, Castellanos completed 61.5% of his passes for 1,366 yards in 2024. The 5’9, 196-pound quarterback posted a 18-5 touchdown to interception ratio last year, a significant improvement after tossing 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2023. Castellanos wasn’t much of a running threat last year, but in 2023 the dual threat quarterback ran for 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns. Castellanos has had a very inconsistent career to this point, but the upside as a running quarterback is still there. Castellanos is reunited with Gus Malzahn, who was hired as FSU’s offensive coordinator this offseason.
No.10 Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen
Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen looked to be putting together his best season yet before having his 2024 campaign cut short due to injury. In four games, Shapen completed 68.5% of his passes for 974 yards and eight touchdowns while tossing just one interception. The 6’1, 220-pound senior also logged two rushing touchdowns in 2024. Shapen is a fluid athlete which makes him capable of making plays outside of the pocket, but he’s not a guy that’s going to scare you with his arm strength. Shapen was semi productive in three years at Baylor but has yet to throw for more than 2,800 yards in a single season.
No.11 Kentucky’s Zach Calzada
Zach Calzada transferred to Incarnate Word after struggling in SEC play with Texas A&M from 2019-21. The 6’4, 200-pound senior put up video game numbers last year with the Cardinals, tossing for 3,744 yards and 35 passing touchdowns to match. He also set career highs in rushing yards (524) and rushing touchdowns (5) in 2024. Kentucky quarterback play has been hard to watch at times over the years, and I don’t see Zach Calzada as the answer. The Wildcats also lost their top two receivers to the transfer portal, leaving Calzada with not much help. Calzada is looking for a second life in the SEC as a 7th year senior.
No.12 LIU’s Ethan Greenwood
I would be lying if I could tell you much about LIU’s quarterback room, if there’s a QB battle, or who the projected starter is. But based on last season’s stats and returning players, I project Ethan Greenwood will start against Florida in week one. Greenwood completed 56-107 of his passes (52.3%) for 921 yards and six touchdowns last season. The 6’0, 193 pound quarterback ran for 912 yards and five touchdowns on 5.7 yards per carry.