From top to bottom, this might be the most inexperienced group of quarterbacks the Southeastern Conference has sent on the field in quite a few years. Take away Florida’s All-Planetary Tim Tebow and Jevan Snead of Ole Miss, who would be the best quarterback in the conference in at least eight conferences, and it’s slim pickings at the start of the year. The league is blessed with some of the best quarterback coaches and creative offensive minds, however, so by year’s end, this should be a position of strength for the SEC.
Rating the position, team-by-team:
1. FLORIDA: The Gators have the best 1-2 punch at the position in the SEC. Tim Tebow is the best quarterback in the SEC and you could make a successful argument that he’s the best in the country. Tebow has that ability to make teammates willing to take a bullet for him. His throwing and running skills are pretty darn good, too. Backup John Brantley would start for at least eight SEC teams. The third quarterback is incoming freshman Jordan Reed from Connecticut. He’s big (6-3, 225), strong and an extremely good runner. He won’t have any pressure on him this year so he can take his time and learn the offense.
2. OLE MISS: In most leagues, Jevan Snead would be everybody’s preseason choice for player of the year. In the SEC, he’s the second best quarterback behind Tim Tebow. Second best seems to be the story of Snead’s life. He was committed to Florida until the Gators got Tebow. He went to Texas where he became the backup to Colt McCoy. At Ole Miss, he had an outstanding season once he shook the rust off around midseason. He threw for 26 touchdowns. Ten of his 13 interceptions were thrown in the first seven games. He only threw three more after that. Redshirt freshman Nathan Stanley is the backup. He’s a decent enough runner and a very good passer. There are two freshmen — Brandon Cotton and Clayton Moore — who will probably redshirt.
3. ARKANSAS: Ryan Mallett will be doing his impersonation of a tree trunk (he’s 6-7, 260) in the SEC this season after sitting out a year following his freshman season at Michigan. He threw for 895 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman at Michigan in 2007, transferring out when Rich Rodriguez took over as head coach and brought in a spread offense that is triggered by a running quarterback. Mallett won’t impress anyone as a runner, but since he’s bigger than a lot of the defensive ends he’ll face, he will be seriously tough to sack. He’s got the big arm and a whole host of very good receivers to throw to. The backup is redshirt freshman Tyler Wilson, who actually had a better overall spring than Mallett. Wilson has more mobility to go with a decent enough arm. What had the Arkansas coaches enthused by spring’s end was his ability to check down to the right play on a consistent basis. Redshirt Jim Youngblood has a strong arm.
4. LSU: The starter — at least when the season begins — will be sophomore Jordan Jefferson, who led LSU to a big win over Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Jefferson has size, speed and a very strong arm. He was 16-25 for 142 yards and a touchdown in the win over Georgia Tech. He’s going to be pushed by true freshman Russell Shepard, a good enough athlete that LSU is going to have to find a place for him on the field even if it isn’t at quarterback. Shepard is an exciting runner who has a very good arm. The number three quarterback is Jarrett Lee, who started eight games. Lee threw for 20 touchdowns — 14 to his team and six for the bad guys. Arm strength is not an issue. Decision-making is. If he can find a way to mature and make decent decisions, he could get back in the mix.
5. AUBURN: Watch Kodi Burns blossom running the offense for new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Malzahn’s offense is more about seeing and reacting, less about thinking, which is good since Burns isn’t the thinking type. He is, however, an exceptional runner (411 yards last year). He won’t have to make a lot of tough throws in this offense so he will be more than adequate as a passer. Junior Neil Caudle is the backup after an outstanding spring. Caudle is big, strong and could be the starter by midseason if Burns falters. Third stringer Chris Todd passed for 903 yards last year.
6. TENNESSEE: Judging by what we’ve seen of him in his four years on campus, it is difficult to understand how it is that Jonathan Crompton was once a US Army All-American. He figures to be the starter. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for two last year before he was replaced by Nick Stephens, who doesn’t throw many interceptions but doesn’t make many plays, either. Neither of these guys did anything to inspire confidence that they’ll get the job done this year but they really can’t be any worse.
7. SOUTH CAROLINA: The spring would seem to indicate that Stephen Garcia’s brain is no longer permanently jammed in neutral. In the spring he showed a real grasp of the offense and true signs of harnessing his enormous talents and playing the way the most demanding quarterbacks coach in the conference (Steve Spurrier) expects him to play. As a freshman last year Garcia threw for 832 yards and six touchdowns plus ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns. If he has learned to play under control, he will become one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Redshirt freshman Reid McCollum has a good arm and is very smart. Redshirt freshman Aramis Hilary doesn’t throw well but he can run. Spurrier is going to put some wildcat packages in for freshman Stephon Gilmore.
8. GEORGIA: The Bulldogs have plenty of experience on the offensive line so the game plan will probably be to run, run and run some more and throw mostly off play action. That should work well for fifth-year Joe Cox who won’t be required to win games, just make sure he doesn’t make mistakes that will cost victories. Logan Gray will start the year as the backup, but one of the freshmen — either Aaron Murray or Zach Mettenburger will probably force Gray to move to wide receiver. Murray isn’t very big but he’s very mobile. Mettenburger isn’t very mobile but he’s big and he has a very strong arm.
9. ALABAMA: Greg McElroy will be the starter. His task is the same as Joe Cox’s at Georgia — just manage the game and don’t make mistakes. With the defense he’s got, Nick Saban really isn’t looking for a playmaker at quarterback, just someone who won’t take chances and put the defense in a hole. He will look better than he really is throwing the ball to Julio Jones. The backup is Star Jackson, who has a strong enough arm but a serious case of happy feet. The quarterback of the future is freshman A.J. McCarron but he will be lucky to see the field this year.
10. KENTUCKY: Mike Hartline is the incumbent. He’s big (6-6, 210) and he’s got a decent arm, but didn’t show any willingness to throw the ball down the field last year when he averaged 5.4 yards per pass attempt (1,669 yards on 311 attempts for nine touchdowns and eight picks. The Wildcats could play Randall Cobb at quarterback again (542 passing yards last year) but they need him more on the outside where he is one of the few Kentucky receivers that can stretch a defense. Watch for one of the freshmen — Morgan Newton or Ryan Mossakowski — to make a bid for the starting job by no later than midseason. Newton reminds Kentucky fans favorably of Andre Woodson, who threw for 9,307 yards in his Kentucky career.
11. MISSISSIPPI STATE: Tyson Lee is the incumbent starter but he’s pretty much keeping the seat warm until freshman Tyler Russell is ready to take over. Lee is 5-11, 200 and a decent passer who hasn’t shown much ability to throw the ball down the field. Russell, who was there in the spring, has the tools to be outstanding in a spread option offense. He’s a very effective runner and a good decision maker in the throwing game. Russell tends to look down the field more than Lee, so it should be just a matter of time before he takes over as the starter.
12. VANDERBILT: Neither Mackenzi Adams nor Larry Smith will wow you. Adams is the leader of the team, which is why he plays. Smith has a better arm, but not by much. Neither one of them can throw the ball consistently down the field. Watch for true freshman Charlie Goro to get into the mix early and don’t be surprised if he becomes the starter by the final third of the season.
INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES:
BEST QUARTERBACK: Tim Tebow (Florida). No surprise here. He’s 22-5 as a starter with career numbers of 6,390 passing yards for 67 touchdowns and 2,031 rushing yards for 43 touchdowns. He’s 13 touchdowns away from becoming the all-time leader in the SEC in touchdown responsibility (Danny Wuerffel had 122) and is 11 touchdowns away from becoming the SEC’s all-time leader in touchdowns scored. He’s got one Heisman, one third place finish and is the favorite to win his second Heisman this year.
Runner-up: Jevan Snead (Ole Miss). Urban Meyer had Tebow and Snead 1-2 coming out of high school. At one point, Snead was committed to Florida, then went to Texas before transferring to Texas last year. In his first year as a starter since high school, Snead threw for 2,762 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading Ole Miss to a 9-4 record. He got better as the season progressed last year, throwing for 16 touchdowns against only three interceptions in the final six games of the year.
BEST PASSER: Tebow (Florida). Everybody knocks his mechanics but here’s everything you need to know. He’s thrown 67 touchdown passes in three seasons. He’s only thrown 11 interceptions.
Runner-up: Snead (Ole Miss). He threw more interceptions (13) last year than Tebow has in his career (11). Even so, he’s got a great arm and he can make all the throws.
BEST RUNNER: Tebow (Florida). Tebow runs like a fullback and hits like a freight train (see You Tube and what happens when Florida State safety Jamie Robinson gets in Tebow’s way). As he has grown into the position, he’s become more of a reluctant runner, choosing to hang onto the football and look for a receiver until the last possible instant. Once he does take off with the football he is every cornerback and safety’s nightmare in the SEC.
Runner-up: Kodi Burns (Auburn). Burns has been plagued by happy feet in the pocket, but there is no denying that he’s a threat to pick up huge chunks of yardage once he breaks the pocket.
BEST LEADER: Tebow (Florida). Watch the fourth quarters of last season’s SEC Championship Game against Alabama and the BCS National Championship Game against Oklahoma. No further proof needed.
Runner-up: Jordan Jefferson (LSU). Once he took over as the starting quarterback last year, good things started to happen for LSU’s offense. Not only did he cut down on turnovers and make better decisions that Jarrett Lee ever did, but Jefferson got instant respect of the
BEST BACKUP: John Brantley (Florida). He would start right now for everybody but Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas and LSU … and it’s not a guarantee that he wouldn’t start for Arkansas and LSU. He’s got an NFL arm and there isn’t a throw he can’t make. He’ll never run like Tebow but Tebow will never make some of the throws at Brantley can make.
Runner-up: Nick Stephens (Tennessee). He has the most experience of the backups but he isn’t as good as Brantley. He gets runner-up by default.
BEST FRESHMAN: Russell Shepard (LSU). Shepard is a brilliant athlete who is going to have to be on the field somewhere. If he can make all the throws and read a defense, he’ll have a chance to be the starter.
Runner-up: Tyler Russell (Mississippi State). He might end up the quarterback on the SEC All-Freshman team because he will probably be the starter by the third or fourth game.