Does SEC have college football’s best QBs? A stacked group is not without questions

The Athletic released its college football quarterback tiers on Wednesday, ranking all 136 projected FBS starters ahead of the 2025 season. Spoiler alert: The ACC has the No. 1 quarterback, but the SEC came out on top overall.

Five SEC quarterbacks are in the top 10 in Tier 1, and the 16 projected starters in the conference have an average ranking of 29.5 — nearly nine points ahead of the second-place Big 12 (average ranking: 38th).

Our rankings support a popular hypothesis heading into the season: The SEC will be the strongest league in the country for quarterbacks with LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (No. 2), South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers (No. 3), Oklahoma’s John Mateer (No. 4), Florida’s DJ Lagway (No. 5) and Texas’ Arch Manning (No. 10) leading the way.

That may indeed be the case. However, even an SEC this stacked with talented quarterbacks isn’t immune to question marks at the sport’s most important position. Some wouldn’t be surprised if its status is challenged.

“I think the Big 12 probably has the best collection of (quarterbacks),” a former SEC scouting director said. “Once you get past those first five or so, there’s a pretty big drop-off to the next tier.”

How certain is it that the SEC will have college football’s best collection of quarterbacks? Let’s dive into the SEC’s five most pressing questions at QB.

1. Can 5-star recruits turn potential into reality?

It’s a massive year for former five-star recruits now stepping into larger roles, starting with Manning at Texas, Lagway at Florida and former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold (No. 35) at Auburn. Are they ready for bigger things to match the recruiting hype?

Manning is the most intriguing, both because of his famous last name and because of what awaits Texas in Week 1: a road game at defending national champion Ohio State. The backup to Quinn Ewers for the past two seasons, Manning enters 2025 having played in 12 career games, with two starts against Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe, throwing for 969 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions in total. He has spent the past two seasons learning the Texas offense and studying under Ewers to prepare him for his third year in coach Steve Sarkisian’s system.

It’s hard to remember the last time Texas had this type of buzz around the program — the Longhorns have a chance to be The Associated Press’ preseason No. 1 for the first time — and Manning is the big reason why. However, even he seems ready to pump the brakes on the hype, especially when it comes to Heisman Trophy talk, where he’s the betting favorite.

“I’ve only played, what, two games?” he said at SEC media days earlier this week. “I’ve got a lot to prove.”

Lagway and Arnold enter their sophomore seasons having started seven and four games for the Gators and Sooners, respectively. Lagway, who flashed immense potential in an inconsistent debut season, may have coach Billy Napier’s fate in his hands. Arnold, who finished last in the SEC in pass efficiency rating in Oklahoma’s conference debut, will need to show that his freshman year struggles were unique to Oklahoma and won’t carry over to the Tigers, where he has a fresh start under coach Hugh Freeze with more proven receiver talent.

2. Are new faces ready to level up?

The SEC has a handful of transfers heading into the season, three of whom are moving up in competition and will have to show they’re ready for brighter lights.

Mateer comes to Oklahoma by way of Washington State, which played a Mountain West-heavy schedule following the demise of the Pac-12. Joey Aguilar (No. 60) has arrived at Tennessee in the Nico Iamaleava “trade” after a quick offseason pit stop at UCLA and two seasons in the Sun Belt, where he starred for Appalachian State. And Kentucky journeyman Zach Calzada (No. 63) is back in the league after two seasons at Incarnate Word, which followed stops at Auburn and Texas A&M.

Mateer is the most proven player of the trio and arrives in Norman as the hope for Oklahoma ahead of a critical year for head coach Brent Venables. At Washington State, Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns against seven interceptions last season before becoming one of the most sought-after players in the portal.

The Sooners’ offense was a mess a season ago, switching back and forth between Arnold and true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. while ranking 15th in the SEC in scoring. If Mateer can hang with SEC defenses, he’ll provide some stability.

Calzada is more of an enigma as he heads into his seventh season of college football at his fourth school — a run that started with promise when he led Texas A&M to a memorable upset of Alabama in 2021.

Aguilar may be the most interesting transfer, in that he only arrived in Tennessee in mid-May after the Vols’ falling out with Iamaleava. Aguilar starred at Appalachian State in 2023 and 2024, throwing for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns in two seasons. However, he also tossed 24 picks and has gotten a late, post-spring start with Josh Heupel’s offense.

3. Will long-term development pay off for CFP hopefuls?

Alabama and Georgia always have Playoff hopes, and Ole Miss is still hoping to get over the hump after a close call last year. If any of the three teams make the final 12-team bracket, it’ll be on the back of a new Tier 4 quarterback being developed from within.

Former five-star recruit Ty Simpson (No. 47) is expected to take over for the Crimson Tide in Kalen DeBoer’s second year with the program. Simpson replaces Jalen Milroe, and though he’s in his fourth year with Alabama, he has just 50 career pass attempts.

Georgia is in a similar situation: Gunner Stockton (No. 48) is in charge of the offense now that the Carson Beck era with the Bulldogs is over. Stockton got valuable experience in the SEC Championship Game against Texas and in the College Football Playoff against Notre Dame. Still, he’s unproven with just 588 career passing yards in two seasons.

Austin Simmons (No. 37) at Ole Miss might have the biggest shoes to fill. A third-year player at an Ole Miss program that has become known for its heavy usage of the transfer portal, he replaces first-round NFL Draft pick Jaxson Dart and enters the season with just 32 career pass attempts.

4. What is Beau Pribula’s ceiling at Missouri?

Pribula (No. 38), the former Penn State backup, transferred during the CFP to take over at Missouri. Multiple sources for our QB Tiers told Antonio Morales that Pribula may have been their No. 1 target in the transfer portal. Still, he remains a bit of a mystery for a team trying to duplicate last year’s 10-3 success.

The good news: Pribula should be well-prepared for SEC defenses, having spent his whole career practicing against the Nittany Lions. He also played in 24 games during his career, backing up Drew Allar. The bad news: Pribula has zero career starts and was used mainly as a change-up runner by Penn State. How he plays in an expanded role will dictate how far Mizzou goes.

5. What happens at Texas A&M and Arkansas?

Keep your eye on the Aggies (8-5 last year) and Razorbacks (7-6), which return arguably underappreciated starting quarterbacks in Marcel Reed (No. 26) at Texas A&M and Taylen Green (No. 21) at Arkansas, whose play could dictate their teams’ attempts to break through against rugged schedules.

Both have the potential to compete with anyone in the SEC if they take the next step. Their speed and ability to make defenders pay with their legs is undeniable. However, both have to be more accurate. Reed threw 15 touchdowns against six interceptions a season ago, and Green tossed 15 touchdowns with nine picks.

(Photo of John Mateer: Kevin Jairaj / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)