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The SEC's dominance over college football took a bit of a hit with Michigan winning the College Football Playoff in January. Alabama lost in the playoff, Georgia was left out, and the league as a whole was a bit down. That said, 2024 looks promising, and the reasoning starts with the league's quarterbacks.
In other years, Carson Beck or Jalen Milroe might have gone pro. Instead, both are back and leading their respective teams. Other standouts like Quinn Ewers, Brady Cook and Jaxson Dart will be back too. The SEC teams without veteran returnees almost universally have promising propsects. Here's the breakdown on the top ten passers in the SEC for 2024.
SEC QB rankings for 2024
#10 Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky
Vandagriff is something of a pick of faith. A backup at Georgia, he threw just 21 passes as a Bulldog. But he was solid when he did play and was a big-time recruit.
With new Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamden and a solid receiving corps, Vandagriff figures to have a decent season. His running skills might be a bit better than advertised.
#9 Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee
Sure, he hasn't been "the man" at Tennessee yet. But after the last two seasons, it feels a bit like Josh Heupel could throw about anybody out there and get 3,500 yards passing.
Iamaleava is much better than just a random QB. He was a five-star recruit for a reason, and his arm talent is phenomenal. He's this low because he's a bit of an unknown, but he'll finish the year in the SEC's top five.
#8 Graham Mertz, Florida
Mertz, on the other hand, is here because he is well known. Across 3 1/2 starting seasons at Wisconsin and UF, Mertz has thrown for 8,308 yards and 58 touchdowns. Florida was disastrous a year ago, but it wasn't because of Mertz.
He connected on 73% of his passes and threw 20 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He's rock-solid and would be at the top of lesser leagues.
#7 Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Much as with the Iamaleave pick above, this is a reflection of past performance of other QBs and Nussmeier's own potential. LSU has been nothing less than explosive and Nussmeier has had enough experience (1,720 yards and 11 touchdowns) to know that he'll do an excellent job. He may not be Jayden Daniels, but he won't be much of a step back.
#6 Conner Weigman, Texas A&M
Weigman was headed for an All-SEC type season a year ago before injury struck. He completed 69% of his passes and had 979 yards and 8 touchdowns in just four games.
There's no reason to think that a healed-up Weigman can pick up exactly where he left off. If he does, A&M's season will take a definite uptick in 2024.
#5 Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
In two seasons with Lane Kiffin, Dart has passed for 6,338 yards and 43 touchdowns. He also rushed for another 1,046 yards and 11 touchdowns. If the Rebels' transfer portal haul is as good as advertised, Dart has a chance to end up as a Heisman Trophy candidate. That would mean the Rebels have a chance to end up as a College Football Playoff contender.
#4 Brady Cook, Missouri
The Rodney Dangerfield of SEC quarterbacks, Cook isn't fancy, but just wins. He led Mizzou to an 11-win season last year and has passed for 6,473 yards and 38 touchdowns. Cook can be termed a game manager. That distinction would not explain the jump between 7.2 yards and 9.0 yards per pass attempt in 2022 and 2023 respectively. He's an NFL-level quarterback.
#3 Jalen Milroe, Alabama
After a season as a Heisman candidate, Milroe now will run Kalen DeBoer's passing-heavy attack. He could up his stats from 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2023 to something more like 4,000 and 40 scores in 2024.
How DeBoer will use his legs will be interesting. A season ago, Milroe rushed for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 2024 is an exciting mystery to be unveiled.
#2 Quinn Ewers, Texas
After a multitude of hype surrounded his recruitment, Ewers has slowly turned into the guy he was expected to be. Last season, his 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns led Texas to 12 wins and a heart-stopping Sugar Bowl. What's his encore? Ewers could make the Longhorns' SEC debut extra memorable.
#1 Carson Beck, Georgia
After years of waiting, Beck got his shot in 2023 and made it count. By passing for 3,941 yards and 24 scores, Beck created an expectation of a trip to the NFL Draft.
By turning that trip down, he makes Georgia a legitimate CFP hopeful in 2024. Georgia has proven it can win championships with the likes of Stetson Bennett. The Dawgs may run away with one behind Beck.
Who do you think is the SEC's top QB in 2024? We'd love your thoughts below in our comments section!
