I’m not sure whether it’s the analyst and writer in me or simply the masochist. Either way, here we are.
It’s time to make everyone mad at me on social media again with another set of weekly rankings. This time, we’re tackling SEC quarterbacks.
Here are the initial SEC quarterback power rankings heading into the 2026 season.
Bottom 6
16. Blaze Berlowitz, Vanderbilt
15. KJ Jackson, Arkansas
14. Aaron Philo, Florida
13. Fazon Brandon, Tennessee
12. Austin Simmons, Missouri
11. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky
10. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
The ceiling and floor for Mississippi State is tethered pretty tightly to its quarterback. Few quarterbacks in the league gained more continued praise this offseason than Kamario Taylor.
Taylor looked fantastic at the Manning Passing Academy. Physically, he stands out amongst even some of the best quarterbacks in the country. Head coach Jeff Lebby talked about what he thought Taylor’s ceiling could be in his first full year as a starter.
“I don’t put a ceiling on K1,” said Lebby.
Anyone that watched him in his two starts a season ago against Ole Miss and Wake Forest can see the talent oozing from him. He is one of the best athletes at the position in the country, but he also has a really good WR1 in Anthony Evans.
9. Byrum Brown, Auburn
Brown has experience and a lot of it. The size and physical tools are obvious. The question marks are too, however.
Brown was one of the highest ranked portal players in the country this offseason, and his previous years as a starter in Alex Golesh’s offense should help for a smoother transition than some into this league.
He’s been a starter for three years at the FBS level, but only six of his 35 career games have come against Power Four competition. In those six games he’s completed just 58 percent of his passes and scored just five touchdowns.
8. Keelon Russell, Alabama
The biggest argument to make for Russell is his upside.
Sure, we have seen highly ranked recruits fail before, and just because someone is a five-star recruit doesn’t mean they are going to pan out. There are a ton of examples to prove that. Russell isn’t just a five-star Alabama recruit, though. He’s the highest-ranked recruit in program history which is saying something at Alabama.
His skill set was on full display in the spring game, and despite being thin depth-wise at wide receiver, he has a lot of talent around him. One would have to assume that the run game will be better this year. It can’t get much worse.
7. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Reed doesn’t get the respect he deserves as a quarterback in this league. He’s not the most polished passer, and his 12 interceptions were the second most of any quarterback in the league in 2025.
Still, a third year starting quarterback in this league feels like a recipe for winning. The biggest question regarding Reed is what he will do after losing four starters off the most experienced offensive line in the country a season ago, wide receiver KC Concepcion’s off to the NFL and the Aggies have a new offensive coordinator.
6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
When you’re done rolling your eyes, hear me out. LaNorris Sellers had a miserable season in 2025 and that’s totally fair. The expectations were through the roof, but the production was brutally underwhelming. There are parts of Sellers’ game that definitely need improving.
His consistency in the passing game needs work, but he is a 1-of-1 physical talent. There is no one else in the country that has his arm strength, athleticism or size. The marriage between all of that and new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles will feed families this season.
First-year quarterbacks in Briles’ offenses have thrived throughout his previous stops. The LaNorris Sellers we saw in the final six games of 2024 is what we’ll see this year, not whatever Mike Shula did to him a season ago.
5. Sam Leavitt, LSU
Leavitt is fascinating. There are few quarterbacks with more hype coming into this season, and there are zero quarterbacks coming into a better situation.
Two years ago, we watched him lead Arizona State to the College Football Playoff. That was his freshman season, and he finished that campaign ninth nationally in QBR. Leavitt is going to play in one of the best offenses in America. He’s also going to play against significantly better competition than he ever did in the Big 12.
It’s hard to buy into a first-year transfer in this league, but given everything Leavitt will have around him, it’s even harder to see him failing. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin’s track record is far too impressive with far less talented quarterbacks over the last decade and a half.
4. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Mateer was another first-year transfer quarterback that came into the league with a ton of hype. The biggest concern on my end was that all the numbers he put up at Washington State were at, well, Washington State.
He played one game in 2024 against Power Four competition. Mateer’s season played out exactly how I thought it would, besides his injury. He got off to a great start in September in non-conference play and against a 5-7 Auburn team.
Once the competition improved, his production got worse. He had six passing touchdowns and three interceptions in September. He had six touchdowns and seven interceptions the rest of the regular season.
The ceiling is still very high for Mateer, and he’ll come much closer to reaching the potential everyone hyped up last season, this season. I love the continuity he has with the offense and coordinator in Norman in Year 2.
3. Arch Manning, Texas
I didn’t buy into the Arch Manning hype a season ago. It was a lonely island to be on in the offseason, but it felt like he was getting way too much love and assumptive adoration for a quarterback who hadn’t made any starts against quality competition since grade school. This year, I am buying as much stock as possible.
Manning had his early season struggles, but by the end of last season he was one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. Manning’s receivers led the SEC in drops last season with 22. His completion percentage for the season was 61.3 percent, but his adjusted completion percentage was over 73 percent.
The talent that Texas brought in around him offensively should be a significant improvement from last year, and I think he’s destined to reach all the potential this year that he missed in 2025.
2. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Pick your adjective. Underrated, overlooked, and/or disrespected. Gunner Stockton is the “most” version of that quarterback in the SEC and maybe the country.
All Stockton did was win in his first year as a full-time starter. He had the sixth best QBR in the country at 85.8 and finished the season with 34 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
He gets a lot of hate because he only averaged 206.7 passing yards per game and had the second lowest average depth to target rate of any SEC signal caller. That was in part because 40 percent of his passes last season were at or behind the line scrimmage. He also was second in the league in turnover-worthy play rate.
1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
It will no doubt be interesting seeing what Chambliss looks like in a new offense without Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weiss. He’s still the top quarterback in the league going into the season.
Chambliss was incredible last year. He was top five in the country in QBR (86.0) and put up over 4,000 yards of offense in a season where he didn’t start the entire year. What was most impressive about his first season in the SEC, or FBS football for that matter, is that he finished the year with just three interceptions. That was the fewest of any starter in the SEC last year.
He’s the best quarterback in America going into 2026, and that is saying something because there are some dudes in this year’s quarterback class.
