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SEC QB Rankings Week 2: Taylen Green, John Mateer lead the pack

Sep 9, 2025 | 1:06 PM

Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

By Chris Marler

Let’s forego the typical opening lines to ease into the weekly quarterback rankings, and instead pull a Mulan and get down to business. Man, that’s a great reference, and I hope you got it. 

Reminder, the rankings are solely based on on-field performance this season through two games. It’s not a projection, it’s not based on overall talent, and it absolutely has nothing to do with last season.  

The Sad 6

  1. Zach Calzada
  2. Austin Simmons
  3. Arch Manning
  4. DJ Lagway
  5. Gunner Stockton
  6. Joey Aguilar

Tier 2 QB 1s 

  1. Ty Simpson

Simpson looked overwhelmed against FSU, but he set an all-time program record against Louisiana Monroe completing his first 17 passes. 

  1. Blake Shapen 

Shapen isn’t only here for his last second touchdown against Arizona State. He’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the league when he’s healthy dating back to last season. We are just finally getting to see it again. 

  1. Jackson Arnold 

Besides Happy Gilmore 2, nothing got more unnecessary hate than Jackson Arnold. He’s been phenomenal through two games and ranks top two in the SEC in QBR and completion percentage at 77.8 percent. 

  1. LaNorris Sellers 

Sellers was underwhelming against South Carolina State on Saturday, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt considering there was a monsoon in Columbia. Sellers ranks second-to-last in passer rating so far, but he leads an offense that is just one of 23 in the country without a turnover. He may have to be Superman this Saturday against Vanderbilt. 

  1. Marcel Reed 

Marcel Reed is the early candidate for most improved player not just in the SEC, but the country. He heard all the naysayers this offseason who said he can’t throw. Through two games he’s averaged 307 yards of offense including 255 through the air. He’s also already nearly halfway to his season total for passing touchdowns from a year ago (15) with seven in just two games. 

Top 5 For Week 2 

  1. Beau Pribula

Pribula may have been the best offseason investment any SEC team made, and that’s saying something considering LSU’s portal spending spree and John Mateer landing at Oklahoma. Pribula has been nothing short of excellent in his first two games averaging 344 yards and racking up seven touchdowns with no interceptions. 

  1. Diego Pavia 

Pavia has been awesome through two weeks. He had a rare turnover against Virginia Tech, but that’s been the only blemish he’s had on his season. He leads the SEC in yards per attempt at 10.9 and is second in yards per play at 9.24. 

Pavia is second in the league in passer rating and third in QBR. Both those rankings are top ten nationally. 

  1. Garrett Nussmeier 

I love Baton Rouge. I love Louisiana. And, I love Garrett Nussmeier. That being said, he should be much lower on this list given the criteria. However, I am willing to overlook that since our waitress at Elsie’s Plate and Pie last week said she reads the site and loved the rankings. 

Nussmeier has been fine through two weeks. His biggest strengths don’t show up on a stat sheet, and he’s done a great job leading this team. I don’t have a ton of concerns with Nussmeier, but I would expect the explosive plays in the passing game to pick up soon. So far through two games, the Tigers have just three passes of 20 yards or more and Nussmeier ranks second-to-last in the SEC in yards per attempt at just 5.9.

  1. John Mateer

There’s a part of me that has an issue putting someone with two interceptions in two weeks considering one was against an FCS team. But, Mateer is as advertised. He makes Oklahoma dangerous despite how difficult this team’s schedule is. Mateer leads the league in yards per game with 380 and has seven touchdowns in two games including a brilliant performance on the national stage against Michigan. 

  1. Taylen Green 

Green leads the SEC in touchdown passes this season. He also leads the SEC in passer rating and QBR. Arkansas hasn’t played anyone with a pulse yet, but Green has been the best quarterback in the SEC and deserves to be here. 

Period. 

 

Chris Marler

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