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MARLER: SEC Quarterback Rankings Week 2

Sep 6, 2024 | 7:35 AM

Good news, y’all! It’s week two of the season and every SEC team and quarterback has played at least one game. That means I can start making these rankings based off of ACTUAL on-field performances and internal irrational evaluations.

That also means we have a ton of movement in this week’s rankings. Enjoy.

16 – LaNorris Sellers, USC 

I wasn’t expecting “big” things out of Sellers this season. But I was definitely expecting way more than what he showed against Old Dominion. Sellers was 10-of-23 passing for 114 yards and was awful with his decision making all night.

Preseason Rank – 11

15 – Graham Mertz 

Mertz wasn’t the only reason Florida got skulldragged by Miami, but he was bad for most of it. Mertz completed only 55 percent of his passes, averaged 4.6 ypa, and had a QBR of 19.1 in the season opener. He also left the game with a concussion and won’t start this weekend vs Samford.

Preseason Rank – 6

14 – Conner Weigman

Weigman went 11-of-29 for only 85 yards vs Notre Dame last weekend. His performance may have been the most surprising of anyone in the entire league during opening weekend. Not only did he only average 3.3 ypa, but he also threw 2 INTs and had the lowest PFF Grade of any FBS Quarterback in the country at 31.1.

Preseason Rank – 9

13 – Jackson Arnold 

Arnold did finish with 4 TDs last Friday vs Temple, and that’s a great start to the season for sure. But, he also finished with the fourth lowest QBR for SEC QBs at 44.3. He only averaged 5.6 yards per attempt and finished with just 141 total passing yards. Arnold is one of the most physically talented QBs in the conference, but he needs to be more capable of explosive plays this week vs Houston.

Preseason Rank – 10 

12 – Brock Vandagriff 

Vandagriff’s first start was shortened due to weather and pity last Saturday. Vandagriff took only 23 snaps vs Southern Miss. He did make the most of his time, though. The Wildcat signal caller threw three TDs and averaged nearly 9 yards per play. He needs to protect the ball this weekend against a USC defense that leads the SEC in turnovers forced over the last three seasons.

Preseason Rank – 12

11 – Blake Shapen 

A little word of advice if you ever decided to post your own QB Rankings publicly…One, make sure to be clear that it’s rankings GOING INTO the season. Two, do not put Blake Shapen at dead last. If you do State fans will be ruthless in your mentions, and honestly, with good reason. Shapen was great in his first start. He had four TDs and nearly 300 yards of offense while completing 75% of his passes.

Preseason Rank – 16 

10 – Payton Thorne

I will say it again, there is no QB in this league who will have more help this season vs last season than Payton Thorne. Yes, it was against Alabama A&M, but Auburn’s offense was incredible in week one. Thorne threw for four TDs, 322 yards, and averaged 15.3 yards per attempt. To put the 322 passing yards in perspective, that’s the same total he had against his first four P-4 opponents last year…COMBINED.

Preseason Rank – 15

9 – Diego Pavia 

This is hands down the biggest overreaction from this week’s rankings, but let’s give Pavia his flowers after last week’s win vs Virginia Tech. Pavia had over 100 yards rushing and nearly 200 yards passing vs the Hokies while recording the fourth best passer rating for all SEC QBs in week one. He accounted for nearly 80% of the ‘Dores total offensive yards as well.

 

Preseason Rank – 14

8 – Taylen Green 

Green was incredible in the Hogs’ opener under new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. He completed nearly 70% of his passes, had four total touchdowns and finished with a QBR of 91.5. He showed early that he is a legit dual threat QB as he added 88 yards rushing and produced nearly 11 yards per play.

Preseason Rank – 13

7 – Brady Cook

Cook struggled with the deep ball vs Murray State, but that’s about the entire length of the list of criticisms for him and Mizzou after their first game. You could make the argument he should be lower on this list after posting the 12th ranked QBR (54.3) and passer rating (136.95) in the league, but he’s here because of 2023 if we are being honest.

Preseason Rank – 7

6 – Garrett Nussmeier

The Nuss Bus got rolling early in Vegas, but it wasn’t enough to beat USC. Nussmeier had a great night, throwing for over 300 yards and completing 77% of his passes. However, his inability to connect with Kyren Lacy in the second half in comparison to the first half and a lack of help in the run game (and the secondary) ultimately lost his team the game. Either way Nussmeier was about as good as you could’ve hoped he’d be in his first game.

Preseason Ranking – 4

5 – Quinn Ewers 

Ewers did Ewers things in week one vs Colorado State. He seems to be good for three TDs and 250+ passing yards in every game he plays under Steve Sarkisian. He did throw a pick, but he looked good in a vanilla gameplan offensively for Texas. He also seems to have zero issues with timing and connection with the new receivers like Isaiah Bond.

Preseason Ranking – 5

4 – Nico Iamaleava

The Nico hype train has officially left the station, and I’m glad I got a seat early. I had him at No. 8 in the preseason rankings strictly because he had one total start in his college career. But he was phenomenal vs UT-Chattanooga, and it’s more than noticeable how much better this offense can be with him running it instead of Joe Milton. Iamaleava’s downfield accuracy elevates this offense just like Hendon Hooker did in 2022. The only difference is that Nico is more talented than Hooker, and that’s scary for the rest of the league.

 

Preseason Ranking – 8

3 – Carson Beck 

You can honestly close your eyes and draw a name out of a hat for any of the QBs in the top three of this list. Beck was great as always against Clemson. He threw for 280 yards, didn’t have an interception and was patient in picking his spots against a good Clemson defense that held UGA to just six points in the first half. The ceiling may be highest for Beck of any QB in this league, and he is on pace to be in New York this December.

Preseason Ranking – 2

2 – Jaxson Dart 

Dart started his 2024 Heisman campaign with an incredible performance against Furman. He had 445 total yards of offense,and six total TDs, including five through the air. He finished the night with a 97.3 QBR that ranked fourth overall in the country for any QB. Dart and the Rebels don’t play anyone with a pulse until October, so get ready for more of this over the first month of the season.

Preseason Ranking – 3

1 – Jalen Milroe 

Honesty hour, I fully expected Milroe to drop out of the top spot after week one. I felt he deserved the ranking going into the season after winning the SEC title and returning as the leading Heisman vote getter in the country from a season ago. But he was great in his first game under Kalen Deboer. Milroe had five TDs, 279 total yards, 14.7 yards per play, AND led the entire country in QBR at 98.7 which was the highest of his career.

Preseason Ranking – 1