SEC Football: Will any transfer break into SEC’s top five QBs?

No position in college football transfers more than QBs. Transferring quarterbacks were common long before the Transfer Portal. The new norm is any former 5-Star or 4-Star rated QB, not starting for a top Power Five program, wants a new opportunity. Many want it to be with an SEC football team.

The 2022 SEC season could open with five schools starting transfer quarterbacks. It is hard to predict how every one of them will do, but that does not discourage optimism in the fanbases of their new schools.

Being one of the top five quarterbacks in the SEC is a major achievement. Let’s consider if any in the transfer group can have such success.

Any discussion about the SEC’s best five QBs must begin with Bryce Young. The Crimson Tide’s returning Heisman Trophy winner is the best in the SEC. Young is so good, many fans from opposing schools will admit their guy will be competing to be No. 2.

Ranking Best SEC Football QBs

• No. 1 – Bryce Young – Alabama Crimson Tide
• No. 2 – Tie – Arkansas fans will disagree but going into the 2022 season, the No. 2 rating must be either Georgia’s Stetson Bennett or Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. There is no question Hooker is the better all-around player. Guiding an offense to a National Championship is such an outstanding achievement, it makes Bennett deserving of being rated No. 2.
• No. 4 – KJ Jefferson – Arkansas Razorbacks. In terms of dual-threat skills, Hooker does not surpass Jefferson by much. The Hogs QB does not get enough credit for his passing skills. As a rusher, Jefferson is close to a power back, who can through tackles and over many defenders.
• No. 5 – This is the rating position one of the transfer quarterbacks could ascend to. Until one of them does, Mississippi State’s Will Rogers gets the nod. Critics gloss over Rogers’ performance by saying he is a ‘system quarterback.’ Doing that suggests Mike Leach should get more credit than Rogers. Measured by completion percentage, Rogers is No. 1 in the SEC going back to 1957. That stat, provided by sports-reference.com compares SEC QBs with 700 or more career pass attempts. Bryce Young only has 569 attempts. In SEC, single-season passing yards records, Rogers is No. 3 (4,739 yards) behind Bryce Young (4,872) and Joe Burrow (5,671).

Who breaks into the SEC top five in 2022? The transfers with the best chance are Jaxson Dart, Spencer Rattler and Jayden Daniels. Daniels threw for over 6,000 yards in three Arizona State seasons. He also rushed for almost 1,300 yards. Had Rattler not lost his starting job at Oklahoma last season, his three-season output of passing yards would have exceeded Daniels. Instead, he left the Sooners after passing for 4,595 yards. Dart’s stats in six games at USC are not comparable, though he did complete 61.9% of his passes.

All three guys can shine with their new SEC teams, but Dart gets a big advantage from playing in a Lane Kiffin, quarterback-friendly offense. Just a hunch, but Dart gets my bet as the SEC’s No. 5 QB in 2022.

Crimson Tide fans are much more interested in how good the Tide’s No. 2 will be this season. Alabama football insiders value Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson, but most believe Milroe will hold off Simpson in 2022.