Early SEC Quarterback Rankings: Where is LSU's Sam Leavitt?

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2025 was a disappointing year for SEC quarterback play. Expectations were high for a group of seasoned passers headlined by LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, Alabama's Ty Simpson, and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers. The hype around Texas's Arch Manning reached a fever pitch as he assumed a starting role in Austin. Not much went to plan.

Nussmeier was the Heisman favorite after Week 1, but regressed as he played through an injury behind a struggling offensive line. Simpson was riding high in September and October, but the Alabama offense hit a wall. Sellers was wildly inconsistent and it took Manning some time to figure it out.

2026 should be better. That was said about 2025 when comparing it to 2024, but the group returning has fewer questions than last year's crop, and generally, the lineup of projected starters offers more upside across the board. Incoming transfers bring proven production, too.

We're only a couple of days into the offseason, but it's never too early to rank quarterbacks. Here's an early QB power ranking of the projected SEC signal callers.

16. Arkansas QB room

Arkansas will have a true quarterback battle as Ryan Silverfield takes over as head coach. The two candidates for the job are KJ Jackson and AJ Hill. Jackson is a holdover from the Sam Pittman era, while Hill follows Silverfield from Memphis.

Jackson, a three-star recruit, is the favorite to win the job after seeing limited action last year. He's mobile, but he's not as explosive as Taylen Green was. The arm is decent and he can put touch on his passes. Jackson played vs. Texas and got the start vs. Missouri. Jackson had some impressive moments, though many of the criticisms that could be made of most young QBs could be said about him.

15. Kenny Minchey, Kentucky

Kentucky landed Notre Dame transfer QB Kenny Minchey, flipping the talented QB from Nebraska. Minchey is expected to be new head coach Will Stein's QB1 in Year 1 and shouldn't face much competition for the job. Minchey was a four-star recruit when he came out of high school and was given four-stars again as a transfer, but he's unproven. Minchey could end up finishing the year a lot higher on this list, but it's hard to justify a higher slot right now given the lack of experience.

14. Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is entering a new era with Diego Pavia moving on. Pavia was a program changer for the Commodores, bringing unprecedented success to Nashville. It's safe to say that Vanderbilt probably wouldn't find Pavia's successor, Jared Curtis, if it weren't for what Pavia did for the program. Curtis is a bona fide five-star QB — Vanderbilt isn't used to signing this caliber of player.

It's rare to see a true freshman walk right in and win a starting job, but Curtis is expected to do that here. As most freshman QBs do, Curtis will have his highs and lows. He has all the talent in the world, as far as power rankings go, its hard to know what value Curtis will provide right away.

13. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State

Taylor signed with the Bulldogs in 2025 and by the end of his true freshman campaign, he was the starter. He's expected to continue in that role moving into 2026. Taylor is a dynamic athlete — he can take it to the house with his legs or beat you over the top with his arm. He averaged 8.1 yards per pass while throwing five touchdowns to one interception last fall. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry and racked up eight rushing touchdowns. Taylor will be a problem for defenses in 2026, but he's still developing as a quarterback.

12. Tennessee QB room

Tennessee has a couple of talented options, but none with real experience. George Macintyre is the favorite to land the as true freshman Faizon Brandon waits in the wings. Vols head coach Josh Heupel knows how to make the most of his QBs, so it can be assumed Tennessee gets decent play from the position. What does the ceiling look like, though?

Tennessee pursued a couple of high-profile transfer QBs this cycle, but didn't appear desperate. It wasn't "take a QB at any cost" for the Vols, but they would have taken a Sam Leavitt caliber transfer. That could signal the staff's confidence in MacIntyre to play fine football, but raises questions about potential. If Tennessee thought it had an All-SEC QB in the building, it probably wouldn't pursue Leavitt.

11. Aaron Philo, Florida

Gators' head coach Jon Sumrall tabbed former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to call the plays. Faulkner didn't come alone — he brought transfer quarterback Aaron Philo with him. Philo is expected to earn the starting gig after DJ Lagway hit the transfer portal. This is new territory for Philo, who spent most of his time in Atlanta backing up Haynes King.

Philo threw 102 with Tech, averaging an impressive 9.2 yards per attempt. But the only game where Philo threw a pass in 2025 was vs. Gardner-Webb, an FCS opponent. Florida is eager to see what Philo can do for the offense, though there are unknowns. Until we see Philo navigate a Power Four schedule as the starter on a weekly basis, those questions will remain.

10. Austin Simmons, Missouri

Simmons was hoping for a breakout year with Ole Miss in 2025 until an injury sidelined him and allowed Trinidad Chambliss to take over the starting job. Chambliss and Ole Miss hit their stride, and when Simmons got healthy, he was QB2. With Chambliss expecting a sixth-year, Simmons portaled to Missouri.

Missouri's downfield passing game was lacking in 2025 and Simmons' arm can make all the throws. Turnovers became a problem for Simmons in his few starts in 2025. Despite the raw talent, Simmons has a few steps to make before emerging as one of the SEC's top passers. Don't be surprised if it suddenly clicks in 2026.

9. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Sellers was in the Heisman Trophy discussion last Summer. After a strong finish to 2024, expectations were sky high ahead of 2025. Sellers name was even tossed around as a potential No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick. Sellers struggled to carry the momentum from 2024 and South Carolina's offense was among the worst in the SEC.

Now, Sellers returns as South Carolina undergoes an offensive makeover under new OC Kendall Briles. Sellers completed less than 60% of his passes in 2025, only throwing 13 touchdowns while tossing eight interceptions. Sellers is a creator and when he gets moving, he's tough to bring down. But that tendency to hold on to the ball and create can be costly. Sellers took 40 sacks last fall as Sellers didn't do much to mitigate a poor offensive line.

There's a lot to clean up, but the talent is there. For now, I'll put Sellers right around the middle of the pack.

8. Alabama's QB room

Ty Simpson is off to the NFL after one season as Alabama's QB1. With Simpson gone, Alabama opted to roll with in-house options, passing up big names in the transfer portal. Alabama has one of the most intriguing QB battles in the country. Rising sophomore Keelon Russell will duel Austin Mack, a veteran backup whose time with Kalen DeBoer dates back to Washington.

Russell was a five-star QB in the class of 2025, but Mack won the QB2 job in 2025. If that holds, Mack is in line for the starting gig. But if Russell is as talented as his recruiting rating suggests, he'll be tough to hold off. Both are talented options and DeBoer has a strong record with quarterbacks. Alabama should be optimistic about this group, even if there are too many unknowns to slot them top five on this list just yet.

7. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

Texas A&M's offense scored a lot of points in 2025. An explosive unit was good enough to make the College Football Playoff, where A&M fell to Miami in the first round. Reed deserves credit for some of that, but Reed has limitations that make me reluctant to place him top five on this list.

His 64.0 PFF passing grade finished 13th in the SEC and his 61.3 completion rate was far from perfect, too. Reed finished the year on a flat note, struggling vs Texas and Miami. Reed's accuracy is hit-or-miss, and he rarely plays on time, often holding the ball and passing up an open wideout.

There's a lot to like about Reed, though. Even with his tendency to hold the ball, he doesn't take many sacks thanks to his feet. He's hard to bring down, forcing 30 missed tackles and averaging 5.9 yards per carry. He can let it fly when he sees an open wide receiver downfield and when he's confident, he'll drop some dimes.

6. John Mateer, Oklahoma

Mateer and Reed are somewhat interchangeable to me. If you said Reed should be No. 6 with Mateer at No. 7, I wouldn't argue with you. Mateer is physically impressive. He's a dual-threat QB who can make big-time throws. At his best, he can rifle the ball into tight windows and layer it into zones. He brings a high ceiling to the offense on any given day.

But we rarely saw that ceiling down the stretch in 2025. Mateer injured his hand in October and missed a couple of weeks. Upon returning, OU wasn't the same offense. Mateer's adjusted completion rate of 71.4% ranked 16th in the SEC as did his 61.7 PFF Passing grade. A TD-INT ratio of 14-11 left a lot to be desired, too.

I don't blame Mateer for much of the hardship. The Sooners' supporting cast put a lot on Mateer's plate. The offensive line was one of the worst in the SEC and Oklahoma didn't have a game-breaking wide receiver on the outside. Mateer returns with high expectations in 2026.

5. Gunner Stockton, Georgia

After waiting his turn, Stockton finally got his chance to run Georgia's offense in 2025. Stockton checks the fundamental boxes. His footwork is impressive, whether he's under center or in the shotgun. He can throw on the run and keeps his eyes downfield. He gives his wide receivers a chance to make plays down the field and showcases perfect ball placement when throwing screens.

Stockton was the SEC's best graded QB under pressure, per PFF, and led the conference in adjusted completion rate. Stockton is mobile, and his legs came up big for Georgia in the red zone.

Stockton has his flaws. The anticipation is average and his accuracy can be spotty when throwing over the middle. The arm strength isn't elite and his big-time throw rate was only 3.3%. But the good outweighs the bad and I expect Stockton to be one of the SEC's best quarterbacks.

4. Sam Leavitt, LSU

Lane Kiffin and LSU needed one of the transfer portal's top QBs and they got it with the arrival of Sam Leavitt. Leavitt led Arizona State to the playoffs in 2024 in his first year as the starter. The Sun Devils nearly upset Texas, falling a few plays short of a trip to the semifinal.

Leavitt is a playmaker. He can create with his legs and make all of the throws. Few QBs in the SEC will match Leavitt's physical talent. Leavitt's arm strength allows him to stand in and deliver throws, even when under pressure or being hit. His big-time throw rate has been one of the Big 12's best in 2024 and 2025. Leavitt is a spark and he's a perfect fit for what Kiffin wants in his offense.

Leavitt will miss some throws and Arizona State didn't ask the star QB to do a whole lot as far as dropback passing game goes, but Kiffin knows how to tailor an offense around Leavitt's skillset.

3. Byrum Brown, Auburn

Auburn tabbed USF's Alex Golesh as head coach and with Golesh comes star quarterback Byrum Brown. Brown brings four years and over 7,000 career passing yards to the Plains. Auburn was in QB purgatory under previous head coach Hugh Freeze but that will change with Brown aboard. Brown may be the most physically gifted quarterback in the SEC. He has an absolute cannon for an arm, and at 232 pounds, he's hard to bring down.

In 2025, Brown threw for 3,129 yards and ran for 1,107 more. You don't see those numbers often. Brown may be at a new place, but he's with his head coach and a handful of offensive teammates. That should make for a smooth transition as the Golesh era gets underway.

2. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Chambliss's availability in 2026 is dependent on a court granting him another year of eligibility, but Ole Miss feels good about Chambliss's chances. Chambliss transferred to Ole Miss after winning a D-II national title with Ferris State. He began 2025 as QB2, only to take over after Austin Simmons left the Kentucky game injured. Chambliss got his chance and didn't look back.

Chambliss led Ole Miss to the CFP semifinal and fell a play short of advancing to the national title game. Chambliss finished 2025 with an 83.7 PFF passing grade, ranking No. 2 in the SEC. He was one of the best deep ball passers in the country, completing over 50% of his passes with 20+ air yards.

Chambliss's ability to run around and create is second to none. Even when the play looks broken, it's not over. Chambliss made some dazzling plays when extending vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. If Chambliss is back in 2026, he's a Heisman Trophy contender.

1. Arch Manning, Texas

Arch Manning began 2025 with all the hype in the world, but it took the Texas QB some time to find his footing. Late in the year, Manning settled in and lived up to his billing. Over Manning's final six games, he totaled 19 TDs and only threw two picks. In that span, he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt and 8.9 yards per carry while leading the Longhorns to an upset victory of Texas A&M in the final game of the regular season.

Manning put up big numbers despite an offensive line that struggled to protect and a run game that never quite got going. Manning elected to return for 2026, where he'll be the Heisman Trophy favorite and a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Manning has NFL arm strength, he's accurate, throws with anticipation, and is a dynamic rusher. He was asked to do a lot, which included throwing the deep ball at the second-highest rate in the SEC. He does it all, and he's only just scratched the surface.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Early SEC QB Rankings: Does LSU's Sam Leavitt crack the top five?

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