Ranking every projected SEC starting QB in 2026
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When the college football season begins, there will be just six SEC programs that return their starting quarterbacks from a season ago.
While more than half the teams have to replace their starting signal caller, the talent level is still impressive in one of the premier brands in all of football. With the transfer portal being an ever-growing entity, it’s not hard to find an elite quarterback during free agency, err, the portal.
Here’s every SEC starting quarterback ranked heading into 2026.
MORE: Ranking every projected Big Ten starting QB in 2026
13-16: Unproven quarterbacks and wildcards
- No. 16 – Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt
- No. 15 – KJ Jackson, Arkansas
- No. 14 – Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
- No. 13 – Keelon Russell, Alabama
This grouping is pretty simple: either these quarterbacks haven’t taken a snap in college football, or they have very little experience. Both Kamario Taylor and KJ Jackson offer a dual-threat ability to Mississippi State and Arkansas, respectively, but neither signal caller has played a ton of football.
Jared Curtis was the premier quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class and he is set to take over for Diego Pavia, but most quarterbacks take some time to develop — see Bryce Underwood at Michigan.
Keelon Russell is the real wildcard of the bunch. He has the potential to leapfrog half of these quarterbacks, but as of now, he’s in a competition with Austin Mack. Alabama isn’t in any hurry to name a starter and while Mack has some experience, it’s Russell’s talent that should win in the end.
No. 9-12: Could be good, but too many questions
- No. 12 – George Macintyre, Tennessee
- No. 11 – Kenny Minchey, Kentucky
- No. 10 – Aaron Philo, Florida
- No. 9 – Austin Simmons, Missouri
We have three transfers and one returner on this list. George Macintyre, a former five-star, is set to take over as the new starter at Tennessee and Josh Heupel will need to have some patience breaking in a raw, but talented, quarterback.
Kenny Minchey comes over from Notre Dame, where he spent three seasons in total. Minchey has 29 pass attempts to his name and he will look to evolve Kentucky’s offense under new head coach Will Stein.
Aaron Philo was next in line to start at Georgia Tech, but after two seasons, he chose to head to Florida to play under new head coach Jon Sumrall. DJ Lagway left the Gators after a disastrous season, and Philo will look to bring some normalcy to the position.
After losing his job to Trinidad Chambliss, Austin Simmons is now at Missouri, where he is in line to start. The lefty has thrown 107 passing attempts, but has just six touchdowns and five interceptions to show for it. Simmons will need a quality season at Missouri to quiet the doubters.
No. 5-8: High-floor starters
- No. 8 – Byrum Brown, Auburn
- No. 7 – LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
- No. 6 – John Mateer, Oklahoma
- No. 5 – Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
In theory, any of these four players could make their way into the top four of this ranking. All four have high ceilings and a high floor, but between injuries and head-scratching errors, they fall just below the cutoff line.
Byrum Brown has to prove he can play in the SEC, first. He was sensational last season at USF under head coach Alex Golesh, who is now the Tigers’ head coach. Brown is a dual-threat who will give Auburn a new dynamic to its offense.
LaNorris Sellers’ production dipped in 2025 compared to what he was doing in 2024. He threw and ran for fewer yards, scored less touchdowns, and threw more interceptions. The talent is there and we’ve seen what Sellers is capable of, but it appeared like SEC defenses figured him out. Entering 2026, Shane Beamer is on the hot seat and Sellers needs to impress.
John Mateer underwhelmed in his first season at Oklahoma, however, injuries didn’t help, and we saw what he was capable of in Week 2 against Michigan a season ago. Mateer is back and fully healthy, along with an excellent supporting cast. His numbers should improve in Year 2 with the Sooners.
Coming in at No. 4 is Marcel Reed, who was fantastic in the regular season. However, the College Football Playoff came and Reed didn’t look very good at all, throwing two interceptions and getting bundled up on the ground. Reed threw for over 3,000 yards last season, and he should be able to replicate that this season.
No. 1-4: CFP contenders and Heisman potential
- No. 4 – Sam Leavitt, LSU
- No. 3 – Gunner Stockton, Georgia
- No. 2 – Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
- No. 1 – Arch Manning, Texas
All four of these quarterbacks could lead their teams to the College Football Playoff, and in doing so, could see their names on top of the Heisman voting when it’s all said and done.
Sam Leavitt was incredible two seasons ago at Arizona State, and with how well Lane Kiffin has done with quarterbacks, it feels like a match made in heaven. The Tigers are looking for stability at the position and Leavitt could come in and flourish in his first season at LSU.
Gunner Stockton was nearly flawless last season for Georgia. He threw for 2894 yards in his first season as the starter, along with 24 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Stockton rarely made the wrong read or throw and that sets him up for a big season two.
A season ago, nobody thought Trinidad Chambliss would be on this list, but once again, Lane Kiffin knows what he’s doing with quarterbacks and Chambliss was a hit. Coming in for the injured Austin Simmons, Chambliss never looked back. He threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 22 touchdowns and three picks.
Chambliss would be No. 1 on the list if it weren’t for Arch Manning. Things haven’t gone to plan for Manning, but the talent level is through the charts and as the season moved on last season, things began to click. Steve Sarkisian can lean more on Manning now and entering his second season as the starter, he will be a Heisman favorite.
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