SEC QB Power Rankings After Week 3

Many quarterbacks played great this week. Mediocre performance will not keep you from falling in the ranks when this many QBs play lights out. This week’s SEC QB Power Rankings hurt to put together. Some of my favorites in the conference are falling fast and need to step it up. It’s only going to get more challenging in the coming weeks as conference play gets going.

As this week showed the first big shakeup in the overall SEC Power Rankings, the same can be said for the quarterbacks. For some QBs, it’s not necessarily their play, but rather poor play-calling and coaching decisions that are harming their standing.

1. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M  3

25/29 passing, 337 yards, 1 TD, 97.0 QBR

3 rushes, 18 yards, 1 TD

vs. Louisiana-Monroe- W 47-3

Lots of people (myself included) had doubts about Weigman prior to the season. So far, he seems like a top-tier quarterback in the conference. The Aggies will hope to see that continue into SEC play over the course of the next few weeks.

2. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

10/18 passing, 251 yards, 1 TD, 91.2 QBR

14 rushes, 136 yards, 2 TDs

vs. Georgia Tech- W 48-23

While the opponent was a struggling Georgia Tech, Jaxson Dart looked very solid again. He has been one of the most consistent QBs in the nation thus far. I would say I was impressed with his ability using his legs in this game, but again…it was Georgia Tech.

3. Jayden Daniels, LSU  5

30/34 passing, 361 yards, 2 TDs, 95.3 QBR

15 rushes, 64 yards, 2 TDs

at Mississippi State- W 41-14

This is the Jayden Daniels that everyone thought was going to show up against Florida State in the opener. I hate to be the bearer of bad news for LSU fans, but that Mississippi State defense is possibly the worst in the conference next to Vanderbilt. Don’t get your hopes up just yet. While this was a monster game, Daniels hasn’t proven anything yet this season. The Arkansas game should be a battle, as the Hogs might have one of the best defenses in the SEC.

4. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina  2

22/42 passing, 256 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 72.1 QBR

8 rushes, 35 yards

at Georgia- L 24-14

Rattler outplayed the Bulldog defense for the entire first half. His draft stock might have jumped a round or two just based on that alone. In the second half Georgia was able to do Georgia things, forcing Rattler into some untimely mistakes. While South Carolina is 1-2 on the year so far, expect that to improve if Rattler keeps on playing like this.

5. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas4

24/35 passing, 247 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 37.1 QBR

13 rushes, 21 yards

vs. BYU- L 38-31

Up next is possibly the most talented quarterback in the conference. His offensive line caused trouble for him against BYU. Turning the ball over three separate times (two fumbles) is out of character for KJ Jefferson. Due to this bad play on the offensive line, Jefferson struggled to find receivers downfield. If the pass blocking doesn’t improve, KJ is going to have to start leaving the pocket much more than he should have to. The offense struggled in spurts and played really well in spurts. Let’s hope they’re close to hitting a breakthrough.

6. Devin Leary, Kentucky  1

16/25 passing, 315 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 87.5 QBR

vs. Akron- W 35-3

This was an improvement for Leary, who has struggled more than expected. The transition from the ACC to the SEC must be a tough one. Hopefully this was a game that got Leary some of his mojo back.

7. Carson Beck, Georgia  2

27/35 passing, 296 yards, 79.5 QBR

vs. South Carolina- W 24-14

I’ve been saying since game one that Georgia needs Beck to play better. This was a start. Holding onto the ball was enough to win this game, but the Dawgs are going to need more out of Beck to win against some of the better teams in the conference.

8. Joe Milton III, Tennessee5

20/34 passing, 287 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 52.8 QBR

at Florida- L 29-16

Falling in the SEC QB Power Rankings isn’t something I expected of Milton this early in the season. Some Tennessee fans online are calling for him to be benched. While I think that is pure nonsense at this point in the season, he didn’t play well against Florida. The offense as a whole played pretty bad, actually. That’s very bad timing for an offensive letdown.

9. Brady Cook, Missouri  3

23/35 passing, 356 yards, 2 TDs

1 rushing TD

vs. Kansas State- W 30-27

While playing injured, Brady Cook was able to lead Mizzou to a ranked victory. That’s what you want out of your QB1. Missouri fans should be happy for now. This probably won’t translate into much of anything against Georgia or Tennessee later on, but you never know.

10. Graham Mertz, Florida  3

19/24 passing, 166 yards, 1 TD, 91.7 QBR

1 rushing TD

vs. Tennessee- W 29-16

Mertz played high-efficiency football and beat a solid Tennessee team. This Florida offense is figuring things out. That spells problems for the SEC East.

11. Payton Thorne, Auburn  3

24/32 passing, 282 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 79.9 QBR

11 rushes, 123 yards, 2 TD

vs. Samford- W 45-13

While he did throw two picks, Payton Thorne played somewhat well and kept his offense churning against an FCS opponent. Had the next two QBs played a little better, he wouldn’t have moved up hardly at all.

12. AJ Swann, Vanderbilt2

16/35 passing, 296 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 23.2 QBR

12 rushes, 22 yards

at UNLV- L 40-37

You can’t lose to UNLV. Who’s fault is it, though? The offense put up 37 points. Nonetheless, Swann was inefficient despite his three TD tosses. Inefficiency against UNLV is something to be concerned about. Vanderbilt is about to have a rough stretch of games.

13. Will Rogers, Mississippi State8

11/28 passing, 103 yards, 7.4 QBR

vs. LSU- L 41-14

Rogers is possibly my favorite quarterback in the conference aside from KJ Jefferson. When you play this defectively, that won’t save you from falling near the bottom. Is Mississippi State misusing him? Was he only good with the late Mike Leach’s offense? The coming weeks will tell, but it’s not looking pretty. Mississippi State may go 0-8 in SEC play with the defense as bad as it is. Especially if Rogers and the offense can’t find ways to move the ball consistently.

14. Whoever Starts For Alabama3

Ty Simpson: 5/9 passing, 73 yards, 21.5 QBR, 1 rushing TD

Tyler Buchner: 5/14 passing, 34 yards, 15.2 QBR, 2 rushes, 11 yards

at South Florida- W 17-3

Jalen Milroe didn’t play a snap against USF. Instead, two guys that looked like they didn’t even belong on Alabama’s roster shared the QB role. Was this just to show fans that Milroe was the best option? I’m a fan of Jalen Milroe’s, but Alabama may be in for a struggle of a season by their standards, no matter who the starting quarterback is.

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