There are some very good ones and ones with potential to be good players. Here are my rankings of the quarterbacks in order with stats and personal comments.
1. Greg McElroy, Alabama: He may not put up huge statistics, but he puts up the stat that matters most: 17-0. That’s his record as starting qb at Alabama. Pretty hard to argue with those results. This season, McElroy is 43-for-60 for 705 yards with 1 int. His completion percentage is 71.7 and he has thrown six td passes. He’s averaging 235 yards passing per game. He is the ultimate leader on an outstanding football team. Applied for a Rhodes Scholarship; that’s how impressive he is. In games where Alabama needed him to step up, like the SEC champ game against Florida and the last drive against Auburn, he has responded. Has some great weapons around him, no doubt, but they don’t throw the passes for him or make the calls at the line of scrimmage. He’s a special player and kind of an unsung hero on a supremely talented football team. He’ll get another shot on the big stage against Arkansas this weekend. We’ll see how he handles another SEC defense. Arkansas’ defense isn’t Alabama’s, but they’ve got some great athletes and will put pressure on McElroy. He’ll be in a hostile environment, so it should be interesting going against Ark and another great quarterback. Predictions on Friday.
2. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas: Should put up huge numbers this season; already has. Proved he can win in a tough place at Athens. Threw 3 touchdowns in that game including the game winner with 15 seconds left, a 40-yarder to Greg Childs, who is a terrific receiver. Threw for 380. He’s 70-for-100 (70%) for 1,081 yards and nine tds with two ints. Averaging 360 yards per outing. He’s an NFL starter in the future, maybe next year. If he can beat McElroy and Tide this weekend he’s the best in the conference and could take the lead in the Heisman race. Right now, McElroy is in front due to his record.
3.Mike Hartline, Kentucky: Leading a prolific offensive attack along with superstars Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke. He’s 54-for-75 (72%) with 0 ints. for 680 yards and five tds. Kentucky has not really played a good defense yet, but Hartline still looks like the real deal. Will be tested this weekend at Gainesville.
4. Cam Newton, Auburn: A little inconsistent at times, but a tremendous talent. Led his team back from a 17-3 halftime deficit with some big throws in the second half against Clemson. Showed what kind of arm he has on the 80-yarder to Terrell Zachery. He was hit right as he released the ball and hit Zachery right in stride. The ball traveled 40 yards in the air. He’s 27-for-47 with 3 ints (57.4%) for 525 yards and seven tds. Another major stat: he’s rushed for 309 yards and two tds averaging 103 yards per game on the ground. He’s been tested by some pretty good defenses. He’ll really be tested this weekend by South Carolina d. coordinator Ellis Johnson and the Gamecocks. Johnson is a crafty defensive coach and he’ll have something, scheme wise, blitz wise, cover wise, to try and fool Newton. We’ll see how he responds.
5. Aaron Murray, Georgia: Going to be a really good quarterback in the conference. Redshirt frosh. He’s 46-for-74 (62.2%) with two ints and four touchdowns. Thrown for 605 yards. Played well in bringing his team back from a 24-10 deficit against Arkansas. Mark Richt really needs Murray to play well starting this weekend against Ms. State. Richt’s seat is warming up a little bit, so Murray will need to perform. In all fairness to Richt, A.J.Green has been out all season and that’s hurt. Caleb King missed Sat.’s game against Ark. with an injury. Richt has not had any luck on his side.
6. Stephen Garcia, South Carolina: Done a pretty good job. Athletic; he can run, and throws the ball pretty well. Forty one-for-60 (68.3%) for 508 yards with two ints and two tds. This weekend could be a major statement for Garcia. If he can get it done against Auburn, he will earn a lot of respect. Still not sure if he can get it done in big games though. Seems to get nervous and make bad decisions. Maybe now that he’s a junior, he can handle the pressure better.
7. Jeff Brantley, Florida: Done OK so far, nothing special. 49-for-79, 0 ints, (62%), 452 yards, five tds. Florida is a mystery to me. They just don’t look very good on offense. All the playmakers they were supposed to have, have not materialized. They need to get it together pretty quickly or they might get upset by Kentucky and it could be a long day in Tuscaloosa the following week. Losing Chris Rainey didn’t help either.
9. Matt Simms, Tennessee: It’s going to be a struggle for the Vols this year, but this guy is a pretty good player. Forty eight-for-84 (57.1%) for 591 yards and three tds to go along with three ints. He doesn’t have a lot of help. He’s a junior which means he doesn’t have a lot of time left, but he’s done a pretty good job under tough circumstances at UT.
10. Larry Smith, Vandy: Really came around last week against Ole Miss. Led his team on a 98-yard drive for a touchdown and scored the game winner on a 15-yard run. Very athletic. Thirty six-for-67 (53.7%) for 383 yards and 1 td to go along with one int. Getting better, but still has a ways to go. Needs to have a good game against UConn, Oct. 2. Vandy has a bye week this week.
11. Chris Relf, Tyler Russell, Ms. State: They’re coming along. Relf is 24-for-43 (55.8%) for 261 yards and one td to go along with 3 ints. Russell is 22-for-35 (62.9%) for 356 yards with four tds, but also four ints. Relf got hurt last weekend so Russell may have to lead the team against Georgia this weekend. They both have a lot of athletic ability, and Russell looks like he could be a really good passer, but they haven’t gotten it done yet in the SEC. Dan Mullen is a great offensive coach, so maybe he can groom them, particularly Russell, to become good quarterbacks.
12. Jordan Jefferson, LSU: They’ve been talking about changing qbs since the first game, but this guy is still in there. Had a pretty good game against State last week. Has talent, but just hasn’t been consistent since becoming the starter last year. He’s 33-for-57 (53.7%) for 344 yards with one td and one int. He’s got an upside, but when is he ever going to reach it? Can he play with the Alabamas, Auburns and Arkansas’ teams? By then he may be the backup.
(The two best qbs in the SEC, McElroy and Mallett, square off this weekend in Fayetteville.)