The quarterback remains the most important position in football at every level, especially as offenses increasingly move to highly dynamic passing systems. This puts every signal caller under significant pressure to read the defense, hit his targets, and consistently avoid turnovers.
Yes, this all sounds simple enough, but the quarterbacks that are typically drafted in the first round of each NFL draft possess outstanding traits ranging from arm strength to accuracy. Athleticism to make plays out of structure has become increasingly important as pass rushers increase in size and speed each year. In the SEC, several names, including Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman, are being heavily hyped ahead of the 2024 season.
Last week, ESPN released its annual preseason Top 100 Players list, which includes seven of the SEC’s 16 starting quarterbacks. The conference is loaded with offensive talent heading into an exciting season. Here’s how each SEC playmaker ranks on ESPN’s list.
7
QB Nico Iamaleava (92nd overall)
Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
School: Tennessee
Class: Redshirt freshman
Statistics 2023: 314 passing yards, two touchdowns
ESPN Opinion: “As a top-25 recruit in 2023, Iamaleava gave us a taste of what he is capable of in 2023. He completed 28 of 45 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns, ran nine times for 72 yards and three bowl TDs against Iowa. He looks like the total package.”
6
QB Conner Weigman (81st overall)
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
School: Texas A&M
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Statistics for 2023: 979 passing yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions
ESPN Opinion: “Weigman’s sample size in 3½ games last season was small, but he looked like a quarterback who could pull the Aggies out of their slump before suffering a foot injury against Auburn. He threw five touchdowns in a 52-10 win over New Mexico, the most in regular season by an A&M passer since Johnny Manziel in 2013. In a 47-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe, Weigman completed 25 of 29 attempts (86.2%), the highest completion percentage (minimum 20 attempts) in school history.”
5
QB Brady Cook (65th overall)
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
School: Missouri
Class: senior
Statistics for 2023: 3,317 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, six interceptions
ESPN Opinion: “In his second season as a starter, Cook led the Tigers to an 11-win season and a New Year’s Six bowl game win. He could be even better in 2024, especially with the return of star receiver Luther Burden III. Last season, Cook broke former Kentucky star Andre’ Woodson’s SEC record of 325 consecutive pass attempts without an interception with 365.”
4
QB Jaxson Dart (41st overall)
(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
School: Ole Miss
Class: senior
Statistics for 2023: 3,364 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions
ESPN Opinion: “Dart led Ole Miss to its first 11-win season in 2023. He threw for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions while adding 389 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He was named to the 2024 Maxwell Award preseason watch list as he and the Rebels look to crack the playoffs this season.”
3
QB Quinn Ewers (23rd overall)
Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) evades a tackle by Washington edge Bralen Trice (8) during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game at Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
School: Texas
Class: Junior
Statistics for 2023: 3,479 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, six interceptions
ESPN Opinion: “Ewers’ 3,479 passing yards last season were the fifth-most in school history. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior, who started 22 games in his career, was selected to the AP’s All-Big 12 second team last year. He completed 69 percent of his passes and scored 27 touchdowns. His six 300-yard passing games were the most in a season in program history.”
2
QB Jalen Milroe (22nd overall)
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
School: Alabama
Class: Junior
Statistics for 2023: 2,834 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, six interceptions
ESPN Opinion: “Milroe was one of the best players in the country in the second half of last season and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting. In his final 10 regular-season games, he scored 26 touchdowns and lost the ball just five times. His winning touchdown pass in the Auburn game on fourth-and-31 was one of the best plays in college football in 2023.”
1
QB Carson Beck (7th overall)
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
School: Georgia
Class: senior
Statistics for 2023: 3,941 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions
ESPN Opinion: “In his first season as a starter, Beck ranked third nationally and first in the SEC with 3,941 passing yards. He ranked fourth in the nation with a completion percentage of 72.4%. Beck threw 24 touchdown passes and ran for four more. He was intercepted just six times in 417 pass attempts. The 6’2″ and 220-pound senior could be the best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.”
