SEC quarterback rankings: Where does UGA’s Gunner Stockton fall?

Editor’s note: Ahead of SEC Media Days next week, DawgNation’s Mike Griffith provides his rankings of the different SEC units. Here is his look at the quarterbacks.

A previous version of this story did not clearly indicate Gunner Stockton’s ranking. This has been updated to better indicate the writer’s intent.

ATHENS — The 2025 version of SEC football features a Who’s Who of talented quarterbacks, led by a third-generation legacy player like none other before him.

Texas’ Arch Manning, the grandson of SEC Ole Miss QB legend Archie Manning and nephew of SEC royalty-turned-Super Bowl champion QBs Peyton and Eli Manning, is iconic.

The bet here is that Manning, playing on a star-studded Texas team that lacks for nothing when it comes to resources, will make good on his name and early fame.

The whole process of ranking SEC quarterbacks is based on projections and is largely a beauty contest.

The 21-year-old Manning has filled out his 6-foot-4 frame with a prolific QB build while exhibiting a golden arm.

There’s a lot of football ahead, to be sure, and one of Manning’s stops will be in Athens (Nov. 15) against a Georgia team that swarmed him in Austin last season, stomping out any hopes the Longhorns had of igniting a spark with his insertion coming off the bench.

There’s a chance Texas could be 9-0 and ranked No. 1 when it plays Georgia — the Longhorns open at Ohio State on Aug. 30 and have a road trip to Florida on Oct. 4 — and Manning figures to be considerably more seasoned and advanced in the offense than when Georgia roughed him up last season.

Coach Kirby Smart takes every game personally, but beating Manning will be particularly important, as Smart did everything he could to put Manning in a UGA uniform during the recruiting process.

The Bulldogs are projected to counter Manning with fourth-year quarterback Gunner Stockton, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds.

Stockton, once a four-star recruit who was rated the No. 7 quarterback in the nation and No. 110 player overall in the 247Sports Composite in the 2022 class, will be counted on to lead a team with championship aspirations.

UGA offensive coordinator Mike Bobo once had Stockton committed to him when he was interim coach at South Carolina, and the family relationship between the two goes back to when Bobo’s father, George, was mentoring Stockton in his youth.

It’s fair to say and, in fact, expect the SEC quarterback rankings to look very different at the end of the season than they do going in.

1. Arch Manning, Texas

Manning started only two games last season with starter Quinn Ewers sidelined by injury, beating Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State.

Manning turned in a 26-of-31 passing performance that netted 325 yards and two TDs against the Maroon Bulldogs while carrying six times for 33 yards.

Manning’s season stats were efficient, though not eye-popping, 61-of-90 passing for 939 yards with nine TDs, two interceptions, six sacks and 25 carries for 108 yards and four TDs.

Manning’s style and talent are apparent; he has a quick, smooth delivery and has shown the ability to make all of the throws, in addition to having the athleticism and speed to escape defenders in the open field.

2. DJ Lagway, Florida

Having Lagway ranked this high might appear to be a reach on paper, but there’s some substance behind it.

The scoreboard during the second quarter of last season’s Georgia-Florida game — before Lagway left with injury — said a lot.

The Gators were leading 10-3 when Lagway left the game with a hamstring injury.

Lagway’s numbers weren’t imposing — he was 2-of-6 passing for 47 yards and a touchdown and had four carries for 18 yards — but his presence was undeniable.

Lagway’s leadership is a major intangible, to the extent that coach Billy Napier credits Lagway for setting the tone in the program off the field as well as on it.

Lagway has been dealing with an injury that limited his throwing volume in spring and the offseason, but until he’s ruled “out,” he’s the type of quarterback that makes his team more dangerous.

3. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

Sellers was playing as well as any quarterback in the nation the second half of last season, and with his size (6-foot-3, 240 pounds), speed and versatility, an argument could be made that he belongs higher or at the top of the list.

Sellers, however, gets a slight downgrade in this position ranking because of a questionable supporting cast. The Gamecocks lost their leading rusher and pass catcher from last season.

It seems like a lot to ask for a quarterback to be effective without reliable pass catchers or a solid run game — as former UGA star and Miami QB Carson Beck could attest — and that could result in too much being placed on Sellers’ shoulders.

Mike Shula was promoted from the analyst position he served in at South Carolina — after leaving his role as a senior offensive assistant with the Buffalo Bills (2022-23) — to aid in the development of Sellers’ and the Gamecocks’ reloaded offense.

4. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

The most veteran of SEC QBs on potential championship squads and perhaps the safest pick for “top quarterback,” the 23-year-old Nussmeier would seem poised for a Heisman finalist run on this stacked LSU team.

But Nussmeier, who passed for 4,052 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season, also has questions to answer.

Nussmeier, on the smallish side at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, lost big games last season to the likes of USC, Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida — games a truly “great” quarterback could elevate his team to win.

Nussmeier lacks true, dual-threat ability, so he’s a bit more of a target than others in the ultracompetitive SEC.

5. Jackson Arnold, Auburn

Coach Hugh Freeze has expressed a great deal of confidence in the strong-armed transfer from Oklahoma.

Arnold didn’t have much help with the Sooners, so it’s possible he can quickly live up to the high recruiting ranking (No. 3 overall in the 2023 class) in Freeze’s celebrated offensive scheme with a good corps of receivers around him.

The 6-foot-1, 211-pound Arnold passed for 1,421 yards with 12 touchdowns and three interceptions in the 10 games he played after being benched early in the season against Tennessee while playing for Oklahoma last season.

Arnold, notably, did most of his damage in the 24-3 win over Alabama in November on the ground, carrying 25 times for 131 yards with efficient 9-of-11 passing for 68 yards in the shocking win in Norman.

6. Austin Simmons, Ole Miss

The Rebels’ new starting quarterback will not need an introduction when Ole Miss plays at Georgia on Oct. 18.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Simmons came off the bench in October and delivered a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive against Georgia’s defense to tie the score at 7-7 before starter Jaxson Dart returned to polish off a 28-10 win.

Simmons made it look easy against the Bulldogs, completing his first two passes for 11 yards each before a 10-yard completion on third-and-11 and a 12-yard completion on fourth-and-1 at the UGA 44.

Simmons didn’t get the memo that he was supposed to be nervous in the moment, as he completed another third-down pass for 20 yards to set up the first-and-goal that led to the game-tying touchdown run.

The 5-of-6 passing, 64-yard performance against UGA was the most extensive action Simmons saw outside of his mop-up duty in the season-opening 76-0 win over Furman.

It was enough to leave an impression on the SEC and provide Simmons with the sort of confidence Lane Kiffin wants in a first-year starter this season.

7. John Mateer, Oklahoma

The Sooners’ hopes rest on the shoulders of Washington State transfer John Mateer, who led the nation with 44 total touchdowns last season.

The 6-foot-1, 219-pound sophomore is a dual threat who piqued the interest of NFL scouts after leading Washington State to an 8-1 start — including a 24-19 win at Washington.

Mateer will be tested by a different level of competition in the SEC, and there are some questions as to how Oklahoma will keep him standing after giving up 50 sacks last season — tied for most in the FBS ranks.

The Sooners did add Cal transfer and all-purpose back Jaydn Ott to the arsenal, but Mateer needs more playmakers to emerge to be at his best.

8. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

It’s hard not to appreciate Pavia after he led the Commodores to a historic win over Alabama.

The 5-foot-11, 207-pounder successfully lobbied for another season of eligibility, having started his career with two seasons at the New Mexico Military Institute (a junior college) in 2020-21 before his two-year stint at New Mexico State led him to Vanderbilt.

The playmaking Pavia would seem hard-pressed to repeat his 2024 magic with teams now well aware that his playmaking scrambling ability can transfer against elite-level SEC defenses.

9. Ty Simpson, Alabama

What does it say when we are just now getting to a former five-star QB recruit like Simpson, the No. 26 overall player and No. 3 quarterback in the 2022 signing class?

And, does anyone really believe a Kalen DeBoer-coached quarterback will rank outside the top five at the position with the surrounding talent he has to work with, specifically, dynamic receiver Ryan Williams?

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Simpson didn’t see much action playing behind Jalen Milroe last season, bringing a different skill set to the table.

A quick release, natural pocket presence and decent arm talent are the attributes Simpson is known for, though he also has good mobility and can make plays off the run.

Simpson figures to get the start when the Crimson Tide opens at Florida State on Aug. 30 and, with success, likely will be under center for the Sept. 13 home game with Wisconsin.

Then comes the big test — for Georgia and possibly Simpson — when Alabama faces Kirby Smart in Athens for the first time Sept. 27 (7:30 p.m.).

With the Tide’s history against Georgia, it’s worth noting that 6-foot-6, 235-pound QB Austin Mack backs up Simpson.

Mack has experience under DeBoer, having followed his coach from Washington to Tuscaloosa last season after redshirting in 2023 behind Michael Penix Jr.

10. Taylen Green, Arkansas

Green and the Razorbacks are trying to sneak up on defenses with hopes of securing Sam Pittman’s head coaching job at Arkansas this season.

In person, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Green is hard to miss — and, at times, just as hard to tackle.

Green ran for 602 yards last season in addition to the 3,154 yards passing he amassed working in coordinator Bobby Petrino’s offense.

It looks to be an almost completely retooled supporting cast around Green, however, so establishing continuity and chemistry could be a major challenge for this senior quarterback.

11. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

If the Aggies prove to be a breakout dark horse as some suggest, the speedy Reed will need to be a big reason why.