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

Consider it a beauty contest, and the 21-year-old Manning, who has filled out his 6-foot-4 frame with a prolific QB build and golden arm, has the offensive weapons and scheme around him to make good on being the first pick.

There’s a reason Manning is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but also a reason those odds are “only” 5-to-1.

There’s a lot of football ahead, to be sure, and Manning has much to prove if he is to live up to the legacy of his College Football Hall of Fame grandfather and namesake, as well as Super Bowl-winning uncles Peyton and Eli.

Georgia fans watched coach Kirby Smart’s defense swarm young Manning in Austin, Texas, last season, when he was brought on in the second quarter with hopes of providing a spark for his team.

Manning will have another ferocious UGA defense across from him Nov. 15 in Athens — a different Georgia defense, but it also will be a different Manning.

There’s a chance Texas could be 9-0 and ranked No. 1 at that point in the season — 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.

There are plenty who believe Manning might be overhyped, but Bulldogs’ fans need to remind themselves, Smart is not among that group.

Georgia did everything it could to win Manning during the recruiting process, and that’s the biggest tell that Texas has something special at quarterback.

The Bulldogs, instead, have fourth-year quarterback Gunner Stockton, who is listed at 6-1 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 head 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.

Stockton has shown grit and toughness in limited showings — fearless running the football while willing to hold the ball in the pocket and wait for receivers to break open.

It’s a good bet that UGA has worked with Stockton to improve the quickness of his release after his costly fumble against Notre Dame led directly to a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff quarterfinals loss to the Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl. Stockton himself as talked about improving his footwork.

Stockton has shown a knack for throwing an accurate deep ball, but there’s room for improvement on his intermediate passes and timing with UGA’s reloaded receiving corps.

Here is the ranking for quarterbacks 3-16:

3. DJ Lagway, Florida

A reach on paper, perhaps, based largely on potential but with some substance behind it.

The scoreboard in 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 Lagway’s leadership is a key intangible: Coach Billy Napier credits Lagway for setting the right tone in the locker room, and the confidence his teammates have in him is visible with an elevated level of offensive efficiency.

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

4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina

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

Sellers, however, gets a slight downgrade in these rankings 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 turned Miami QB Carson Beck could attest — and that could result in too much being placed on Sellers’ shoulders.

Mike Shula was promoted from his analyst position — which he filled 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.

5. 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 Trophy-finalist run on this stacked LSU team.

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

Nussmeier, on the smallish side at 6-2 and 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 stationary target than others in the ultracompetitive SEC.

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

Arnold, notably, did most of his damage in the run game in the 24-3 win over Alabama last November He carried 25 times for 131 yards with an efficient 9-of-11 passing for 68 yards in the shocking win in Norman, Oklahoma.

7. Austin Simmons, Ole Miss

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

The 6-4, 215-pound Simmons came off the bench last 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, too, 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 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.

8. 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 6-1, 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 — after replacing Cam Ward as the Cougars’ starter.

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 FBS.

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.

9. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

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

The 5-11, 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.

10. 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 6-2, 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 start when the Crimson Tide open at Florida State on Aug. 30 and with success will likely still be under center for the Sept. 13 home game with Wisconsin.

Then comes the big test — for Georgia, and possibly Simpson — when Alabama faces Smart between the hedges for the first time in a Sept. 27 night game (7:30 p.m.).

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

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

11. Taylor 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 6-6, 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

12. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

If the Aggies prove to be a breakout, dark-horse team as some suggest, the speedy Reed will need to be a big reason why. He came off the bench to take over as A&M’s starter last season and passed for 1,864 yards and 15 TDs while rushing for 543 yards and seven TDs in 11 games.

13. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee

This former Appalachian State QB and Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year arrived in Knoxville after a cup of tea at UCLA, and he dives headfirst into the fray against Georgia on Sept. 13. The crafty Aguilar has played a lot of football (13-11 as a starter).

14. Blake Shapen, Mississippi State

The former Baylor transfer was off to a solid start last season with an 8-to-1 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio and 974 yards passing through his first four games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury to Florida in Week 4. The Bulldogs will need Shapen on point to optimize the respectable amount of offensive talent Jeff Lebby has brought to Starkville, Mississippi.

15. Zach Calzada, Kentucky

The 24-year-old Calzada is well-traveled since his days at Lanier High School in Gwinnett County, with stops at Incarnate Word, Texas A&M, Auburn and now Kentucky. The 6-4 230-pounder gets a shot at his home-state school when the Wildcats play at UGA on Oct. 4.

16. Beau Pribula, Missouri

The Penn State transfer left Happy Valley after Heisman candidate Drew Allar elected to stay for another season and now looks to lead a Tigers offense heavy with transfers and unproven on the offensive line.