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April L Brown/AP/
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow
GoGamecocks.com
Tebow, Snead stand apart from unproven QBs
South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia
BrettFlashnick.com/Special to The State
Written by SETH EMERSON
semerson@thestate.com
Posted on 07.01.09
survey:
Where would you rank USC's Stephen Garcia among SEC quarterbacks?
Nationally, this sets up as the year of the quarterback in college football. And two of the biggest names are in the SEC.
Be careful, though, to assume you can call it the year of the quarterback in the SEC.
Florida’s Tim Tebow and Mississippi’s Jevan Snead are good — that much is certain. Tebow is among the favorites, along with Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’ Colt McCoy, to win the Heisman Trophy, which would be his second. Snead might be a better NFL prospect.
After that, the quality of established signal-callers in the SEC drops off the kind of cliff that Wile E. Coyote made famous.
Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett, Alabama’s Greg McElroy and, yes, USC’s Stephen Garcia might emerge as stars, but until the season starts, they are part of a group of unproven SEC quarterbacks.
The State ranks the league’s projected starters:
1. TIM TEBOW, FLORIDA
You may have heard of him: one Heisman, two national championships, god-like status in Gainesville. Tebow this season can strengthen his case for being the most accomplished college quarterback of all time.
2. JEVAN SNEAD, MISSISSIPPI
The quarterback who restored faith in transfers. No quarterback in the league improved more last season than Snead, who sat out 2007 after transferring from Texas. He threw for 26 touchdowns and 2,762 yards in 2008.
Now a redshirt junior, Snead is projected as a first-round pick in the NFL draft and is a big reason for Mississippi’s preseason hype.
3. JORDAN JEFFERSON, LSU
Why so much respect for someone who has thrown 73 career passes and has started two games? Because he looked great the last time we saw him, leading the Tigers to a rout of Georgia Tech in the Chik-fil-A Bowl.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore is a dual threat and will have plenty of offensive weapons around him.
4. JOE COX, GEORGIA
The last Georgia quarterback named Joe was Tereshinski, and he also was a senior who inherited the job after a long wait. That didn’t end well, as then-freshman Matt Stafford grabbed the job after a great relief performance at South Carolina.
But the better comparison for Cox is to D.J. Shockley, another senior who bided his time and got the job after David Greene left. Plus, Cox doesn’t have a Stafford-like recruit looking over his shoulder — at least not yet.
5. RYAN MALLETT, ARKANSAS
Mallett can hope to follow the path laid by Snead; both transferred from big-time programs to SEC West schools.
Mallett left Michigan because of Rich Rodriguez’s offensive system, and he picked Arkansas because of Bobby Petrino’s high-octane offense. Mallett figures to put up good numbers, but how soon? Plus, Petrino has said backup Tyler Wilson will receive playing time.
6. GREG MCELROY, ALABAMA
The sophomore performed well on national television in front of nearly 80,000 fans — at Alabama’s spring game this year. Can he do it in the fall?
He has Julio Jones to throw to, but there are holes on the offensive line. Like many quarterbacks on this list, McElroy has a lot to prove.
7. STEPHEN GARCIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
If these rankings were based on potential, Garcia might rank third. And he still might by the end of the season.
But at the moment, all the redshirt sophomore has going for him is potential, and his four-interception performance at the Outback Bowl is seared in the memory of many fans.
8. JONATHAN CROMPTON, TENNESSEE
The fifth-year senior will try to put it all together this season, fusing experience with Lane Kiffin’s Southern California-style offense.
Or Crompton could perform like he did last season, when he was 3-3 as a starter, threw more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (four) and was at his best when he was minimizing damage. (That season-ending win against Kentucky? Crompton threw eight passes.)
9. MIKE HARTLINE, KENTUCKY
It’s possible that Kentucky’s best quarterback is receiver Randall Cobb. But the Wildcats need someone to throw to, and Cobb will be featured in the Wildcat formation.
Hartline was erratic last season, throwing nine touchdowns and eight interceptions and averaging 151 passing yards per game. The redshirt junior is tall (6-foot-6) with a powerful arm.
10. TYSON LEE, MISSISSIPPI STATE
He’s a senior with playing experience, and he’s going to play in new coach Dan Mullen’s spread option. On the other hand, he’s a Mississippi State quarterback, and lately that hasn’t been a good thing.
In 11 games last season, Lee was put in a position where he could do little harm under the previous, offensively conservative regime. Can he blossom in Mullen’s offense, or will a younger quarterback take the job by midseason?
11. KODI BURNS, AUBURN
Burns gets the nod because of his experience, but either one of two other quarterbacks could be the starter when the season begins.
Burns and Neil Caudle split reps during the spring, and neither played well enough to be the unquestioned starter. Chris Todd, who sat out the spring with an injury, also will have a shot at the job when fall practice opens. Auburn will be using Gus Malzahn’s pass-happy offense, so whoever emerges will be in position to do well — maybe.
12. LARRY SMITH, VANDERBILT
Coach Bobby Johnson has yet to anoint a starter, and he could choose Mackenzi Adams, who started six games last season. Jared Funk, a redshirt junior, also has squirmed into the competition.
But it was Smith who led the Commodores to their Music City Bowl win against Boston College.
Reach Emerson at (803) 771-8676.
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