Can you win as an SEC football team without an elite quarterback?
Yes. Georgia won back-to-back national championships with a former walk-on at the position, Stetson Bennett.
Is it more difficult to win in the SEC without an elite quarterback?
Yes. But Georgia surrounded Bennett with terrific talent on offense and a defense was dominant.
You can debate the merits and skills of Mac Jones, but he helped Alabama win a national title when he was blessed with fantastic wide receivers, a great run game and a solid defense.
On the other hand, you can have an elite quarterback and still not win the SEC football championship (re: LSU’s Heisman winner Jayden Daniels).
That brings us to Tennessee.
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Where would you rank Tennessee’s quarterback room compared to the rest of the SEC?
Not very high. There’s not a single SEC or Power Four start among the threesome.
I would have ranked it higher with Nico Iamaleava behind center, but he was 10th in the SEC in passing yards per game and was just a cut above average – not the difference making 5-star the Vols had hoped he’d be.
The Vols named Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar as the starting quarterback. Counting junior college, he has passed for almost 10,000 career yards. But I don’t expect him to light up the league.
He just needs to be competent. He needs to be accurate. He needs to be a quick decision maker who can read defenses. He needs to pick up 4 yards on third-and-3. And he needs to be able to operate an up-tempo attack.
Entering this season, I’d rank him clearly better than only one SEC quarterback on the Vols’ schedule.
Here’s how I would rate all of the SEC football quarterbacks by tiers.
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FIRST TIER (6)
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. He’s the leading returning passer in the SEC with over 4,000 yards and he has a strong group of receivers.
Texas’ Arch Manning. He might have been better than Quinn Ewers last year. He will put up better numbers than Ewers this year.
Oklahoma’s John Mateer. The Washington State transfer passed for 3139 yards, ran for 826 and accounted for a nation’s-best 44 touchdowns a year ago. Plus, the Sooners added his offensive coordinator from Wazzou.
South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers. He was as good as any SEC quarterback in the final six games of the season. Sellers passed for 2534 yards, ran for 674 and accounted for 25 touchdowns.
Arkansas’ Taylen Green. While inconsistent, he had 3154 yards passing, 602 rushing and 23 total TDs. He had 393 total yards and six scores v. Mississippi State and 477 total yards v. Oklahoma State.
Florida’s DJ Lagway (when healthy). Who knows when and whether Lagway will be 100%? But when he’s close to full speed, he’s really good.
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SECOND TIER (5)
Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia. He brought a lot of energy to Vandy. Pavia also brought a lot of attention by predicting wins over Alabama and Tennessee. Don’t think he can cash those checks this season.
Ole Miss Austin Simmons. He looked splendid in a touchdown drive to beat Georgia last year. Is he ready for full-time action? Yes.
Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen. He’s one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the SEC with 27 career starts. Shapen has 6548 career passing yards, but he might not have the supporting cast to thrive.
Texas A&M’s Marcell Reed. He’s a gifted runner, but he’s got to prove he can be a consistently accurate passer. Reed hit just 61% a year ago.
Georgia’s Gunner Stockton. Stockton has a good supporting cast, but remember, Georgia led the SEC in dropped passes last year. A repeat will slow Stockton’s growth.
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THIRD TIER (5)
Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar. He’s thrown for almost 10,000 yards combined at junior college and Appalachian State. Aguilar’s tendency to throw interceptions is a concern.
Auburn’s Jackson Arnold. He flopped as Oklahoma’s starter a year ago and got benched. A fresh start with Hugh Freeze might allow Arnold to prosper.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson. He got a start 2 years ago and played poorly. Has Simpson progressed to the point of leading a team to the CFP? Time will tell.
Kentucky’s Zach Calzada. Once upon a time, he beat Alabama when he was Texas A&M’s quarterback. It’s been downhill since then. Calzada was even relegated to playing last season at Incarnate Word (anybody know where that is?)
Missouri’s Beau Pribula. The Penn State transfer couldn’t beat out Drew Allar. No shame in that, but there is also no indication he’ll be one of the SEC’s better signal callers.
(Jimmy Hyams is a 6-time winner of the Tennessee Sportswriter of the Year and a 2-time winner of the Tennessee Sportscaster of the Year. He is the only person to win both awards. He has covered Tennessee football and Tennessee sports for 40 years. You can email him at: jlhyams@comcast.net).
