When SEC Media Days begin next week, one of the hottest topics will be the lack of experienced quarterbacks in the conference. That fact makes our next task - ranking the league's 12 starting signal-callers - a difficult one.
For most of the players, there is not a large sample size from which to draw conclusions. The quarterbacks who have been around awhile, such as South Carolina's Stephen Garcia and LSU's Jordan Jefferson, have had ups and downs in their careers.
1. Aaron Murray
Georgia, 6-foot-1, 211-pound sophomore
Illustrating the lack of quarterback depth in the league is the fact that a sophomore who won six games last year could be considered for the top spot, but the numbers Murray put up can't be ignored. He threw 24 touchdown passes and eight interceptions while compiling 3,049 yards. He is the highest-rated returning passer in the league and narrowly beat you-know-who for the top spot on this list.
2. Stephen Garcia
South Carolina, 6-2, 230-pound senior
Garcia should be in the top spot on this list, and he would be if not for the past seven months. He compiled 3,059 yards and completed 64 percent of his passes last year, and he was good to excellent for long stretches of the season. However, he ended the year with a three-interception, no-touchdown stinker in the bowl game and followed that with two suspensions, one of which he still is serving.
3. Tyler Wilson
Arkansas, 6-3, 215-pound junior
Wilson played sparingly while backing up Ryan Mallett last year, but he looked like the real deal when he played. After replacing Mallett in the second quarter against Auburn, Wilson threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns. He has the pedigree to be a star. He threw for more than 8,000 yards and won two state championships in high school.
4. Tyler Bray
Tennessee, 6-6, 210-pound sophomore
Bray took over the starting job midway through last year's game against South Carolina and never gave it up. After falling short in a comeback bid against the Gamecocks, he won four of the final five games of the season and set Tennessee freshman records with 1,849 yards and 18 touchdowns.
5. Chris Relf
Mississippi State, 6-4, 240-pound senior
Among returning starters in the league, Relf had the third-best passer rating last year. He threw for 13 touchdowns against six interceptions. Relf will be better after a full year as the starter in Dan Mullen's offense, and he has dangerous wide receiver Chad Bumphis to throw to, so the Gamecocks will have to be wary of that combination.
6. Jordan Jefferson
LSU, 6-4, 225-pound senior
This time last year, LSU's coaches weren't happy with Jefferson's progress in the spring and summer workouts. Things appear to be different this year as Jefferson meshed with first-year offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe in the spring. Jefferson has been the Tigers' full-time starter since taking over the job his freshman season, but it too often feels like the Tigers are winning in spite of, rather than because of, Jefferson.
7. John Brantley
Florida, 6-3, 220-pound senior
This list is based on our beliefs about how this season will go, not how last season went. Otherwise, Brantley's name would be on the bottom of the list. He threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) and managed barely more than 2,000 yards passing despite being surrounded by talent. He will fare better this year, though, because the Gators have scrapped the spread offense and are running a pro-style set. Expect Brantley to flourish in the system.
8. Morgan Newton
Kentucky, 6-4, 235-pound junior
Newton was named to the All-SEC freshman team two seasons ago after starting the final eight games of the season because of an injury to Mike Hartline. He lost the starting job last year to Hartline but is back at the top of the depth chart this season. He replaced a suspended Hartline in the bowl game last year and completed 21 of 36 passes for 211 yards.
9. AJ McCarron
Alabama, 6-4, 205-pound sophomore
McCarron saw action at quarterback in eight games and posted a quarterback rating of better than 150 in limited action. Three years ago, McCarron was one of the jewels of Alabama's recruiting class after being named to the U.S. Army All-America team. However, he will be pushed hard for the starting job this season by redshirt freshman Phillip Sims, who was a five-star prep prospect two years ago.
10. Larry Smith
Vanderbilt, 6-2, 220-pound senior
Despite being in his second season as the starter, Smith struggled most of the second half of the season last year with most areas of the game. He completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and had six touchdown passes. He had one touchdown pass in the final six games and missed the season finale because of an injury.
11. Randall Mackey
Ole Miss, 5-11, 195-pound junior
Mackey is expected to start for the Rebels, but it's far from a lock. On the Ole Miss post-spring practice depth chart, he was listed as the co-starter with transfer Barry Brunetti, a sophomore. Mackey was redshirted last year after transferring from East Mississippi Community College, where he was a junior college All-American his final season.
12. Barrett Trotter
Auburn, 6-2, 206-pound junior
Replacing Cam Newton would be a tough job even for a good quarterback, and there's no reason to believe Trotter is a good quarterback. Trotter was lightly recruited out of Birmingham three years ago and didn't play during his first two collegiate seasons. He threw for 64 yards in six games last year while backing up Newton.
Media Days Schedule
Wednesday
Arkansas: Coach Bobby Patrino, players
Knile Davis, Jarious Wright and
Tenarius Wright. Florida: Coach Will
Muschamp, players John Brantley,
William Green and Deonte Thompson.
South Carolina: Coach Steve
Spurrier, players Alshon Jeffery,
Marcus Lattimore and Travian
Robertson. Mississippi State:
Coach Dan Mullen, players Vick
Ballard, Fletcher Cox and Chris Relf.
Thursday
Kentucky: Coach Joker Phillips, players
Stuart Hines, Danny Trevathan
and Morgan Newton. Georgia:
Coach Mark Richt, players Brandon
Boykin, Ben Jones and Aaron Murray.
Auburn: Coach Gene Chizik,
players Emory Blake, Nosa Equae
and Phillip Lutzenkirchen. Tennessee:
Coach Derek Dooley, players
Malik Jackson, Tauren Poole,
Dallas Thomas.
Friday
Alabama: Coach Nick Saban, players
Mark Barron, Dont’a Hightower and
Trent Richardson. Vanderbilt:
Coach James Franklin, players
Casey Hayward, Chris Marve and
Larry Smith. Ole Miss: Coach
Houston Nutt, players Brandon
Bolden, Kentrell Lockett and
Bradley Sowell. LSU: Coach Les
Miles, players Ryan Baker, Jordan
Jefferson and Russell Shepard.
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