By T.J. Chapman
In recent years the Southeastern Conference was the home to some of the best quarterbacks in college football. Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels each won the Heisman Trophy while numerous others were drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.
Heading into Spring practices five quarterbacks stand out ahead of their SEC quarterback brethren. Reps and sample size played a large role in determining the top 5. The 2025 season has a lot of turnover at the quarterback position as only six of the listed starters were the starting quarterbacks for their current team at the start of the 2024 season.
DIEGO PAVIA PUT UP FIVE TOUCHDOWNS IN THE BIRMINGHAM BOWL 🔥
The @VandyFootball record for TDs in a bowl game ⚓️ pic.twitter.com/IV2bxtNafG
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 28, 2024
No. 5: Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt Commodores
Diego Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt prior to the 2024 season after spending the prior two seasons at New Mexico State. Pavia brought badly needed leadership and moxie to Vanderbilt’s offense. Those traits helped lead the Commodores to an upset against Alabama and a tight loss to Texas. Pavia has a lot of heart and is a fearless runner. Pavia finished 2024 with a 59.4 completion percentage, 2,293 passing yards with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions. He is Jekyll and Hyde as a passer. Vanderbilt was 3-6 when Pavia completed less than 65 percent of his passes and were 4-0 in the games he completed over that mark. Pavia’s rushing abilities bolstered the Vanderbilt run game as he chipped in 800 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
More Sports News
No. 4: Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee Volunteers
In his first season as a starter, Nico Iamaleava led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff. The passing numbers don’t jump off the page, but Imaleava got the job done. However, he will need to improve on the accuracy of his deep passing. Losing top rusher Dylan Sampson hurts Josh Heupel’s run-heavy offense, but Iamaleava is ready to take the next step in his development as a QB. A rebuilt offensive line and an upgraded receiver room should help Iamaleava with that next step. While his rushing numbers were low, only 358 yards and three touchdowns, Iamaleava is a weapon with his legs. Heupel will have more trust in Iamaleava to open the play book up more in 2025 and allow him to showcase his powerful arm. Look for Iamaleava to improve on his 2024 numbers, 63.8 percent, 2,616 passing yards with 19 TDs and five interceptions.
LaNorris Sellers burst on the scene in 2024 with an impressive season and is projected as one of the Heisman favorites in 2025! pic.twitter.com/JpynHBiRav
— College Football Live (@CollegeFBonX) March 4, 2025
No. 3: LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Gamecocks
LaNorris Sellers’ “welcome to the show” moment came in a remarkable effort in a home loss to LSU. His passing numbers against the Tigers were not great but Sellers rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns. The Gamecocks closed out the regular season on a six-game winning streak as Sellers improved in the passing game as the season went on. In a week 11 home win against No. 23 Missouri, Sellers completed 70 percent of his passes for 353 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. On the season Sellers had a 65.6 percent completion rate with 2,534 yards, 18 TDs and seven interceptions. His rushing prowess was on display against rival Clemson as Sellers rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ upset win. Sellers finished the season with 674 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. As with younger QBs he will need to protect the ball better and improve on his passing consistency.
No. 2: John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners
You can look at John Mateer being second on this list in one of two ways: either he’s really that good or the crop of starting QBs in the SEC is not elite. It could be a combination of both, but I’m leaning more toward Mateer is really that good. In his lone season as a full-time starter at Washington State, Mateer showed he is one of the top dual threat QBs in the country. Mateer followed 2024 WSU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma and immediately can be considered a Heisman candidate. Mateer only had one game without a passing TD and one game without a rushing TD in 2024. His numbers from 2024 are staggering: 64.6 completion percentage, 3,139 passing yards with 29 TDs and seven interceptions. On the ground, Mateer rushed for 826 yards and 15 TDs. The defenses in the SEC are significantly better than what Mateer saw last season, but the offensive weapons around him at Oklahoma will be as well.
Garrett Nussmeier rocks
YOU DA MAN NUSS https://t.co/XAKRE8MR2k pic.twitter.com/sjU3aECGCS
— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) December 31, 2024
No. 1: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU Tigers
It should come as no surprise that Grant Nussmeier is the top SEC QB heading into Spring practices. The LSU gunslinger was fifth in the country in passing yards and tied for 10th in passing TDs. Nussmeier won’t remind Tigers fans of Jayden Daniels in the run game, but that’s not his forte. And Nussmeier is not a statue in the pocket either. He uses his legs well to avoid pressure and can make throws on the run. While Nussmeier’s talent stands out, he is prone to mistakes. He needs to take care of the ball more but has shown he can shred SEC defenses. Nussmeier completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 4,052 yards with 29 TDs and 12 interceptions. Nussmeier has a good command of Brian Kelly’s offense as 2025 will be his fourth year in the system. The receiver room is a veteran group so expectations should be high for LSU with Nussmeier at the helm. LSU finished 2024 on a three-game winning streak where Nussmeier completed more than 70 percent of his passes in each game while throwing seven touchdowns and only one interception.
Notable omissions:
Arch Manning, Texas. Only having two career starts is not enough of a sample size to name Manning a top 5 QB yet, no matter what his last name is. Beau Pribula, Missouri. Similar to Manning, Pribula has zero career starts. A random series here and there at Penn State mixed with specialty QB run packages are not enough to be top 5. But he does have the potential to make the list in 2026. D.J. Lagway, Florida. Seven career starts, 6-1 record in those starts, but less than 60 precent passes completed and a 12-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Played very well as a true freshman, needs a full season as a starter and to take care of the ball better to contend for the top 5.
