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With most of the seasoned quarterbacks that were in this league heading to the NFL Draft the quarterback position is the one position with the largest question mark around it going into the 2014 season. Even with quarterbacks emerging from spring practice as the solid No. 1 guy we’ve seen in some instances were he ultimately ends up being the No. 2 guy come time for the season to start. There are some talented freshman that will be on campuses this year that could be starters by the time fall gets here. All that said, this top five list is the biggest mixed bag when it comes to ranking them. I say that because you could ask anyone in a room who their top five quarterbacks would be and you most likely will get a different answer every time.
Now let’s take a look at the SEC quarterback mixed bag:
5. Anthony Jennings, LSU(SO)
4. Maty Mauk, Missouri(SO)
3. Hutson Mason, Georgia(SR)
2. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State(JR)
1. Dylan Thompson, South Carolina(SR)
Anthony Jennings makes this list mainly because of the intangibles he has around him and one of the biggest is Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron. With a guy like Cameron in your corner who is a seasoned NFL vet Jennings will be in good hands. Jennings brings to the table a duel-threat option for the Bayou Bengals and that could prove to be a deadly combination under Cameron. Last season Jennings saw a little time on the field and managed to throw for 181 yards, one touchdown and one INT along with rushing for two touchdowns. Look back at the game-winning drive against Arkansas and LSU has a lot to be hopeful for in 2014. That said, keep your eye on the freshman QB Harris. He'll be on J's heels.
Dak fits Mullen’s system very well and we had the opportunity to see his rise last season once he was given the reigns of the offense. The offense developed and Prescott managed to secure the season for the Bulldogs. Still, Dak has the largest upside to him than any other quarterback on this list with the number of intangibles that are returning this year around him. Even with splitting time as the starter Dak managed to throw for 1940 yards, 10 touchdowns, seven INTs and still put another 829 yards for 13 touchdowns on the ground. He will need to keep an eye on freshman Fitzpatrick who will be the Bulldog's future starter.
Hutson steps into the 2014 season with the ease of not having to score 40 plus points per game because of the great hire of Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. Add to that he will have Gurley in the backfield and Hutson may have the Dawgs in contention for the first play-off games. Hutson’s only flaw is his technique, which he’ll certainly get plenty of time to work on this spring from what Richt is saying coming out of spring camps. Last year Mason threw for 958 yards, five touchdowns and three INTs while Murray was out. The struggle will be real for Hutson out of the gate with South Carolina and Clemson back-to-back to start of the year.
Out of all of the quarterbacks listed Thompson is the most weathered of the bunch stepping in for Shaw throughout his injury struggles. Thompson came into last season with some speculation that he could get the starting job but with Shaw’s strong showing that didn’t come to fruition. Thompson has managed to put up 1827 yards, 14 touchdowns and five INTs over the course of two seasons. Thompson will come into 2014 needing to prove he can be a consistent quarterback but it sure doesn’t hurt he’ll have Davis behind him to take off the edge.
Mauk is a game changer…flat out. He can take the Mizzou offense to a whole other level just based off of his talents alone. That said he needs to work on his short to medium throws and put a bit of touch on the ball. Last year’s performance of 1071 yards, 11 touchdowns, two INTs and 229 yards for another TD on the ground was phenomenal but with the loss of their top receiver could hinder his '14 performance.