John Mateer above Arch Manning in SEC quarterback ratings | Berry Tramel’s ScissorTales

The Southeastern Conference looks loaded at quarterback in 2025.

Some Las Vegas lists have 10 SEC quarterbacks among their top 20 favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

But ranking those quarterbacks is quite the task.

Some barely have played (Texas Arch Manning, Alabamas Ty Simpson, Ole Miss Austin Simmons, Missouris Beau Pribula).

Some have played only a few games, albeit against great competition (Floridas DJ Lagway, Georgias Gunner Stockton).

Some have played mostly against mid-majors (OUs John Mateer, Tennessees Joey Aguilar).

Some have switched SEC schools (Auburns Jackson Arnold).

Some are noted mostly for beating Alabama (Vanderbilts Diego Pavia, Kentuckys Zach Calzada).

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But we start with SEC quarterbacking.

The first- and second-team all-SEC quarterbacks Ole Miss Jaxson Dart and Texas Quinn Ewers have moved on to the National Football League, but there are plenty of candidates to replace them.

When ranking these QBs, I give weight to what quarterbacks have done, not what someone thinks they will do.

You cant carry that criteria off the cliff, lest you end up with Blake Shapen ahead of Arch Manning, which probably wont age well.

But I also like to measure the competition.

Heres my best shot: 1.

LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina: Sellers mobility (674 rushing yards last season) gives him the edge.

Sellers passing numbers are OK (65.6% completions, 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions), but his versatility sets him apart.

2.

Garrett Nussmeier, Louisiana State: Actually threw for a lower percentage (.642%) than did Sellers, with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

3.

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt: We think of him as a high-risk, high-reward, high-energy QB, but Pavia threw just four interceptions last season.

He was beat up late in the year, but Pavias 20 touchdown passes and 801 rushing yards offset his 59.4 percent completions.

Hes got a certain moxie that is hard to replicate.

4.

John Mateer, Oklahoma: National analysts seem as high as OU fans do on Mateer, who completed 64.6 percent of his passes last season at Washington State, with 29 touchdown passes and seven interceptions, to go with 826 rushing yards.

In WSUs three biggest games Texas Tech, Washington and Boise State Mateer completed 60 percent of his passes for 832 yards, four TDs and three interceptions.

He also rushed for 336 yards against that trio.

Lots to be excited about.

5.

DJ Lagway, Florida: Im a big Lagway fan, but against Division I-A foes last season, Lagway completed 58 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns, nine interceptions and 85 rushing yards.

Those nine picks worry me.

6.

Arch Manning, Texas: Most of Archs meaningful minutes have come against Texas-San Antonio, Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State.

So hes vastly unproven.

But the intangibles are to be believed.

7.

Gunner Stockton, Georgia: Filled in ably last postseason for the injured Carson Beck, against Texas (victory) in the SEC Championship Game and Notre Dame (defeat) in the Sugar Bowl, completing 32 of 48, with one touchdown and one interception, with an offense that wasnt grand.

8.

Marcel Reed, Texas A&M: Won a QB derby last season with Conner Weigman, now at Houston, who I think is a pretty good quarterback.

Reeds passing numbers arent great (61.3%, 15/6 touchdown-to-interception ratio), but he rushed for 543 yards.

9.

Blake Shapen, Mississippi State: Shapen quarterbacked parts of three seasons at Baylor, then about half the 2024 season in Starkville.

His numbers are solid; 64.3% completions, 44 TDs, 14 interceptions.

10.

Taylen Green, Arkansas: A big-play man, who rushed for 602 yards last season, but in three years as a starting quarterback (two at Boise State), his TD/interception ratio is 40/24, and hes completed just 59.8% of his passes.

Thats a lot of turnovers.

11.

Austin Simmons, Ole Miss: Already a college graduate at age 19, Simmons performed well in a series against Georgia when Jaxson Dart was injured.

As a Rebel, Simmons has completed 19 of 32 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

12.

Zach Calzada, Kentucky: Beat Alabama way back in 2021 while quarterbacking Texas A&M and actually played a little for the Aggies in 2019.

Hes been prolific the last two seasons for Incarnate Word.

Not a lot of reason for optimism, but I dont understand the severe pessimism from some.

13.

Ty Simpson, Alabama: Hasnt played much in three seasons at Bama.

His overall stats: 58% passing, 381 yards, no TDs and no interceptions.

Were accustomed to the Bama quarterback always being good.

But that belief collapsed last season with Jalen Milroe, in Kalen DeBoers first season succeeding Nick Saban.

14.

Jackson Arnold, Auburn: Numbers werent awful in a disastrous OU season last year 12 touchdowns, three interceptions, 62.6% completions and he showed some running ability.

But Arnold panicked twice in pressure situations, against Tennessee and Missouri.

Buyer beware.

15.

Joey Aguilar, Tennessee: In two seasons as the Appalachian State quarterback, completed 60.1% and threw 24 interceptions (with 56 TDs).

Rocky Top should be worried.

16.

Beau Pribula, Missouri: The Penn State backup has played virtually none, and last December he left the Nittany Lions before the national semifinals, to get into the free-agency market.

Ill pass.

New Tech OC has Tulsa ties Excitement is rampant over Texas Tech football this season; 30-year-old Mack Leftwich is one reason why.

And Leftwich has University of Tulsa fingerprints all over his short career.

Leftwich, who quarterbacked at Texas-El Paso, has spent the last two seasons as offensive coordinator at Texas State for G.J.

Kinne, who played quarterback at Tulsa from 2008-11.

In Kinnes 2010 season at TU, the Golden Hurricane offensive line coach was Spencer Leftwich, Macks father.

Spencer Leftwich spent two stints at Tulsa, 2003-06 with Steve Kragthorpe, and 2010, with Todd Graham.

Mack Leftwich grew up mostly in Denton, Texas, but became a high school quarterback star in Pennsylvania.

He threw 11 touchdown passes over two seasons at UTEP before a shoulder injury ended his career.

Leftwich took up coaching and landed at Incarnate Word, which hired Kinne as head coach in 2022.

Kinne took Leftwich to Texas State in 2023, and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire came calling last off-season, when Leftwich was among the hottest candidates in the offensive-coordinator market.

McGuire compares Leftwich to Zach Kittley, 33, who left Tech to become head coach at Florida Atlantic and who is a mentor to new OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

I knew Zach was going to be a head coach, McGuire said.

He has those qualities and Im excited for him.

I want to be around guys that want to move up, that want to be coordinators and want to be head coaches.

I see the same thing in Mack.

Hes a coachs kid just like Zach was, and he understands what it takes to lead a team.

Ive been really impressed.

Im excited to go into a game with him.

Ive seen what hes doing, whenever he attacks our defense but Im ready to see what he does.

Tech has a veteran quarterback in Behren Morton and a ton of expectations.

McGuire expects success and doesnt even know how long Leftwich will be in Lubbock.

I know hes really excited about the offense that he has to lead, but I really do think Mack will be a head coach, McGuire said.

Im hoping I get to keep him for at least three years like I got to keep Kittley, but I expect him to be a head coach someday.

Mailbag: A vote for Mick The debate continues over my declaration that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trumps Mickey Mantle as Oklahomas greatest sporting hero.

Charles: Oh my goodness.

The Mick in a heartbeat! How about Bud Wilkinson putting OU football on the map and 47 straight? Or maybe Jim Thorpe.

Even Johnny Bench.

Many books have been written about those folks.

Sports heroes develop over time.

Interesting topic, many thanks, Berry: It is an interesting topic.

Wilkinson? Coaches dont make great heroes, and Wilkinson would fall behind Barry Switzer as a hero .

Wilkinson is more revered than celebrated, and besides, the Bedlam gulf cuts into the popularity of anyone from either side of it.

Bench is a good candidate.

Thorpe is not; he came from a different time, and his feats were not celebrated in their time the way later athletes were.

This is probably generational, with older Oklahomans migrating to Mantle.

But like I keep writing, the outsider who brings great glory to the Oklahoma stage trumps the Oklahoman who took great glory to some other stage.

Cooperstown voting remains goofy Billy Wagner was among the five inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, and ESPNs David Schoenfield has pointed out that since the 1970s, the easiest position, other than starting pitcher, from which to make the Baseball Hall of Fame is relief pitcher.

With players whose careers peaked from 1970 on, eight relievers have been inducted into Cooperstown.

Thats more than catchers and right fielders (seven each); first basemen, third basemen and shortstops (six); second base and designated hitters (five); left fielders (four); and centerfielders (three).

Eighteen starting pitchers, whose careers were primarily in the 1970s or more recent, have been inducted.

The glut of closers is silly, of course.

The value of relief pitching has never been more apparent, but the value of relief pitchers never has been more inflated.

The idea that a relief pitcher who throws a single inning 70 times or so a season is more valuable or more effective than a starting pitcher who throws 180 innings a year does not hold up to simple mathematics.

The ninth inning is not more important than any other inning.

Innings are determined by outs.

A pitcher who throws 180 innings has produced 540 outs.

A pitcher who throws 70 innings has produced 210 outs.

Lets all settle down.

Billy Wagner threw 903 major-league innings.

Luis Tiant had 231 wins and threw 3,48613 innings.

Tommy John had 288 wins, threw 4,710 innings and got a surgery named after himself.

Wagner is in the Hall of Fame; Tiant and John are not.

Outs are not a throwaway statistic.

Sometimes, we equate outs to basketballs minutes played, or footballs snaps.

They are not close to the same.

Innings pitched are incredibly valuable and telling.

Outs are the commodity by which baseball is played.

Not runs.

Not hits.

Not anything else.

Outs.

Tommy John produced 14,130 outs.

Wagner produced 2,709.

One is in Cooperstown, the other is not.

The List: NFL QB battles Five NFL teams have legitimate quarterback battles, even though two of them have declared a starter.

Here are the five QB derbies and how I see them playing out: 1.

Browns: Leave it to Cleveland to have four contenders Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

The pick: Flacco.

He gives the Browns the best hope for success.

You cant tank in September in the NFL.

2.

Colts: Anthony Richardson versus Daniel Jones.

Richardson is seen as a prospect with great potential, but lets be honest.

Indy made a bad pick when they grabbed Richardson fourth overall in 2024.

The Colts might start Richardson, but soon enough, this will be Jones job.

3.

Saints: Tyler Shough versus Spencer Rattler.

How did New Orleans get in this mess, where it has such limited options? Rattler got a test run last season, and Shough will get a test run this season.

But man, New Orleans wasnt ready for the Drew Brees era to end.

4.

Giants: Russell Wilson has been named the starter, over Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart.

Coach Brian Daboll has to win games, so Wilson clearly gives him the best chance.

But Wilson is way past his prime, New York wont win much and this job will be Darts soon enough.

Who knows if he can keep it? 5.

Falcons: Atlanta made a mess of things by signing Kirk Cousins to a huge contract, then drafting Michael Penix.

Penix will start this season, but the Falcons are in a division that conceivably could be won.

Look for Cousins to get the job back soon..

This article has been shared from the original article on tulsaworld, here is the link to the original article.