SEC Recruiting Focus: The Window is Narrowing for Power 5 Schools to Find a Top Tier 2018 Quarterback
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Photo credit: Raymond Joyce Photography
Twitter: @RJPSports
Every college football program wants to build their recruiting class around a gunslinger that can put points on the board and lead the team on and off the field. Finding a fit between a program, staff, and player along with style of quarterback wanted, pro-style verses dual-threat, and regional talent available in a given year helps play the part in which program lands which recruit and which top quarterback gives a team new hope for the future.
In a five-part series focusing on Power Five Conferences and Class of 2018 quarterbacks committed, the following breaks down which schools are set for now in the pocket and which schools are left scrambling. Last in the series is the Southeastern Conference.
The SEC
Little changed in the SEC from the end of the 2015 schedule to the end of the 2016 season in the SEC. Florida and Alabama were once against division champs in the east and west respectively leaving a pecking order among everyone else falling likes dominoes in their path. The oddity for both Florida and Alabama, both teams had enough talent to overcome new starters in the pocket in back-to-back seasons to claim their banners, a rare accomplishment in college football. Florida will once again break in a new signal caller to lead their offense but Alabama returns dual-threat sophomore Jalen Hurts, the Crimson Tide’s first returning starter under center since AJ McCarron in 2013.
If returning talent under center helps bring leadership and stability to a team, Georgia with Jacob Eason, Kentucky with Stephen Johnson, Missouri with Drew Lock, South Carolina with Jake Bentley, and Vanderbilt with Kyle Shurmur are sitting pretty in the East. Of the five teams that have returning starters back in the East, only the Wildcats have a senior starter in Johnson which could mean big things in 2017 for Kentucky but also notes that the East is set at four schools for at least a couple more seasons at quarterback. That notion could hold true in Gainesville if redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks proves to be the real deal. In Knoxville, the Volunteers have junior Quinten Dormady penciled in to take over for Joshua Dobbs.
In the West, offenses are on similar footing with Auburn, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss breaking in new starters. The Rebels have a little bit of a leg up with sophomore Shea Patterson. Patterson did start the final three games of the season after an ACL injury to then senior Chad Kelly. Out of high school, Patterson was ranked as high as the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the country showing why hitting 72-of-132 passes for 880 yards with six touchdowns against three picks. During spring practices, Auburn turned over the offense to Jarrett Stidham but the War Eagles do have starting talent behind him with Sean White.
All eyes will be on Arkansas’ Austin Allen to see if he can replicate his junior season in 2017 after leading the conference in passing yards with 3,430 coming in second in touchdown passes tossed (25), and third in QB Rating (146). A lot of attention will be given to rising Mississippi State talent Nick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, like Hurts, is a prolific dual-threat but needs to improve his completion percentage beyond 54 percent. Another quarterback that could be asked to do more with a rise in his status is LSU’s Danny Etling. Etling was more the game manager under former head coach Les Miles but will be asked to sling the ball around the yard more in new head coach Ed Orgeron’s offense coordinated by Matt Canada.
When the 2017 season concludes, Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU, and Texas A&M will graduate starting quarterbacks leaving a void in the offensive huddle. If the next face of the program is not already on campus, the next gunslinger will be found on the recruiting trail in the 2018 class.
Great defenses may win championships but great offenses win regular season games building to the big game. Per Rivals quarterback rankings for the 2018 class, 25 pro-style and 30 dual-threats, there are only four ranked uncommitted pro-style and 11 ranked dual-threat quarterbacks left to cover the country. The good news for SEC teams, two of the top pro-style and eight of the highly ranked dual-threats hail from within the fertile recruiting borders.
Uncommitted Dual-Threat Quarterbacks
(Player/Home State/Ranking)
Justin Fields – Georgia, No. 1 ranked dual-threat; previous committed to Penn State
Dakereon Joyner – South Carolina; No. 12 ranked dual-threat
Jace Ruder – Kansas, No. 14 ranked dual-threat
Gerry Bohanon – Arkansas, No. 15 ranked dual-threat
Kaleb Eleby – Maryland, No. 16 ranked dual-threat
Woodrow “Trey” Lowe – Tennessee, No. 17 ranked dual-threat
Chance Amie – Texas, No. 21 ranked dual-threat
Ben Bryant – Illinois, No. 23 ranked dual-threat
Cordel Littlejohn – Georgia, No. 25 ranked dual-threat
John Holcombe – Texas, No. 26 ranked dual-threat
Jordan McCloud – Florida, No. 29 ranked dual-threat
Top Uncommitted Pro-Style Quarterbacks
Matt Corral – California, No. 2 ranked pro-style
Tanner McKee – California, No. 3 ranked pro-style
Brevin White – California, No. 11 ranked pro-style
Maurice Robinson – Alabama, No. 18 ranked pro-style
Will Levis – Connecticut, three-star pro-style
Riley Smith – Florida, three-star pro-style
The Overlooked
There are very talented players flying underneath the recruiting ranking radars. The lack of stars by their name today does not mean a lack of talent or star potential on the field at the next level. Some of the overlooked regionally includes:
Zack Annexstad – Florida, pro-style
Kevin Doyle – Washington D.C., pro-style
James Graham – Georgia, dual-threat
Layne Hatcher – Arkansas, dual-threat
2018 Talents Verbally Committed to SEC Schools
There is a long way to go until National Signing Day in February 2018, but most teams try in earnest to get a quarterback as signed, sealed, and delivered as soon as possible. Six SEC teams are without a verbal commitment in the pocket but safe to guess that Dakereon Joyner will stay in-state with the Gamecocks instead of becoming the second Elite 11 QB to commit to N.C. State (Devin Leary). Justin Fields, the No. 1 ranked dual-threat, opened his recruitment back up de-committing from Penn State. A big fight between Alabama, Georgia and/or Florida for Fields could be brutal behind the scenes.
The other oddity on the board is LSU. Justin Rogers, a four-star from Bossier City (LA), broke a lot of hearts committing to TCU weeks ago. Of the Top 60 players ranked in Louisiana by Rivals, Rogers was the only quarterback in the group. Tigers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has a lot of ground to cover on the trail to get the so badly coveted quarterback of the future in Baton Rouge.
If Georgia fails to land Fields, trouble could be brewing in Athens. Five-star Catersville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is committed to Clemson, five-star Heard County talent Emory Jones is committed to Ohio State, four-star Central Gwinnett dual-threat Jarren Williams is committed to Kentucky, and three-star North Gwinnett standout Cade Fortin is committed to Texas A&M. Five top quarterbacks in Georgia and none willing to commit to the Bulldogs could be the start of something bigger. Safe to bet Georgia finds a way to get a top signal caller on the board when it is all said and done, but for now…
SEC
West
Alabama
Auburn – Joey Gatewood (Florida), No. 7 dual-threat
Arkansas – Connor Noland (Arkansas), No. 14 ranked pro-style
LSU
Mississippi
Mississippi State – Jalen Mayden (Texas), No. 11 dual-threat
Texas A&M – Cade Fortin (Georgia); pro-style, not ranked
East
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky – Jarren Williams (Georgia), No. 12 dual-threat
Missouri – James Foster (Alabama), No. 13 dual-threat
South Carolina
Tennessee – Adrian Martinez (California), No. 8 ranked dual-threat, and Michael Penix Jr. (Florida), No. 12 ranked pro-style
Vanderbilt – Allan Walters (New Jersey), No. 19 ranked pro-style
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