Who are the best-returning quarterbacks in the SEC? The ACC and Pac-12 both get mentioned when discussions about which conference has the most quarterback depth. The SEC is not one that should be ignored in that conversation. The league did lose the talents of Bryce Young, Stetson Bennett, and Hendon Hooker to name a few but excellent signal-callers remain. At Last Word on College Football, we are looking at the best-returning players for the 2023 season. Now, we determine the best returning SEC quarterbacks.
Best Returning SEC Quarterbacks
#5: Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Jaxson Dart is the only quarterback on this list that has not been named starting quarterback for his team. There is a competition currently between Dart and Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders. Dart did come out of the spring practice looking impressive and gave himself a lead in that competition. In his first season in Oxford, there were some lofty expectations for Dart coming from USC. He was expected to duplicate the performance of Matt Corral from the year prior. Dart may not have done that but had a solid season. He finished 2022 with 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air and added 614 yards on the ground. Dart did, however, struggle with turnovers. On the season he had 11 interceptions and eight games with at least one pick. That will need to change this season or head coach Lane Kiffin may look to the bench.
#4: Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Like Dart, Spencer Rattler struggled at times with turnovers last season. That was a criticism of Rattler after he left Oklahoma by way of the transfer portal. He turned it over with 12 interceptions, and the offense struggled for most of the season. That was not all on Rattler though, with the offensive line giving him little to no protection. Rattler and the offense caught fire in the final three games of the season. Against Tennessee, Clemson, and Notre Dame he showed what he is capable of. The Gamecocks averaged 44 points per game, and Rattler had 1,044 yards with 10 touchdowns. In the upset over Tennessee, he passed for 438 yards and six touchdowns. South Carolina will have a new offensive coordinator in Dowell Loggains coming in from Arkansas. He has plenty of experience as a quarterback coach in the NFL with stints with the Titans, Bears, Browns, Dolphins, and Jets. Rattler will also have one of the best-returning receivers in the SEC in Antwane Wells.
#3: Will Rogers, Mississippi State
An argument could be made due to statistics that Will Rogers is the best returning SEC quarterback. Rogers currently sits 8th all-time in SEC passing yards with 10,689 yards. He needs 2,477 yards to pass former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray to be the all-time leader. Unless something unforeseen happens, Rogers should be able to set that mark this season. In 2022, he was second in passing yards with 3,974 yards and first with 35 touchdowns. His best game came in a 40-17 victory over Arkansas on October 8th. Rogers went 32 of 49 for 406 yards and three touchdowns.
For 2023, the offense will look different. When Zach Arnett was named head coach after to passing of Mike Leach, he went in a different direction with the offense. The new offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay arrives from Appalachian State and will feature more of a running offense that was seen with the air raid attack. Rogers will still throw the ball plenty, but not at the rate as before.
#2: KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Last season the SEC was stacked at quarterback, and KJ Jefferson could not crack the top five. This season he is one of the best returning SEC quarterbacks. He proved to be very valuable for the Razorbacks and the evidence was when he was not in the lineup due to injury. Arkansas was 0-2 in the games he did not play in and lost another against Liberty when Jefferson was dealing with a shoulder injury. Also, add that the defense did the team no favors as the worse pass defense in FBS. Jefferson and company had the pressure each week of putting up big numbers. The quarterback did that passing for 2,648 yards and 24 touchdowns. Jefferson also rushed for 640 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Partnered with Raheim Sanders in the backfield, Arkansas has one of the best duos in college football. There is a new offensive coordinator this season in Dan Enos with the departure of Kendall Briles to TCU. Enos is in his second stint with Arkansas with him being offensive coordinator from 2015-17. His offense will have a more pro-style approach and had success with Brandon Allen and Austin Allen during that time.
#1: Jayden Daniels, LSU
Like his head coach Brian Kelly, Jayden Daniels had some doubters last season. This was especially the case after the disappointing season-opening loss to Florida State. Daniels did have some struggles early in the season with his reads. A lot of the time it appeared if his first option was not open, he would just rely on his running ability and leave the pocket. Daniels was first on the team with 885 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. As the season progressed, he became a much better passer and had great chemistry with Malik Nabors and Mason Taylor. Daniels had his coming out party against the Gators with six total touchdowns and 349 passing yards.
He was clutch in the overtime win against Alabama throwing for two scores and rushed for 95 yards and one touchdown. He has some very timely scrambles in the season-defining win. On the season he passed for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns. Daniels only had three interceptions but that is partly due to sometimes being safe with the ball. During the spring it appeared he had worked on pushing the ball down the field more. Expectations are high for the Tigers this season, and having the best returning SEC quarterback is a big reason why.
Photo courtesy: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
