Ranking the SEC's best quarterbacks heading into the 2015 season

Published May. 11, 2015 10:13 p.m. ET

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For the second year in a row, the Southeastern Conference is lacking in terms of star power at the quarterback position heading into a football season.

Saturday Down South recently compiled a list ranking the expected starters for every SEC team this season.

While the drop off behind Dak Prescott may seem significant now, expect several of these young signal callers to emerge as stars in the coming season.

14) Johnny McCrary - Vanderbilt Commodores

While the Commodores struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball in 2014, their freshman trio of McCrary, running back Ralph Webb and receiver C.J. Duncan should only continue to progress in year two under Derek Mason.

13) Connor Mitch - South Carolina Gamecocks

Mitch is an unknown at this point, having only attempted six passes in his career in Columbia, but Spurrier has worked magic before with less heralded players. Don't be surprised if the former four-star recruit puts up good numbers in the quarterback friendly system.

12) Anthony Jennings - LSU Tigers

Is this the year Jennings finally puts it together? Early indications in the spring suggest Jennings will continue to hold off the fan favorite Brandon Harris for the job. No matter which player wins the job, expect the Tigers to stick to the ground game and let Leonard Fournette lead the way on offense.

11) Chad Kelly - Ole Miss Rebels

Although Ryan Buchanan currently leads for the starting job, most expect Kelly to seize the job in Oxford once he grasps Freeze's offense. Kelly could be the wildcard that pushes the Rebels to their first SEC title since the 1960's.

10) Patrick Towles - Kentucky Wildcats

Towles was the toast of the SEC following a 5-1 start to the 2014 season, but a five game losing streak is enough to shake any player's confidence. After beating out the highly touted Drew Barker for the starting nod this offseason, how will Towles play in his first season under Shannon Dawson's play calling?

9) Will Grier - Florida Gators

Pretty high up on the list for a player that has yet to step on the field in college. Grier is a former Parade National Player of the Year and new Gators coach Jim McElwain is known as a quarterback guru, so the pieces are in place to make this rank justified. The real concern is the offensive line, can they keep Grier upright?

8) Jacob Coker - Alabama Crimson Tide

Nearly everyone was quick to anoint Coker the starter a season ago, but Blake Sims didn't get that memo. Lane Kiffin helped Sims turn in the single most productive season ever for a Tide quarterback, can he get similar results from the talented Coker in his second year as offensive coordinator?

7) Maty Mauk - Missouri Tigers

The inconsistent Mauk ranks fittingly right down the middle of this list. He's capable of spectacular plays that invoke shades of Johnny Manziel, but is just as likely to make a careless decision that haunts his team. After two seasons of leading the Tigers to one victory after another, will Mauk finally put it all together in his junior season?

6) Kyle Allen - Texas A&M Aggies

The former five-star recruit started to blossom at the end of his freshman year after surviving the early Kenny Trill hype train. Allen combined to throw for 808 yards and 11 touchdowns against Auburn, Missouri and West Virginia down the stretch last season. If he can hold off Kyler Murray and retain his starting role, he could put up insane numbers with the weapons at his disposal.

5) Brice Ramsey - Georgia Bulldogs

The Bulldogs won't ask Ramsey to lead the way with Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Keith Marshall and Brendan Douglas in the backfield but rather to keep defenses honest this season. The former four-star recruit possesses the talent necessary to achieve that and more. Expect Georgia to hit a number of teams with the play action pass this season.

4) Jeremy Johnson - Auburn Tigers

The Tigers aren't the only ones expecting big things from Johnson this season, as the junior currently sits at 16-1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy. That may be asking too much for a quarterback that had to beat out Sean White in the spring for the starting job, but all indications suggest Johnson is primed for an excellent season and could find himself at number one on this list when the season comes to a close.

3) Joshua Dobbs - Tennessee Volunteers

During both his seasons in Knoxville, Dobbs has been unexpectedly forced into action while the team attempted to redshirt him. Not this season, as Dobbs has taken control of the offense and is poised to lead the Volunteers back into contention in the East. Dobbs looked particularly good in the bowl game after a month's worth of practice leading up to the game. How good will he look with an offseason's worth of reps?

2) Brandon Allen - Arkansas Razorbacks

Allen posted a very sneaky 20-5 touchdown to interception ratio last season and will look to surpass those numbers in his third season as the starter at Arkansas. If the Hogs continue their momentum from the end of last season, and Allen continues to progress, they could be the team to beat in the SEC this season. Expect the Razorbacks to open at 3-0 before facing A&M, Tennessee and Alabama away from Fayetteville in consecutive weeks.

1) Dak Prescott - Mississippi State Bulldogs

The star of the conference, Prescott helped carry the Bulldogs to 10 wins last season and first Orange Bowl appearance in 70 years. If the spring was an accurate indication, Prescott looks to have improved as a passer and with so many returning receivers, and the addition of JUCO All-American Donald Gray, expect Prescott's numbers to continue to rise after his spectacular breakout season of a year ago.

(h/t Saturday Down South)