SEC contingent makes move in latest college football quarterback rankings
Alabama's 20-19 win against Texas showed that quarterback Bryce Young may be the most impactful player in the country.
C.J. Stroud's slow start against Notre Dame was forgotten after he put up his normal numbers in Ohio State's 45-12 win against Arkansas State.
Southern California's offense is averaging 8.6 yards per play, good for second in the Bowl Subdivision, and already rolling behind transfer quarterback Caleb Williams.
As expected in the preseason, this elite threesome has been at the center of attention among quarterbacks. But there are other passers making noise through two weeks, including several from the SEC.
After leading the Bulldogs to the national championship, Georgia's Stetson Bennett has taken his game to another level in a more quarterback-focused scheme. Arkansas' KJ Jefferson has been effective as a passer and runner as the Razorbacks have posted two quality wins. With his team breaking into this week's Top 25, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker may eventually put up numbers that are too good to ignore.
These quarterbacks top the list of the 10 best at the position after Week 2:
1. Bryce Young, Alabama
While he averaged a career-low 5.5 yards per attempt against Texas, Young delivered two early Heisman Trophy moments in the fourth quarter. The first, a twisting, 7-yard touchdown throw to Jahmyr Gibbs, gave Alabama a 17-16 lead. Later in the quarter, Young drove the Crimson Tide 61 yards in 79 seconds to set up the game-winning field goal with seconds left.
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2. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
That sluggish start against Notre Dame was followed by a typical Stroud performance against the Red Wolves. He averaged 14.6 yards per attempt and had four touchdowns, marking the sixth game in his starting career that Stroud has averaged at least 12.3 yards per throw with four or more touchdowns.
3. Caleb Williams, Southern California
The Trojans' defense has been a work in progress, though the group has forced eight turnovers through two games. There are fewer questions about the state of an offense that has been terrific behind Williams, who ranks second nationally in completion percentage (79.6%) and quarterback efficiency (222.1) after tossing four touchdowns in Saturday's win against Stanford.
4. Stetson Bennett, Georgia
Georgia kicks off SEC play this weekend against South Carolina but doesn't play a true conference contender until the rivalry with Florida on Oct. 29, so Bennett should continue to put up the numbers necessary to factor into the Heisman race. While he's yet to attempt a pass in the fourth quarter, the senior has gone for at least 300 yards in his first two games with three touchdowns and no turnovers.
5. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Jefferson's production and Arkansas' very impressive start moves him into the top five. After accounting for 279 yards of offense in the win against Cincinnati to start the month, Jefferson completed 85.7% of his passes with two scores as the Razorbacks began conference play by beating South Carolina.
6. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Hooker's been as good as expected through Tennessee's unbeaten start, continuing a run of productive play dating to at least the midpoint of last season. Beginning with a loss to Alabama on Oct. 23, the former Virginia Tech transfer has thrown 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions as the Volunteers have gone 5-3 with two wins against ranked competition.
7. Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
After missing the season opener, Hartman returned against Vanderbilt and picked up right where he left off last season: 300 yards on 66.7% passing with four touchdowns and no turnovers. With Hartman back under center, Wake should be seen as one of the top teams in the ACC and a very strong contender for a division championship and New Year's Six berth.
8. Jaren Hall, Brigham Young
Hall had 261 yards passing and a touchdown in a 26-20 overtime win against Baylor that sets up BYU for a special season. Up next, the Cougars take on Oregon in another key matchup against a Top 25 opponent. Hall's been quite good in games against the Power Five, with 14 touchdowns against four interceptions in eight such matchups since the start of last season.
9. Frank Harris, Texas-San Antonio
After coming up just short against Houston in the opener, UTSA came back from a 28-14 deficit and beat Army 41-38 in overtime. For the first time in his career, Harris has thrown for at least 300 yards and had three or more touchdowns in back-to-back games.
10. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
McCarthy has started just one of Michigan's two games, though he did steal the show from last year's starter, Cade McNamara, in the season opener against Colorado State. He was nearly flawless as the Wolverines rolled over Hawaii, hitting on 11 of his 12 throws for 229 yards and three scores to earn the nod as the starter for at least this weekend's game against Connecticut.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football quarterback rankings have SEC contenders moving up
