Where Anthony Richardson stands among top 10 SEC QBs in 2022
College football season is less than two months away, and while the mercury continues to rise as we reach the summer doldrums, fanbases around the country are champing at the bit for the return of their gridiron heroes.
One area of the nation where things have been cooking — both on the thermometer and on the field — is in the Southeastern Conference, which took home the national championship last season courtesy of a Georgia Bulldogs win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the title game. While the conference appears to be rather top-heavy at times, the 14-school league is home to some of the best talent in the nation, including the most important position on the field at quarterback.
Heading into the fall, the Gators have anointed Anthony Richardson as the starting signal-caller for the Orange and Blue after splitting time with Emory Jones under center in 2021. Many project the Gainesville native as a first-round pick — even possibly. top-10 selection. There is a lot of football to be played before that is decided, but where does AR-15 stand in comparison to his fellow SEC peers as of now?
The USA TODAY Sports Network is counting down to SEC Media Days, scheduled for July 18-21 in Atlanta, by revealing its top players at each position grouping. Take a look below at who it ranked as the 10 best quarterbacks in the SEC heading into the 2022 season, with blurbs on each player included.
Bryce Young
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
Alabama, junior (160 points, 16 first-place votes)
Young has the unique challenge of trying to become the second player to win the Heisman Trophy twice after a 2021 season in which he threw for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Hendon Hooker
Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel
Tennessee, senior (127 points)
Hooker had the highest passer rating in the SEC last season, and his 31 TDs to three interceptions marked the best ratio in FBS among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts.
Will Levis
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Kentucky, senior (111 points)
Levis ranked eighth in the SEC in total offensive yards per game last season and is now widely projected as a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Stetson Bennett
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia, senior (93 points)
The former walk-on, fourth in the nation in pass efficiency in 2021, will begin his first season as a UGA starter coming off a national title.
KJ Jefferson
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Arkansas, junior (88 points)
Jefferson is a veteran mobile quarterback who led the Razorbacks in rushing yards and was fourth in the league in QBR last season.
Spencer Rattler
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina, junior (87 points)
The former Oklahoma quarterback, who came to South Carolina in January, was a top-five transfer in the portal after passing for more than 4,500 yards and 40 touchdowns in 25 games with the Sooners.
Will Rogers
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Mississippi State, junior (78 points)
Rogers finished fourth in the nation and atop the SEC last season with 364.5 passing yards per game.
Anthony Richardson
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Florida, sophomore (51 points)
Expected to be Florida’s starting quarterback after sharing the role in 2021 with Emory Jones, Richardson is a dynamic dual-threat quarterback with impressive arm strength and breakaway speed in the open field.
Jaxson Dart
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
Ole Miss, sophomore (35 points)
A five-star transfer portal signee from Southern Cal, Dart impressed in limited exposure last year and has some of the finest natural arm talent in college football.
Zach Calzada
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Auburn, sophomore (20 points)
A 56.3% passer last season, Calzada is already popular at Auburn after leading Texas A&M‘s upset of Alabama last season.
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