ESPN's Pete Thamel broke the news Thursday that the NCAA denied Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' eligibility appeal for one more season of college football.
With Chambliss opening up the top spot as the best QB1 in the SEC, plus Transfer Portal chaos settled and Tennessee dealing with its own eligibility fight at the position, there's been some shuffling for where every prospective SEC starting quarterback for 2026 rank among each other, with Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer near the top after retuning for Year 2 in Norman.
Power ranking 2026 SEC quarterbacks post-Transfer Portal
Josh Heupel has the worst QB situation in the SEC with Joey Aguilar likely losing his battle with the NCAA for another year of eligibility. With the Transfer Portal drained and no spring window this year, the Volunteers will be left with George MacIntyre, who has thrown nine passes in two appearances as a freshman backup last season. The fact Tennessee has fought so hard to get Aguilar back reveals Heupel doesn't believe MacIntyre is ready to take the reigns yet.
DJ Lagway left for Baylor after struggling in 2025, but new Florida coach Jon Sumrall didn't make an upgrade at the position with Aaron Philo, who just transferred to Florida after being Georgia Tech's backup.
With no Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss will likely be forced to turn to Auburn transfer Deuce Knight. Knight couldn't beat out Jackson Arnold to be the Tigers' QB1 in 2025. Enough said.
As a former consensus four-star recruit, we still don't really know what Kenny Minchey can do after little opportunity in three years at Notre Dame. However, there was obviously a reason Minchey didn't see the field much and didn't get the starting job in 2025 over freshman CJ Carr, who wasn't anything spectacular against lackluster competition.
KJ Jackson has started one game in Arkansas' 2025 regular-season finale against Missouri. He completed 33 of 54 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns. It's a small sample size and he's now in a different system with a new coach, but even that preview was enough to put Jackson ahead of those below him.
This seems high for a player who hasn't taken a college snap yet, but if his last name was Manning, national media would already be putting Jared Curtis at the top of this list as a five-star prospect and top-3 QB in the 2026 class. Although he lacks experience and is the biggest unknown, Curtis could have the highest ceiling.
Kamario Taylor made two starts in 2025 as a true freshman and was named SEC Freshman of the Week after both performances. If that's any sign of what's to come, then even No. 10 would be too low.
Byrum Brown followed his coach from South Florida to Auburn this offseason. Although he was usually great there, it wasn't the SEC, and OU fans know after watching John Mateer in Ben Arbuckle's familiar system against SEC defenses for the first time that it's not a smooth transition.
There will be a QB battle in Alabama between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, but it was Mack who came in when Ty Simpson was injured in the blowout against Indiana in the College Football Playoff. Russell, though, was a consensus five-star recruit in 2025. Whoever it is, the Crimson Tide, even under Kalen DeBoer, never have much of a drop-off at quarterback.
After a dramatic recruiting process, Lane Kiffin got his QB1 with Sam Leavitt, who transferred from Arizona State after starting for the Sun Devils the past two seasons. Leavitt was one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12, but that's not the SEC. However, Leavitt has the monster benefit of playing in Kiffin's system, so putting Leavitt outside the top 3 could look like a dumb decision by October.
Speaking of Trinidad Chambliss, Austin Simmons backed him up most of last season at Ole Miss. However, Simmons beat Chambliss in a preseason position battle and didn't lose the starting job until getting injured, so there's obviously something there. Simmons, though, did throw two interceptions in both of his starts and will no longer be in Lane Kiffin's offense, so it's still worth being hesitant.
With the top 4 passers from the SEC last season gone, Marcel Reed returns as the SEC's leading passer with 3,169 yards after leading the Aggies to the College Football Playoff. Reed wasn't necessarily incredible, but there's little reason to knock what he's already accomplished.
South Carolina was bad in 2025, but that doesn't mean LaNorris Sellers was. Based on just pure QB ability, Sellers belongs this high, but, unfortunately, his stats and record in 2026 likely won't show that as his supporting cast drags him down.
John Mateer didn't live up to the hype after getting to Oklahoma last year as the top quarterback in the Transfer Portal, but it's still hard to argue he doesn't belong in the top 3 compared to his SEC counterparts. Mateer will be much improved in Year 2 with the Sooners and will have more weapons, and he will also be healthy after breaking a bone in his throwing hand early last season.
In his first season leading Georgia, Gunner Stockton led the Bulldogs to an SEC championship and the College Football Playoff while throwing for 2,894 yards and 24 TDs with five interceptions. He also rushed for 462 yards and another 10 scores. Stockton is a steady hand entering Year 2 as a starter with no reason to doubt him.
The Arch Manning hype is disgusting and it's already started again. But he is the best QB in the SEC heading into 2026.
After struggling early on, Manning found a groove and finished his first season as a starter with 3,163 passing yards and 26 TDs with seven picks, plus 399 rushings yards and 10 scores. In Year 2, he has more experience, a better offensive line and maybe the best receiver in the country with Cam Coleman.