Tag: quarterback ranking

Where KJ Jefferson checks in in the national quarterback rankings

Yeah, you could say the respect is now there for KJ Jefferson considering this quarterback ranking.

Quarterback is, undoubtedly, the most important position in football. Perhaps in all organized team sports. Among the teams in Football Bowl Subdivision, the most elite ones have elite quarterbacks.

Think about it. When is the last time a team short on truly big-time quarterback play had a legitimate shot at a national championship?

That’s the case again this year. The best quarterbacks play on the best teams. Or, rather, it’s more accurate to say the teams have the best quarterbacks.

Among those is Arkansas and signal-caller KJ Jefferson, whose sophomore season broke him out, but his junior season, so far, has made him a true star.

So much so, in fact, Jefferson is considered one of the five best quarterbacks in the country. Let’s take a look at who is ahead of and behind him in the Top 10 per Paul Myerberg at USA TODAY Sports.

Max Johnson is a top four quarterback in the SEC per 247Sports

According to Brad Crawford of 247Sports, LSU Tigers QB Max Johnson is a top-four passer in the SEC.

Just days away from the start of the college football season for the SEC. LSU travels to Pasadena for a showdown with UCLA. This season will be about how Max Johnson performs in 2021. If he struggles we could see Garrett Nussmeier, but the quarterback battle in 2022 could be intense when top 2022 recruit Walker Howard gets into the mix.

Before all of that, it will be one Saturday at a time. Looking at Johnson, he is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. On Saturday, the south paw will get his third career start after going 2-0 to close out 2020.

In the SEC hierarchy of quarterbacks, it begins and ends with Ole Miss passer Matt Corral. The top NFL draft prospect in the conference at quarterback. Brad Crawford of 247Sports began his rankings there with Corral as the No. 1 overall QB in the SEC. Just behind Corral is Georgia quarterback JT Daniels. Then the rankings began to get interesting.

Alabama’s Bryce Young comes in at No. 3 behind Corral and Daniels, then we have LSU Tiger gunslinger Max Johnson at No. 4 according to Crawford.

Based on what I’ve gathered from those close to the program, there may not be a quarterback who has made bigger strides in terms of development during the offseason than Max Johnson at LSU. He was competing with Myles Brennan for QB1 honors before Ed Orgeron’s job was made easy after an injury to Brennan. The son of a former NFL quarterback, Johnson is ready for his opportunity. Johnson led the Tigers to back to back wins over Florida and Ole Miss after he was thrust into action as the starter last season, throwing for 674 yards and six touchdowns against two out-manned secondaries.

The interesting nugget here is that Young, Johnson, Emory Jones of Florida, and Haynes King of Texas A&M are in the top six. All the young guns ahead of Auburn’s Bo Nix at No. 7.

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The full SEC rankings according to Crawford:

  1. Matt Corral, Ole Miss
  2. JT Daniels, Georgia
  3. Bryce Young, Alabama
  4. Max Johnson, LSU
  5. Emory Jones, Florida
  6. Haynes King, Texas A&M
  7. Bo Nix, Auburn
  8. Connor Bazelak, Missouri
  9. Will Levis, Kentucky
  10. Joe Milton, Tennessee
  11. Will Rogers, Mississippi State
  12. Luke Doty, South Carolina
  13. Ken Seals, Vanderbilt
  14. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas

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