Where does LSU’s projected starting QB rank among SEC passers?

247Sports’ Brad Crawford ranked Myles Brennan as the No. 11 quarterback in the SEC.

If you know anything about this year’s LSU team, you’re probably aware of the ongoing quarterback competition that appears to have three players vying for the starting job: [autotag]Myles Brennan[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag].

The former two bring a lot more experience to the table, while Nussmeier is a redshirt freshman former blue-chip recruit who has shown flashes despite limited opportunities.

That battle went unresolved during the spring and will likely spill over into fall camp, perhaps even into the season. That fact makes it a little difficult to include an LSU passer in any potential SEC quarterback power rankings, but that didn’t stop 247Sports’ Brad Crawford from trying his hand.

Crawford projects Brennan, a veteran whose last two seasons were marred with separate year-ending injuries, to win the job. As the de facto incumbent, many consider him the favorite to start the season opener against Florida State in New Orleans.

The projection isn’t particularly optimistic for Brennan, however, and Crawford ranks him just 11th among the league’s passers.

2021 statistics: 79-of-131, 1,112 yards, 11 touchdowns, three interceptions

2022 outlook: The odds-on favorite to start for the Tigers is Myles Brennan or Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels, but ask anyone closely-tied to LSU football and they’ll all tell you the same thing this summer — keep an eye on Garrett Nussmeier, who has continued to impress Brian Kelly and the offensive coaches this offseason. Remember, this ranking consists of projected starting quarterbacks, and by the end of the season, it would not be a surprise to see Nussmeier as LSU’s best option at the position.

Note: Brennan’s 2020 stats are mistakenly listed by Crawford as his 2021 stats. Brennan suffered a non-football injury prior to the start of last season and didn’t appear in any games.

Even Crawford entertains the possibility that Brennan isn’t starting by the end of the season, but after no one seized the reigns in spring, penciling him in as the projected Day 1 starter makes sense.

Still, Brennan has shown impressive flashes and was off to a nice start in 2020 before an injury ended his campaign. Other passers on Crawford’s list may be more established, but whoever wins the job in Baton Rouge has the potential to end up much higher on this list.

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Projected starter Zach Calzada ranks near bottom of the SEC

Zach Calzada isn’t getting rave reviews.

This could be a big year for Zach Calzada. After helping the Aggies to an 8-4 record, he comes to the Auburn Tigers. Perhaps they should call it Quarterback Transfer U. Three of the five on scholarship joined over the past two seasons through the portal.

One wouldn’t envy the decision that has to be made during spring football and fall camp ahead of the 2022 season. Most believe it will be Calzada’s job to lose, but don’t forget T.J. Finley was the starter for the final three games after Bo Nix injured his ankle.

According to Athlon Sports, the former Texas A&M transfer quarterback is among the bottom three passers in the SEC.

What Steven Lassan says about Calzada:

This is a tough quarterback competition to project. Calzada started 10 games, led Texas A&M to an upset of Alabama while throwing for 2,185 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2021. However, he’s not guaranteed the starting role after transferring to the Plains. Former LSU signal-caller T.J. Finley threw for 827 yards and six scores last fall, while freshmen Dematrius Davis and Holden Geriner are also in the mix.

There are plenty of quarterbacks in the mix. Athlon didn’t even mention Oregon Ducks transfer, Robby Ashford. He has tremendous upside; he just never saw the field in his two seasons in Eugene. It will not be an easy quarterback battle, but Calzada has the most experience of anyone on campus. He appeared in three games during his freshman season of 2019 throwing for two touchdowns on 24 passes.

Athlon Sports’ Ranking: No. 12

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

According to Lassan, only Brady Cook of Missouri and Ken Seals/Mike Wright of Vanderbilt were lower in their early rankings. Calzada finished 6-4 as a starter for the Aggies and led them to the victory over the Colorado Buffaloes after Haynes King went down with an injury.

Can coach Bryan Harsin help Calzada take the next step after showing signs of promise at Texas A&M?

Last season Calzada finished with an NFL passer rating of 82.2 and a 79.6 passing grade from Pro Football Focus. For comparison, last year’s starter Bo Nix had an NFL passer rating of 88.9 and a 76.6 passing grade.

In his biggest game of the year against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Calzada posted a passer rating of 115.7 and passer grade of 86.4. Perhaps Harsin and offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau can get more of that Calzada in 2022.

SEC QB rankings at regular season’s end: Kyle Trask just means more

Ranking the SEC quarterbacks at the end of the 2020 regular seasons with two Heisman finalists leading the way.

(This post was originally published by Crissy Froyd on LSU Tigers Wire.)

An unprecedented 2020 college football season has finally reached its end in the SEC, and we’ve seen plenty of surprises and shuffling around at quarterback this year.

One of the biggest storylines of the year has been the competition between Florida’s Kyle Trask and Alabama’s Mac Jones vying for the Heisman Trophy.

But it looks as if the honors might not go to a quarterback at all anymore (enter DeVonta Smith, who is coming off a performance with 15 receptions, 189 yards and two touchdowns).

Here’s a look at where each quarterback in the conference stands at regular season’s end.