The Southeastern Conference is going through a championship drought, the kind of lull the football league last endured more than two decades ago.
Not only has the SEC watched a Big Ten team hoist the College Football Playoff trophy each of the last three years, the once-seemingly unmatched powerhouse hasn’t even played in the title game since Georgia closed out the 2022 season with a crown.
Reason to panic? Cause for concern? It might be more of a head-scratching fluke than an eye-opening fade.
The last time the SEC went three consecutive years without a national title was 1999-2002, when Florida State, Oklahoma (then in the Big 12), Miami (then in the Big East) and Ohio State won the Bowl Championship Series. The SEC didn’t make any of those title games, either.
But the league responded by winning 14 of the next 17 national championships, building a reputation as having the fastest players in the league and dominating in the trenches. Oh, and quarterbacks mattered (see: Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Mac Jones).
If the SEC is going to end its current skid, quarterback play surely will be key.
“Too often the storyline is always the quarterback, the quarterback, the quarterback,” new Florida coach Jon Sumrall said. “Well, I’m pretty damn worried about who the right tackle is and who the left tackle is. Those decisions are as important, to be quite honest with you, because they’re protecting the quarterback.”
Nonetheless, here’s a look at how the league stands at the all-important QB position following spring practice:
Nearly half the SEC has a returning starter at QB
Six teams have returning starters, including five of the top seven favorites to win the league. Oddsmakers list Arch Manning (plus-750) of Texas and Trinidad Chambliss (plus-900) of Ole Miss as two of top three preseason Heisman Trophy favorites.
Road losses at Ohio State, Florida and Georgia last year kept Manning and the Longhorns out of the College Football Playoff. But Manning was at his best down the stretch, with 15 touchdown passes, five more rushing, two interceptions and seven wins in his final eight games.
Chambliss is back after winning a court battle to gain a sixth year of eligibility and he gives the Rebels a chance — even without coach Lane Kiffin — to get back to the CFP. The Ferris State transfer accounted for 30 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 2025.
“It’s been crazy. It’s been hectic,” Chambliss said. “But I’m present now, and that’s what matters.”
Others returning starters: John Mateer (Oklahoma), Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) and Gunner Stockton (Georgia).
Several teams have big-name transfers taking over
Kiffin landed at LSU and then signed the top quarterback in the transfer portal, Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt. Leavitt skipped most of spring while recovering from foot surgery but is expected to be full speed by training camp to help Kiffin revitalize the league’s worst offense in 2025.
Auburn, Kentucky and Missouri also signed plug-and-play starters from the portal. New Auburn coach Alex Golesh brought Byrum Brown with him from South Florida, new Kentucky coach Will Stein turned to Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey and Missouri went with Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons.
Simmons was the presumptive favorite to win the job before spring, and coach Eli Drinkwitz needed three weeks to make it official.
“The sooner we could name him the starter, the more our team could grow around him, rally around him, and his leadership attributes could really become prevalent to the team,” Drinkwitz said.
Open competitions remain for everyone else
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt are varying degrees of unsettled under center.
At Alabama, Keelon Russell appears to have the edge over Austin Mack. At Arkansas, KJ Jackson got some experience late last season, but AJ Hill followed new coach Ryan Silverfield from Memphis and knows the offense. A similar scenario exists for Sumrall at Florida, with Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo following offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to Gainesville. Philo seems to be ahead of returner Tramell Jones Jr., who flashed in the team’s spring game.
Other competitions: Kamario Taylor and Blake Shapen at Mississippi State; George MacIntyre and highly touted Faizon Brandon at Tennessee; and five-star signee Jared Curtis and veteran Blaze Berlowitz at Vanderbilt.
“I’m not going to make a quarterback decision, and my goal is for each of these guys to be positioned to compete at the highest level in the fall,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said. “They’ve all had flashes of performance, and they all bring to the table things that can help us win. But we need to take the time to make sure we’ve seen this super clearly so that we best position our team to have success.”