Ranking the SEC’s top 10 backup quarterbacks (off-season article)

quote:

---

10. DAKEREON JOYNER, SOUTH CAROLINA

---

quote:

---

Joyner is a tough rank on this list for a variety of reasons. For starters, there’s such a small sample size because he only played one game to preserve his redshirt as a true freshman. And now, after just one year in Columbia, the former Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina is taking a bit of a back seat to the Ryan Hilinski hype train.

Joyner was adamant after the spring game that he’s not changing positions, and I don’t blame him. The intermediate passing isn’t there yet with Joyner — he’s not afraid to throw the deep ball — but he can make plays when things break down and I think he could be a factor in Bryan McClendon’s system. I believe there’s still potential for him as a quarterback, and Will Muschamp could too if he leaves the backup battle open into the season.

---

quote:

---

9. ZACH CALZADA, TEXAS A&M

---

quote:

---

After watching Calzada impress in the spring game, I get all the buzz about the early enrollee. He has a strong arm, he looks poised in the pocket and he keeps his eyes downfield. The Aggies knew how important it was to fend off Georgia late in the recruiting cycle.

The interesting thing about Calzada is that with Kellen Mond entrenched as the starter, the redshirt is likely in play. But Jimbo Fisher might split second-string reps with Calzada, redshirt freshman James Foster and Connor Blumrick, and all of them could see action in A&M blowout wins. But there seems to be some increasing momentum that Calzada would be the next man up if Mond suffered a serious injury.

---

quote:

---

8. STETSON BENNETT, IV, GEORGIA

---

quote:

---

Nope. Zero chance. No way, no how.

Before the spring game, I would not have had Bennett — the former UGA walk-on who earned a scholarship after spending last year at JUCO — on this list. But watching some of the throws he made and seeing the way his teammates talked about him, Georgia’s backup plan doesn’t look like the disaster some forecasted after Justin Fields transferred. There was also a nice late touchdown strike to Jeremiah Holloman, which showed off some nice ability to step up in the pocket and fit the ball into a tight window.

Bennett put up solid numbers last year, albeit at Jones Junior College (No. 12 nationally with 1,840 passing yards and 16 touchdowns). Georgia fans have come to appreciate Bennett, who was valuable as a scout team player back in 2017. Will they breathe easy if Fromm goes down? No, but they might not panic quite as much as they once thought.

---

quote:

---

7. KYLE TRASK, FLORIDA

---

quote:

---

Last year, I argued that Trask was going to be Florida’s opening day starter. Whoops. But in my defense, if Trask doesn’t break his foot in the middle of the 2018 season, we could have been talking about him as Florida’s 2019 opening day starter. He gave himself a chance in that Mizzou game with how well he executed Dan Mullen’s offense in relief of Feleipe Franks, which was why I thought he could have been the guy at the start of last year.

As of right now, Mullen said that nobody is locked into any specific role and that it’s an open competition. Let’s be honest. Franks is the starter and Trask will have a chance to compete with Emory Jones for the backup job. Do I have more faith that Jones can do more things in Mullen’s system than Trask? Yeah, but would I be OK with Trask coming into a ball game if Franks went down? Absolutely.

---

quote:

---

6. MYLES BRENNAN, LSU

---

quote:

---

I know. The weight gain struggle is real. To Brennan’s credit, he has put on some needed bulk in the event that Joe Burrow goes down and he needs to be able to survive taking hits against SEC defenses. That’s been the biggest hurdle of Brennan’s career, which took a different turn last year with the addition of Burrow and the mid-season injury. Entering his third year in Baton Rouge, Brennan might actually be a more impressive passer than Burrow. We saw that in the spring game:

Don’t get me wrong. I’m still much higher on Burrow because of the accuracy (his adjusted completion percentage was 70.8%), the rushing ability, the durability and the leadership. But I think Brennan won a lot of LSU fans back with the work he put in this spring

---

quote:

---

5. RYAN HILINSKI, SOUTH CAROLINA

---

quote:

---

Before you tell me I’m getting ahead of myself and basing this all on hype, hear me out. We know that the former U.S. Army All-American has the talent. He can make anticipation throws and he can hit receivers in stride on deep balls like a seasoned vet. We saw him look like that in the spring game, which only accelerated the hype train. When we’re talking about being a backup thrust into the starting role, the mental aspect is so important. That’s where Hilinski checks all the boxes.

He played in a high school conference loaded with talent, so the learning curve while still steep, won’t be quite as drastic as it is for most true freshmen. And based on everything you hear and see from Hilinski, the maturity is off the charts. He becomes the most well-liked guy in the room and he embraces the spotlight. All eyes are on him in South Carolina and if Jake Bentley gets hurt or the season gets off to a rough start, Hilinski is well-equipped to step up and take the starting job if needed.

---

quote:

---

4. BO NIX, AUBURN

Hold up. Isn’t Nix going to be the starter? He could be, but I’m predicting Joey Gatewood will take the first snap against Oregon. But like Hilinski, Nix has only added to the buzz after stepping on campus as the program’s most decorated quarterback recruit in recent memory. His wheels are special, and his ability to make throws outside of the pocket are certainly impressive.

My reservation with projecting Nix as the starter is that I think Gus Malzahn wants to bring him along a little slower to learn his rather complicated offense. There are still reads he needs to learn how to make at the line of scrimmage and when plays break down. Nix does have a little of the Johnny Manziel/Brett Favre gunslinger confidence, and it probably won’t be too long before we see that on display in an actual game.

---

quote:

---

3. EMORY JONES, FLORIDA

---

quote:

---

First-year redshirt while gaining the most experience possible in Dan Mullen’s system? Check. Impressive spring that has Gators fans more excited for the future than ever? Check.

Jones looks like an improved player in Year 2, and it could be why Mullen hasn’t outright named a starter, though it’d be stunning to see Franks not get the first reps. Jones doesn’t have Franks’ arm, but he isn’t necessarily limited by anything in Mullen’s system. Jones can fit balls into the large windows that Mullen schemes, he can hit receivers in stride and he can extend/make plays with his legs.

And if you’re under the impression that Jones can’t stretch the field, think again:

Mullen tried to bring Jones along slowly even when pressure mounted during Franks’ roller-coaster start. This year? I think Mullen would have a much quicker trigger to let Jones take over if needed.

---