Ranking the Top 8 first-year SEC quarterbacks entering 2026 college football season – On3

The SEC is chock full of brand new faces at the quarterback position this season. Josh Pate took time on Thursday night’s show to rank the top-eight new arms in the conference.
The list includes two quarterback battles, some incoming transfers, backups from last season, and the top-quarterback recruit in the Class of 2026. Surprisingly, the list is headed by the winner of the Alabama quarterback battle, whoever that may be.
Pate’s full list, from 1-8, is below.
In a bit of a surprise, Pate has selected the winner of the Alabama quarterback battle to be the No. 1 ranked first-year quarterback in the SEC next season. It will either be Keelon Russell or Austin Mack, both of which backed up Ty Simpson last season. Russell has played in just two career games, while Mack has played in five career games. In total, the two quarterbacks boast 410 combined career passing yards and five career passing touchdowns.
“I think the Alabama quarterback situation, I’m actually ranking number one,” Pate said. “I’m pretty high on whoever comes out of this quarterback battle. It could be Austin Mack or Keelon Russell. Whoever it is, I expect Alabama to be plus at the quarterback position this year. All quarterback battles are not created equally. I have tentatively picked Keelon Russell, but either one of them is greatly going to enhance Alabama’s RPI game.”
USF transfer quarterback Byrum Brown was one of the most sought after players in the Transfer Portal this offseason before following former head coach Alex Golesh to Auburn. Brown excelled for the Bulls last season, leading them to a 9-3 regular season record with 3,158 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. The Brown-Golesh duo are looking to lead Auburn back to double-digit wins in a season for the first time since 2017.
“The next [quarterback] I’m going with is Byrum Brown at Auburn,” Pate said. “Byrum Brown has played in like 9,000 games, so we know Byrum Brown. Alex Golesh, who had him at USF, brought him with him to Auburn, along with a lot of his supporting cast. There’s a lot of guys he has familiarity with, so he’s not having to learn a lot new. He’s playing at a higher-level, but they played a lot of high level teams at USF. It won’t be cold water to the face. I think he’s going to be good, and the experience level matters.”
Aaron Philo, who backed up Haynes King at Georgia Tech last season, is poised to be the first starting quarterback of the Jon Sumrall era at Florida. Philo appeared in just two games last season, compiling 373 passing yards and one passing touchdown. The Gators are desperately seeking a return to relevance, and will be leaning on the Philo-Sumrall duo to lead them there in year one of the post-Billy Napier era.
“Now where do we go next? I flipped a coin and it landed on Aaron Philo,” Pate said. “Down at Florida, they tried the import the quarterback and offensive coordinator (Buster Faulkner) in a combo-package type situation. It worked for Vanderbilt and it worked for Utah… why not take a stab at it. The surrounding and supporting cast here matters a whole lot. He walks in there and gets one of the best wide receiver rooms, along with Jadan Baugh at tailback.”
We all know the story of Austin Simmons. Simmons beat out Trinidad Chambliss as Ole Miss‘ starting quarterback last season, but was injured early in the year against Kentucky. Chambliss took over and led the Rebels to the Playoff, and the rest was history. Well, Simmons is now at Missouri, playing under head coach Eli Drinkwitz. He’ll look to keep the Tigers’ hot-streak going, as they seek their fourth consecutive season with eight-plus wins.
“Lane (Kiffin) picked (Austin Simmons) to start for him at Ole Miss. He goes down, and Trinidad Chambliss happened and that’s the last you heard of Simmons,” Pate said. “Well, he transferred to Missouri and he’s theoretically still the player Lane chose to start for them last year. Arm, talent, got some experience at least. I like that. I’m betting on him realizing his talent this year.”
Notre Dame transfer quarterback Kenny Minchey is poised to be the first starting quarterback of the Will Stein era at Kentucky. Minchey was narrowly beat out by CJ Carr for the starting job last season in South Bend, and ended up spending the season as a backup instead. Now, the Hendersonville, TN native will have a chance to shine in Lexington.
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“Kenny Minchey, if you believe the reports, pushed CJ Carr to the limit in that battle for the Notre Dame quarterback job last year,” Pate said. “And then, CJ Carr won it and after the season, Minchey transferred to Nebraska. Well, he didn’t, he just briefly said the name Nebraska and then said he’s going to Kentucky. Will Stein took the job at Kentucky and got his quarterback. Will Stein has handled Portal quarterbacks well in the past.”
Whoever wins the Tennessee quarterback battle, between George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon, is tabbed at No. 6 here by Pate. Brandon was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2026, while MacIntyre has game experience from last season. Volunteer fans across the country are hoping from strong play from whoever wins the battle, as they seek a return to the CFP.
“The Tennessee quarterback situation is very uncertain,” Pate said. “There are two big battles going on in the SEC. We talked Alabama, and there’s a QB battle at Tennessee as well between George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon. Faizon Brandon is widely regarded as the future of the program, but he’s a true freshman. Is he gonna lock down the job? Either way, the reason I put their situation all the way down at No. 6 is because I don’t think the Tennessee quarterback position is going to be high impact for them this year.”
Fresh off its best season in program history, Vanderbilt will likely be starting true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis in 2026. Curtis was the No. 3 ranked recruit in the Class of 2026, and will be looking to fill the shoes of Heisman finalist Diego Pavia. Under head coach Clark Lea, the Commodores are seeking back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in program history.
“What about Jared Curtis? That’s the true freshman, who committed to Georgia and decommited because he realized he could start at Vanderbilt right away,” Pate said. “While this has not been technically decided, I am announcing it for Clark (Lea). This is unofficial, but I think he’s starting there. He’s going to be a true freshman starting games in the SEC, and that means I can’t possibly know anything.”
Finally, Arkansas‘ KJ Jackson lands at No. 8 on Pate’s list. Jackson will be the first starting quarterback of the Ryan Silverfield era, as the Razorbacks look to begin their road back to national relevance. Jackson appeared in five games last season in relief of Taylen Green, passing for 441 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
“KJ Jackson at Arkansas… it’s just a restart,” Pate said. “I put KJ Jackson, and it could be AJ Hill, but we’re guessing KJ Jackson. This is the year one churn of Silverfield coming in. Top-three pass catcher is gone, and there’s a lot gone defensively, so they’re going to have to score a lot. It’s just kind of not a total rebuild, but close to that at Arkansas.”
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