2025 SEC Quarterback Projections: Part I

If you’ve read or listen to my stuff, Diego Pavia leading Vanderbilt to their best season in over a decade and the biggest win in school history shouldn’t have registered that much surprise.

Meanwhile Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, Jalen Milroe and Connor Weigman’s various struggles threw us all for a bit of loop. You may have predicted one or two to have a rough season, but if you saw all four taking a step back (for varying reasons), take a bow.

There’s new blood in the league now and the common trait is athleticism and big arms.

A nice sprinkling of emergent superstars and the unproven.

It’s time for a Way Too Early Preview of what the Texas defense and a retooled Longhorn secondary will face at QB in 2025.

We’ll start with the signal callers on Texas’ schedule and in Part 2, we’ll take a look at the broader league.

FLORIDA – DJ LAGWAY

Arch throws bombs.

DJ Lagway throws ICBMs.

The 6-3, 240 pound beast from Willis, TX replaced Graham Mertz and saved Billy Napier’s job (with late seasons wins over Ole Miss, LSU, Tulane) while throwing for 1915 yards at 10 yards per attempt, 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He needs to clean up the turnovers and consistency on gimme throws (most of his turnovers and miscues happened in the short and intermediate game) and if he does, he’ll be a superstar.

Last year, he was an incredible 19 of 36 for 733 yards on deep balls. Hitting < 40% of balls over 20+ yards is very good and he was over 50%, but Lagway averaging 20.4 yards PER ATTEMPT on those balls isn’t something I’ve ever seen. Cannon arm. Deft touch.

Getting him on the ground isn’t fun either.

He will be the most feared deep ball passer in college football.

Gauntlet thrown, Arch!

OKLAHOMA – JOHN MATEER

OU had to make a splash in the portal at QB after blowing their management of the most important position in football.

Wazzou’s John Mateer was the best option available when they made that move. A one man gang at QB, the Little Elm, TX product threw for 3,139 yards and ran for another 826 while accounting for 44 total touchdowns in the running and passing game.

He’s basically a 6-1, 220 pound Diego Pavia and he carried the Cougars on his back all season.

Polish isn’t his thing, but he’s fearless leader. He also threw 63 balls 20+ yards last year. 12 of them went for touchdowns! 6 went for interceptions!

This new brand of SEC QBs is going to be fun.

He’s a really effective college QB who punishes incomplete college defenses with his multifaceted skill set. He also came to Norman with his OC, so there won’t be a learning curve.

Horn fans mocking Mateer are ignorant or non-ball knowers. The thing to mock is his current supporting cast. He left a better group of skill talent at Washington State.

KENTUCKY – CUTTER BOLEY OR ZACH CALZADA

Stoops’ flirtations with A&M had consequences on the field and a patient football fanbase has had it with him. Naturally, he’ll try to rebound with the weakest group of QBs in the SEC.

Cutter Boley actually looked pretty good in spot action against Texas in Austin, but he promptly dropped a 6 of 15 for 48 yards and 2 interception box score on rival Louisville the following week.

That either means Louisville is better than Texas and were wrongfully kept out of the college football playoff or he’s really inconsistent. I’m going to think about it.

Zach Calzada – of Texas A&M (bust), Auburn (bust) and Incarnate Word (killed it!) fame is on to his 3rd SEC program and 4th school overall – and could provide some steady, if unremarkable veteran presence.

I hope he wins the job so I can make a Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda, it’s me…Zach Calzada joke in November.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – BLAKE SHAPEN

I loved what I saw from true freshman Michael Van Buren under difficult circumstances after Blake Shapen went down, but MVB took his talents to LSU (the kid loves humidity and forgiving academics) and now Mississippi State is left only with their returning veteran QB and a 4 star transfer bust from Florida State.

Shapen is competent but the Bulldogs need more weapons and an OL. They just landed Fluff Bothwell, so look out.

VANDERBILT – DIEGO PAVIA

Pavia remains on the Bluto Blutarski graduation plan and will be pursuing a doctorate in Badass Mexicanology NIL online classes.

Pavia is a winner, a legitimate tough guy and a maniac.

I love him.

Unlike some QBs allegedly imbued with winnerness who are coasting on the larger ecosystem, Pavia is the ecosystem. He has an incredible knack for making ballsy high leverage plays in key moments while still protecting the ball.

He’s also racked up over 6700 passing and over 2200 rushing yards in his college career. It’s not all intangibles. It’s tangible production.

GEORGIA – GUNNER STOCKTON

Georgia and Carson Beck parted ways less than amicably, both sides content to put the other in the rear view. Georgia’s receivers were maddening and Bobo isn’t the most creative mind and Beck had become a Instagram diva.

Enter Gunner Stockton.

And Gunner Stockton almost exited there.

Well, we know he can take a shot.

Gunner Stockton will be the man and he should be better after an offseason of development. Whether he’s a game manager or a burgeoning stud who can take over games remains to be seen.

Stetson Bennett started as the former and became the latter.

Georgia could see an interesting offseason identity shift.

ARKANSAS – TAYLEN GREEN

Another SEC opponent, another physical freak high school QB from Texas.

Terrific coverage there, Cowboys.

The Lewisville Farmer did some nice things for the Razorbacks last year (including an incredible Liberty Bowl performance) and he remains one of the better dual threats in college football, but Arkansas had its roster treated like a dollar store this offseason by programs like Ole Miss and Texas.

They paid out to keep Green, but Arkansas is the guy who makes 75K a year hanging out with rich guys trying to figure out how he’s going to pay for the heli-ski trip in Whistler on his Discover card.

TEXAS A&M – MARCEL REED

While it’s true that Heisman frontrunner Marcel Reed (you have to read Aggie boards, y’all – it has begun) scored zero points against the Texas Longhorns in front of the biggest and most amazing crowd ever in the history of sports, he actually did a good job filling in for Connor Weigman after that certain 1st round draft choice was fatally discomfited by shoe magic.

Reed is a quality dual threat with terrific quickness and I thought he showed a lot of poise as a freshman starter pressed into action.

The question is whether he can level up as a passer or if he’ll remain solidly as an irritating but ultimately solvable dual threat.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you noticed a trend of dynamic dual threats, deep ball bombers and some outright freak athletes at the QB position, you were paying attention.

The 2025 season will feature the most athletic group of QBs that Texas has faced…ever?

The Longhorn defense will retool and spend time this Spring and Fall Camp preparing for highly athletic deep-ball enthused QBs.

A fun challenge and a lot of exciting new blood out there.

Part II won’t lack for more of the same.

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