SEC quarterbacks fade from Heisman front-runners to Heisman afterthoughts during league play

Published Oct. 23, 2024 11:42 a.m. ET

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Southeastern Conference quarterbacks may have played themselves out of the Heisman Trophy race for now.

Well, maybe not Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia. But he could be next.

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe has more interceptions than touchdown passes in four league games. Georgia’s Carson Beck has leveled off against SEC competition, getting picked off eight times in his last four outings, including three at Alabama and three more at Texas last week.

Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier also have cooled considerably since conference games began.

Missouri’s Brady Cook is the lone SEC starter without an interception in league play, but his completion percentage has dipped nearly 20 points heading into Saturday’s test at No. 15 Alabama.

No one should be surprised considering the powerhouse SEC has been known more for its stout defenses for decades. But four of the past five Heisman winners — LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels (2023), Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (2021), Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith (2020) and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (2019) — came from the SEC.

Now, though, it looks like a long shot for any SEC player to even land an invitation to the Downtown Athletic Club in early December. The last time that happened was in 2017.

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Beck, Ewers and Milroe were the preseason Heisman favorites. Their recent turnover-laden performances have left them outside the top five, now trailing Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Not surprisingly, SEC coaches are defending their QBs.

“In Jalen’s case, I know how he takes it all on himself,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. “But there’s other things that we can all do to help support him and keep him from being in those tough spots. … We need to come through and help him a little bit more, too. And just like you’d guess, he can continue to improve as well.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was even more protective of Beck.

“He had probably eight or nine drops,” Smart said. “And that’s hard on the quarterback psychologically. When you start a game and you have drops, sometimes it affects you. I’m not saying he played perfect. … I think he played pretty good. But everybody will look at stats and everybody will look at other things and they’ll have things to say, and we’ll keep on playing with Carson Beck.”

No one suggested benching Beck. Oklahoma and Texas can’t say the same about their starters.

The Sooners already switched from sophomore Jackson Arnold to freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. and now back to Arnold. They also fired play-caller Seth Littrell this week amid the team’s offensive struggles.

The Longhorns briefly benched Ewers during a sluggish start against Georgia and have highly touted Arch Manning patiently waiting his turn.

Ewers, a third-year starter who led Texas to the College Football Playoff last season, hasn’t looked the same since a strained abdomen sidelined him for 2 ½ games.

“It’s there a little bit, but I think that’s just how injuries go,” Ewers said after losing to Georgia. “You’re going to feel it, whether it’s just my mind thinking about it too much or it’s just there a little bit. It’s not a big issue or anything.”

Ewers has thrown for 410 yards, with three TDs and two INTs, in two SEC games.

“We have confidence and belief in him,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I think he’s going to come out and play really good football for us here in the second half of the season.”

Most of the SEC’s starting QBs are looking for similar, second-half surges. Just six weeks ago, Milroe, Dart, Beck, Iamaleava, Ewers and Nussmeier were considered among the top-10 betting favorites for the Heisman.

Even more recently, Dart, Milroe and Iamaleava had single-digit odds. They’ve since faded into Heisman afterthoughts.

Pavia, meanwhile, has yet to crack any Heisman lists. But the unlikely hero from Vanderbilt’s epic upset of Alabama is now playing for a ranked team – the Commodores are No. 25 in the latest AP college football poll – and could find himself in the postseason award mix if he beats No. 5 Texas, eighth-ranked LSU and No. 7 Tennessee down the stretch.

“Every time I step on the field, I feel like I’m the best player on the field — every single time,” Pavia said.

It's about how all his QB counterparts felt before league play began.

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AP Sports Writers Brett Martel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Charles Odum in Athens, Georgia, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, and John Zenor in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, contributed.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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