SEC Football: Josh Pate ranks Top 10 quarterbacks heading into 2026 season

In the SEC, quarterbacks are likely to dominate the conversation with some big names returning and entering the league. With the 2026 college football season approaching, Josh Pate revealed his Top 10 players at the position. Pate noted the difficulty with some decisions on the list, particularly farther down his rankings. However, he sounded confident about which quarterbacks would be at the top, although there’s an interesting wrinkle in the middle. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage The 2026 season features plenty of excitement about quarterback play across the country, but the SEC is sure to be front and center. Here are Pate’s Top 10 quarterbacks in the conference, as he broke down on Josh Pate’s College Football Show. 10. Austin Simmons, Missouri After entering 2025 as Ole Miss’ starter, Austin Simmons eventually found himself behind Trinidad Chambliss on the two-deep. He then entered the transfer portal and committed to Missouri, where he’ll take over Eli Drinkwitz’s offense. Simmons suffered an ankle injury early in the year last season, but still threw for 744 yards and four touchdowns, to five interceptions, in eight games. He also checks in at No. 10 in Josh Pate’s SEC quarterback rankings, and he said the decision comes down to Simmons’ upside. “The tools are there,” Pate said. “I will say this, too, I wasn’t shocked to see him struggle a little bit early last year. Not everyone is fired out of a cannon at this position. Some guys – Arch Manning is one of them – it takes some time. So now, he’s another year in. I love that he’s playing under Drink. … Austin Simmons could still be a really really high level player in this league. But we’re banking more on potential here.” 9. Byrum Brown, Auburn While playing for Alex Golesh at USF, Byrum Brown shined when healthy. He had another huge year in 2025 and will now look to repeat that success on The Plains while he reunites with Golesh at Auburn in 2026. Brown cemented himself as a true dual-threat as he threw for 3,158 yards and 28 touchdowns while running for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. Of course, he’s now taking a step up in competition, but Josh Pate thinks he’ll handle the transition well. “The transition to higher level college football is really the only thing that you could question here because Byrum Brown – 6-3, 235 – he’s played several games at South Florida against P4 competition and he scaled his game,” Pate said. “He scaled his production pretty well. … This is not a transfer portal situation in that he’s just leaving USF head coach, center, offensive coordinator. Like, this in the entire system came with him. So, he may have to acclimate to new restaurants and dorm rooms and stuff like that. But he’s not acclimating to a new system.” 8. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M Entering 2025, Marcel Reed looked to take a leap after seizing the Texas A&M starting quarterback job. Josh Pate has him as the No. 8 quarterback in the SEC heading into 2026, though, but there’s a reason for that. Pate said Reed needs to find a bit more consistency, though he noted he could have been at No. 4 in the rankings. Reed threw for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns last year, to 12 interceptions, and ran for six touchdowns. “I had the hardest time with Marcel Reed because I could put him as high as four,” Pate said. “I put him at eight because I don’t have a problem buying the highs. I really, really need the consistency piece. … He made a good jump from ’24 to ’25. If he does that again this year, yeah, he’ll probably be better than the eighth best quarterback in the SEC.” 7. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina A rough year for South Carolina in 2025 was also an up-and-down go for LaNorris Sellers. His talent is still apparent, though, which is why he ranks No. 7 in Josh Pate’s SEC quarterback rankings heading into the 2026 season. Sellers threw for 2,437 yards and 13 touchdowns, to eight interceptions, last year as South Carolina struggled. But Pate is all-in on the pairing with new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who could help take some off Sellers’ plate and allow him to flourish in the process. “You listen to Shane Beamer talk about the process of hiring Kendal Briles and how how involved LaNorris Sellers’ input was on that, I’m a believer in it,” Pate said. “I’m a believer that this year that could yield a lot of production maybe above and beyond what people expect. … LaNorris Sellers is an incredible athlete. He’s a phenomenal athlete. We don’t need to sell people on that. We just need to sell people on the idea that it’s not going to be you turning on a South Carolina game and saying, ‘Well, he’s got to throw his cape on again.’ That’s their only shot. It shouldn’t be like that. 6. Keelon Russell or Austin Mack, Alabama Josh Pate’s SEC quarterback rankings have a twist at No. 6 this year. He has Alabama’s quarterback in that spot – whether it’s Keelon Russell or Austin Mack after the Crimson Tide’s competition comes to an end. Russell and Mack are squaring off in perhaps the biggest quarterback battle in the country this year. Regardless of who wins, though, Pate said he’s confident in Kalen DeBoer to maximize either player’s potential. He then made his pick to win the job, whether it’s in camp or during the year. “I am a believer Keelon Russell will ultimately win this job, but ‘ultimately’ may mean sometime into the season,” Pate said. “But I think that even if it’s Austin Mack, Kalen DeBoer will max out his quarterback’s potential. He always has and he will continue to do that. And either one of them, I trust to play at a high level. I don’t even think quarterback’s the big question at Alabama right now. … If they can run the ball decently, then the physical skill set, especially with Keelon Russell, long-term is off the charts.” 5. Sam Leavitt, LSU A newcomer sits at No. 5 in Josh Pate’s SEC quarterback rankings. Even though he missed spring practice while recovering from foot surgery, Sam Leavitt continues to generate buzz ahead of Lane Kiffin’s debut season at LSU. Leavitt was the crown jewel of the Tigers’ transfer portal class and had a breakout year in 2024 when he was fully healthy. If he can play at that level again, coupled with the playmakers in Baton Rouge, Pate sees a high ceiling for LSU. “If he’s healthy, I feel good putting him at No. 5,” Pate said. “Legit dual-threat athleticism. I look more towards 2024 than 2025 to try and somewhat figure out what to expect this year. But he’s good thrown on the move, too. And when you got Trey’Dez Green down there and you’ve got a lot of wide receivers that may not be household names yet, but certainly one of two of whom will emerge at some point this year, I think it all bleeds into a high functioning offense.” 4. Gunner Stockton, Georgia In his first year as Georgia’s starting quarterback, Gunner Stockton steadily improved. He showed his ability with both his arm and his legs as he finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting after taking over under center. Stockton threw for 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns, to five interceptions, while running for 462 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Because of his floor, according to Josh Pate, he ranks as a Top-5 quarterback in the SEC – especially if the weapons around him emerge. “Ironically, I feel as safe putting him here as I do any quarterback because I know that even if you don’t think he has the ceiling of being the best quarterback in this league, certainly the floor is very high,” Pate said. “And he’s good in big spots, too. … So he’s back. I mean, you don’t get worse the more you play. I just need his wide receiver room to step up. That’s what I really need. I need some guys to emerge there where it doesn’t just fall on him to scramble and put his face in the fan, which he absolutely will. But I would love for maybe just some of the workload to be taken off his shoulders.” 3. John Mateer, Oklahoma Prior to a thumb injury in 2025, John Mateer was a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. Things didn’t go as well once he returned, but as he heads into Year 2 at Oklahoma, Josh Pate has him as the No. 3 quarterback in the SEC. Mateer overhauled his throwing motion this offseason after throwing for 2,885 yards and 14 touchdowns, to 11 interceptions. Of course, if Mateer plays to the level Pate thinks he can, Oklahoma could be in strong position come postseason. “He had 270-plus passing every game pre-injury last year,” Pate said. “And I just believe in my heart of hearts that a more balanced offense in Norman, Oklahoma – not to mention the fact that he doesn’t be have have to be a superhero because of the defense they have – will all come together to spell a really big year for him. Now, I don’t think I have to explain too much more thoroughly that if John Mateer is the No. 3 quarterback in this league, Oklahoma’s a Playoff team this year.” 2. Arch Manning, Texas Amid a large amount of hype in 2025, Arch Manning struggled as he took over as Texas’ starting quarterback. But he found his stride in the latter half of the year, which is why Josh Pate ranked him as the No. 2 quarterback in the SEC. Manning’s talent has been apparent since he was a top recruit out of New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman and he progressed throughout last season. He threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns, to seven interceptions, while adding 10 rushing touchdowns. Now back as the starter, Pate sees a potential leap. “It’s been building to this for Arch Manning,” Pate said. “The combination of weapons, obviously, the knowledge of the offense, his natural progression as a player. It’s all led to this year. He should have a great year – 3,026 [passing yards] last year. He ran for 10 touchdowns. Loved him in the Michigan bowl game. It’s hard not to imagine him maxing out his potential this year.” 1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Although he began the 2025 season as the backup after transferring from Division II Ferris State, Trinidad Chambliss took college football by storm. He helped lead Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals and then chose to run it back under new coach Pete Golding – and he’s Josh Pate’s top SEC quarterback this season. Chambliss secured a court order that allowed him to play in 2026 after he threw for 3,397 yards and 22 touchdowns, to just three interceptions, while adding 527 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He then finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy and is drawing plenty of buzz as a contender for the award once again this year. “He’s the most dangerous player in college football, to me,” Pate said. “He had eight games last year of 300-plus passing yards. Obviously, a really dynamic run element. And theoretically, his best could still be ahead of him. We’ll see, because there’s a lot of transition there. You also have the league maybe adjusting to him.” The SEC won’t have a shortage of storylines when it comes to quarterbacks during the 2026 season. Of course, as Pate noted, these rankings could easily change – as evidenced by how things went last year.