Through five weeks of the 2025 college football season, we have seen some surprising performances from overlooked quarterbacks, a former player that no school recruited coming in and taking down LSU and, of course, some overreactions to early results from some hyped signal-callers.
For some programs, the quarterback play has been a highlight of the season, with Marcel Reed leading Texas A&M to an undefeated record thus far, Diego Pavia still doing his thing in Nashville for the Commodores and John Mateer, before his injury, becoming a Heisman contender.
Other schools have struggled, with Auburn's Jackson Arnold and Florida's DJ Lagway underperforming significantly. As we head into Week 6, here are our SEC quarterback rankings.
1. Ty Simpson (Alabama)
Forget the season-opening loss to Florida State, as Simpson was harassed behind an offensive line that didn't have everything figured out. The junior aced his second road test at Georgia this past weekend, throwing for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Simpson has yet to throw an interception, while passing for 11 scores and running for two more.
2. Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt)
The sixth-year senior continues to defy odds, as he has led the Commodores to a 5-0 record with one of the biggest matchups in program history coming this Saturday at Alabama. Pavia has completed 74.6 percent of his passes for 1,211 yards and 13 touchdowns to just three picks, while rushing the ball for 294 yards and two scores. If he gets another win against the Crimson Tide, look for his name to shoot up the Heisman Trophy lists.
3. Marcel Reed (Texas A&M)
After leading the Aggies to a last-second win at Notre Dame in which he threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns, Reed struggled a bit in the defensive battle against Auburn this past Saturday. While his completion percentage was up there at 68.2 percent, he threw for just 207 yards and an interception.
4. Joey Aguilar (Tennessee)
The senior has transitioned seamlessly into Josh Heupel's offense, throwing for 1,459 yards and 13 touchdowns. The only knock against the California native has been interceptions, with two coming in the loss against Georgia and two more in the overtime win at Mississippi State.
5. John Mateer (Oklahoma)
If he hadn't suffered a throwing hand injury that required surgery, he would be at the top of this list, but the Washington State transfer will be out at least several weeks. Before the injury, Mateer was responsible for 11 touchdowns for the Sooners.
6. Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss)
One of the best stories of the young season, Chambliss came out of the blue after the injury to Austin Simmons. All he has done is lead the Rebels to wins over Arkansas, Tulane and LSU, throwing for 1,033 yards and five touchdowns to one interception, while also rushing for two scores.
7. Gunner Stockton (Georgia)
Stockton showed some major grit in the win at Tennessee two weeks ago, especially his fourth-down throw for a touchdown and two-point conversion that tied the game. Against Alabama, it was a different story, throwing for just 130 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Tide.
8. Arch Manning (Texas)
Since the opener against No. 1 Ohio State, in which he struggled, Manning has finally calmed down, albeit against three cupcakes. This Saturday will provide another challenge for the first-year starter as the Longhorns travel to Florida to take on a desperate Gators team in The Swamp.
9. LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina)
After suffering an injury in the blowout loss to Vanderbilt, Sellers is coming back to being his old self, although slowly. He didn't have to do much through the air in Saturday's win over Kentucky, throwing just 14 passes with 11 completions, but he did rush the ball 14 times for 81 yards.
10. Beau Pribula (Missouri)
Outside of a battle against Kansas and South Carolina, the Tigers haven't faced much resistance. Pribula has been fine, completing 75.9 percent of his passes for 1,203 yards and nine touchdowns. The competition is about to get fierce with a visit from Alabama, road games at Auburn and Vanderbilt, before Texas A&M comes to town.
11. Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)
Is he hurt or not? That's the question surrounding Nussmeier, who has been a factor in LSU's disappointing offense so far this season. The senior has thrown for just one touchdown in four of the Tigers' five games.
12. Taylen Green (Arkansas)
It's not Green's fault that the Razorbacks' defense is absolute trash, but his interceptions (5) aren't helping. Still, the senior has thrown for 1,398 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for two scores in Bobby Petrino's offense. It's not Green's fault Sam Pittman got fired.
13. Blake Shapen (Mississippi State)
Shapen has had his moments, including the massive touchdown throw against Arizona State that helped the Bulldogs pull off the upset. Overall, the Shreveport, La., native has thrown for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns with three picks.
14. Jackson Arnold (Auburn)
What was supposed to be greener pastures for Arnold on the Plains has turned into a living nightmare over the past two weeks. Oklahoma sacked the quarterback 10 times, while Texas A&M held him to 125 yards passing. The result? Just 846 passing yards and five touchdowns through the air through five games. That won't get the job done.
15. Cutter Boley (Kentucky)
Boley was thrown into the fire after an injury to Zach Calzada, and he hasn't exactly been a revelation for Kentucky's offense. In Saturday's 35-13 loss to South Carolina, he completed just 10-of-19 passes for 124 yards, no touchdowns and two picks.
16. DJ Lagway (Florida)
If it wasn't for the expectations that Lagway had for the season, he might be higher up, but the Gators' offense has been a complete wreck under his watch, as he has thrown more interceptions (6) than touchdowns (5).