Ranking the 5 worst performing SEC QBs through Week 6 of the 2023 season
The SEC conference is as difficult as it gets, with some of the best college football teams playing in this division. Hence, quarterbacks of the SEC conference need to be at the top of their game every moment and ensure that their team does not succumb to huge losses against their rivals.
Five weeks of the 2023 college football season are over. There have been some shocking underdog stories and straightforward wins for favored teams, but what matters the most is how the quarterbacks have performed so far.
Here's a look at the worst-performing SEC quarterbacks heading into week 6 of college football. The list is in no particular order.
Worst performing SEC quarterbacks ahead of Week 6
Here's a look at the top five:
#5 Payton Thorne (Auburn Tigers)
Auburn QB Payton Thorne began his college football journey with Michigan State in 2019. He then went on to be their starter for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, racking up a total of 5,911 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns.
He then decided to transfer to Auburn in the SEC ahead of the 2023 season. He's been the starting QB for the team this season but is yet to match the kind of performance he put up for the Spartans.
In five games, he has recorded only 643 passing yards and four passing touchdowns, throwing for four interceptions. That led to him sharing time in every game with Robby Ashford, who comes next in our list.
#4 Robby Ashford (Auburn Tigers)
Given the way Payton Thorne has been performing, he has been sharing time on the field with backup QB Robby Ashford.
Ashford has been with the Auburn Tigers since transferring from Oregon ahead of the 2022 season. This season, he has been getting more time on the field than he did last year.
Robby Ashford has recorded just 71 passing yards and one passing touchdown because of the limited time he has got on the field. However, it will be a while before he gets the starting QB job if he cannot make the best use of the opportunity presented to him.
#3 Graham Mertz (Florida Gators)
Mertz is no stranger to the college football world. After spending four seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, he transferred to Florida for the 2023 season. Mertz was immediately named as QB1 after his arrival.
He has been average for the Gators, recording 1,220 passing yards and six passing touchdowns, throwing for two interceptions. He struggled during Florida's Week 5 loss to Kentucky.
He managed just 244 passing yards and two passing touchdowns with one interception. Hence, he's ranked as one of the worst SEC QBs heading into week 5.
#2 AJ Swann (Vanderbilt Commodores)
Quarterback Swann committed to playing for Vanderbilt last season and was named as the starting QB heading into the 2023 campaign. However, he has not been an impactful player on the roster for the Commodores, as they have managed a 2-4 campaign so far.
In the five games Swann has played as a starter, he put up 1,290 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns with seven interceptions. After suffering an injury in the game against Kentucky, the team replaced him with Ken Seals during their week 5 loss to the Missouri Tigers.
#1 Max Johnson (Texas A&M)
The Texas A&M Aggies began the seasons with Conner Weigman as their QB1. However, after sustaining a season-ending injury against Auburn in week 4, he was replaced by Max Johnson.
Johnson was the starting QB for LSU in their 2021 season, after which he decided to transfer to Texas A&M. Despite being the backup to Weigman, he had limited playing time in every game.
He has put up 436 passing yards and six passing touchdowns with one interception. During last week's game against Arkansas, Johnson had 210 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns.
It will be interesting to see if he has a better sense of ball security this season than he did during his stint with LSU.