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Zdravstvuyte from the “Do Not Enter” end of the transfer portal, where the wrong-ways of college football attempt to find their internal compasses after departing their original (or even second) home. In the SEC’s case, there are plenty of quarterbacks who didn’t make it happen at their first or second stops — only to be reborn on their college careers.
You know the names. You might not know where they all are now. So we offer this as a public service …
Feast your eyes on the top 10 former SEC quarterbacks power rankings after Week 10!
10. Woody Barrett, Kent State (last week: 9)
Barrett, a former Auburn QB for a hot minute, and the 3-5 Golden Flashes take on the mighty Toledo Rockets on Monday night. Barrett’s season passing stats: 20-of-40 for 205 yards and 3 TDs.
9. Layne Hatcher, Arkansas State (last week: NR)
Hatcher takes the place of South Florida’s Blake Barnett, who is done for the season with an ankle injury that required surgery. Hatcher, who transferred from Alabama, went 21-of-28 for 307 yards and 2 TDs with 1 interception in the Red Wolves’ 48-41 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. Hatcher is 111-of-162 for 1,560 yards and 14 touchdowns against 7 interceptions this season as Arkansas State is 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the Sun Belt.
8. Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana (last week: 8)
The former Arkansas Razorback is still the backup to Chason Virgil in Hammond, but Kelley was the star Saturday against Stephen F. Austin, going 11-of-12 for 77 yards and a passing TD and rushing 8 times for 46 yards and 2 TDs in a 47-30 victory.
7. Quinten Dormady, Central Michigan (last week: 7)
The former Tennessee (and Houston) transfer went 18-of-24 for 288 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Chippewas’ 48-10 blowout of Northern Illinois. Dormady is 111-of-170 for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns against 4 interceptions this season.
6. Ty Storey, Western Kentucky (last week: 6)
The former Arkansas Razorback earned his 6th start of the season against Florida Atlantic, and his 2nd straight, going 32-of-47 for 380 yards and 2 touchdowns with 3 interceptions. He also added a 4-yard TD run, but the Hilltoppers lost to the Owls 35-24.
5. Shea Patterson, Michigan (last week: 4)
The former Ole Miss QB is turning into a game-manager and not much else for the Wolverines, who downed Maryland 38-7 on Saturday. Patterson went 13-of-22 for 151 yards and 1 TD, and added 2 carries for 5 yards. Although Michigan won by 31, the Wolverines racked up just 331 total yards of offense.
4. Justin McMillan, Tulane (last week: 5)
McMillan was a force for the Green Wave against Tulsa, throwing for 1 touchdown and rushing for 3 more in a 38-26 victory over the Golden Hurricane. McMillan, a former LSU QB, went 12-of-16 in the air for 184 yards and a touchdown with 2 interceptions, and rushed 12 times for 73 yards and 3 TDs. McMillan’s season stats: 124-of-205 passing for 1,703 yards and 13 TDs with 9 interceptions, and 97 carries for 488 yards and 12 TDs.
3. Jacob Eason, Washington (last week: 3)
While Patterson is a game-manager in Michigan wins, Eason is a stat-producing QB in Washington losses. Eason went 29-of-52 for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns with 2 interceptions — including a 39-yard Pick-6 that was the deciding points in a 33-28 loss to No. 9 Utah. Eason, a former Georgia QB, also fumbled once against the Utes.
“Those turnovers hurt. Hurt bad,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said.
2. Justin Fields, Ohio State (last week: 2)
Ohio State was off this past week. The former Georgia QB has No. 3 Ohio State in prime position for a College Football Playoffs berth, as he has thrown for 1,659 yards and 24 touchdowns with just 1 interception as Ohio State is 8-0. He also has rushed for 9 TDs.
Ohio State gets Maryland at home this Saturday and Rutgers in East Piscataway before a showdown with No. 5 Penn State for the presumptive Big Ten title on Nov. 23.
1. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (last week: 1)
The Hurts For Heisman bandwagon derailed slightly 2 weeks ago, as the Crimson Tide graduate transfer wasn’t enough for the then-No. 5 Sooners to rally from 18 down — as Oklahoma lost to unranked Kansas State 48-4 as a 21.5-point favorite.
Hurts did his part in guiding the Sooners against K-State, going 19-of-26 for 395 yards and 1 touchdown along with rushing 19 times for a team-high 96 yards and 3 TDs. But despite Hurts’ big game, Oklahoma couldn’t get past a multitude of mistakes: 2 turnovers, costly penalties and the ejection of a defensive leader.
“We’ve got to be more appreciative, cherish every moment and attack every moment with the right intent,” Hurts said after the loss. “We’ve got to learn from this and appreciate this lesson.”
Oklahoma was idle this past weekend.
Hurts has thrown for 2,469 yards — 14th in the nation — and 21 TDs. He also has 13 touchdown runs in 2019 and is the nation’s 2nd-leading rusher among QBs with 801 yards.
The Sooners could still reach the Playoff by winning out and getting some help, but the task becomes much more challenging. And the road doesn’t get any easier — No. 9 Oklahoma has Iowa State this week and No. 11 Baylor in 2 weeks.
An APSE national award-winning writer and page designer, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @TheSharpDW
