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Howdy from the business end of the transfer portal, where the castoffs of college football attempt to shine anew after departing their original (or even second) home. In the SEC’s case, there are plenty of quarterbacks who didn’t cut it at their first or second stops — only to still look for green grass on the other side of the fence.
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 3!
10. Ty Storey, Western Kentucky (last week: 10)
The former Arkansas Razorback is still holding a clipboard at Western Kentucky, where he is stuck behind Steven Duncan — who went the distance again in a Hilltoppers loss to Louisville.
9. Cole Kelley, Southeastern Louisiana (last week: 8)
Kelley and the Lions got back on the field after seeing their Week 2 game against Bethune-Cookman canceled in an abundance of caution due to Hurricane Dorian. That was the good news, as the former Arkansas Razorback is still the backup to Chason Virgil and went 0-for-1 in a 40-29 loss to Ole Miss.
8. Quinten Dormady, Central Michigan (last week: 5)
It went from bad to worse for Dormady, as the knee he tweaked in a 61-0 blowout loss to Wisconsin 2 weeks ago turned out to be much worse than the Chippewas realized. Coach Jim McElwain said Dormady could miss as many as 8 weeks due to the injury. His season stats so far: 32-of-49 for 329 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT.
7. Woody Barrett, Kent State (last week: 9)
Barrett, a former Auburn QB for a hot minute, managed to lose his job at Kent State after a Week 1 loss. Barrett did get his shot this weekend against his former team, relieving Dustin Crum midway through a 55-16 loss to Auburn and throwing for 31 yards and a TD pass on 3-for-11 passing.
6. Blake Barnett, South Florida (last week: 7)
Barnett is now the backup QB in Tampa, as the former Alabama backup is running second fiddle to Jordan McCloud. South Florida beat the pants off South Carolina State 55-16 on Saturday, with Barnett going 2-for-6 for 24 yards and 1 TD in mop-up duty.
5. Justin McMillan, Tulane (last week: 6)
The graduate transfer from LSU is looking better and better as the season goes, as McMillan was 13-of-16 for 122 yards in the air, and rushed 9 times for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 58-6 blowout of Missouri State.
4. Shea Patterson, Michigan (last week: 3)
The Wolverines were idle this week, so that means the former Ole Miss quarterback and his team had 1 more week to recover from a startling near-upset at the hands of Army — which took No. 11 Michigan to double-OT before falling 24-21. Patterson went 19-of-29 for 207 yards in the game, with the Black Knights doing an excellent job of limiting Michigan to 14 points in regulation. Patterson moves back to No. 4 where he belongs.
3. Jacob Eason, Washington (last week: 4)
Eason regained his form Saturday for No. 22 Washington, as the former Georgia QB threw 3 TD passes in a 52-20 rout of Hawaii. Eason went 18-for-25 for 262 yards without an interception against the Rainbow Warriors, and now has 773 passing yards and 7 TDs with just 1 INT on 63-of-91 passing. That performance came a week after going just 8-of-30 for 162 yards in an upset loss to Cal. “Last week we struggled with some things and this week we got to jump on it early,” Eason said. “That just shows how well we can bounce back and respond to adversity.”
2. Justin Fields, Ohio State (last week: 2)
Another former Georgia QB, Fields clearly loves life when it is played in the Horseshoe. Fields threw for 199 yards and 3 TDs as Ohio State destroyed Indiana 51-10. Fields now has 657 passing yards and 9 TDs (with 0 interceptions) and a 185.0 QB rating through 3 games for No. 6 Ohio State. If not for a certain No. 1 at No. 1, Fields could be the top guy here …
1. Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (last week: 1)
Three words: Hurts For Heisman.
No. 5 Oklahoma beat the brakes off of UCLA 48-14, with Hurts once again torching a defense. This week, the Alabama graduate transfer piled up 439 yards from scrimmage and became the first Oklahoma quarterback to pass for 200 yards and rush for 100 in the first half. Hurts led the Sooners to 6 touchdowns and 2 field goals in 10 drives. He completed 15-of-20 passes for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran 14 times for 150 yards and another TD.
Through 3 games, Hurts’ stat line: 49-of-61 in the air for 880 yards and 9 TDs, and 38 carries for 373 yards and 4 TDs. The passing yardage moves him up to 12th nationally, the passing TDs put him tied for 7th nationally, and the rushing yardage put him 6th nationally — the first QB on that list by a country mile.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” Hurt said after Saturday’s game. “The intent for us is coming out and playing a complete game. I don’t think we did it tonight. We can improve.”
Wait a tick … it can get better for Hurts and Oklahoma? Heaven help Texas Tech 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
