With spring ball in the rearview mirror, now is a good time to take a deeper look at the incoming transfer quarterback class in the SEC.
There are several transfer quarterbacks who are expected to win starting jobs at SEC programs this fall. Each of them has something to be excited about even if there are questions regarding their ability, fit or otherwise.
SEC QB transfer analysis
Here’s one reason for optimism for every SEC transfer quarterback heading into 2025:
Note: This story will only discuss quarterbacks who are projected to win the starting job as of early June. Apologies to Luke Kromenhoek (Mississippi State) Cole Gonzales (Oklahoma), Trever Jackson (Arkansas), Michael Van Buren (LSU) and others.
Jackson Arnold, Auburn
The 2024 season was a disastrous one for Jackson Arnold at Oklahoma, but there’s still some reason for optimism. He comes with a 5-star pedigree as the former No. 4 quarterback in his class. But most importantly, Arnold will be getting a massive upgrade in terms of his supporting cast at Auburn.
OU’s wide receiver room and offensive line were bottom-tier in the SEC last season, mostly due to injuries. Another big upgrade will come with playing in a Hugh Freeze offense. Seth Littrell began last season as OU’s offensive coordinator, but was fired by midseason. Freeze will have Auburn’s offense prepared to take a big step forward this season with Arnold at the center of those efforts.
Zach Calzada, Kentucky
Zach Calzada is back in the SEC after a couple of years at Incarnate Word. The former Texas A&M quarterback put up prolific numbers at the FCS level, including a 35-to-9 TD-to-INT ratio in 2024. Health has always been a problem for Calzada, but he put together a full season last year as he threw for a career-high 3,744 yards.
I’m pretty skeptical about what Calzada will be able to accomplish this year at Kentucky, but this story is for optimism, so I’ll highlight Calzada’s new-found ability to run the ball. He rushed for well over 300 yards last season and claims he’s even faster (and heavier) going into 2025. If that’s true, then perhaps Calzada could be a big surprise this fall.
Beau Pribula, Mizzou
Beau Pribula arrives in Columbia with the reputation of being a great runner but his passing skillset is still relatively unknown. At Penn State, he was very efficient on the ground. He averaged well over 6 yards per attempt and had a 50% success rate on 3rd-down runs.
Now at Mizzou, Pribula will be asked to do much more as a passer. After initially being skeptical about this transfer, I’m optimistic about how this will go for the Tigers. Pribula’s advanced passing metrics from last season, albeit in a small sample, are excellent. He owns a 92.6 passing grade from PFF. He didn’t make any turnover-worthy throws last year and had a big-time throw rate of 7.9%. A lot of that production came on the road against Wisconsin, too, so it wasn’t all empty calories in garbage time.
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John Mateer, Oklahoma
You don’t have to go very far to find reasons for optimism with John Mateer. Albeit against a weak schedule, Mateer was one of the most efficient passers in the country last season. He was also extremely productive as a runner, finishing 8th in individual EPA-per-rush last season according to Game on Paper.
The only question is whether or not his skillset will scale up to the SEC. That’s an open question, but one I covered in detail last week. Spoiler alert: history says he should see minimal drop-off in pass efficiency in 2025. The fact that he’s in an offense he’s already familiar with under Ben Arbuckle should only help his transition, too.
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
All eyes will be on Joey Aguilar this fall as he replaces Nico Iamaleava in Knoxville. The former Appalachian State quarterback is in a bit of a tough spot — he will be asked to fill the shoes of a former 5-star prospect without the privilege of going through spring ball in Knoxville. Tennessee also has questions at offensive line, receiver and running back, adding to the degree of difficulty for Aguilar.
There’s no sugar-coating it: Aguilar had a down season at App State last year. His passer efficiency rating was just 132, which is below the national average. But there is a silver lining: Aguilar had a big-time throw rate of 6.2% last season, per Pro Football Focus. That ranked 3rd among all quarterbacks with at least 400 drop-backs last season behind only Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart. If he can cut out the turnovers while remaining aggressive (11.7 ADOT is also elite) then it’s not hard to see Aguilar having a successful season in Knoxville.
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