I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the 2009 quarterbacks that were recruited by SEC schools. Why? Because these are the players that would be leading their teams into the 2013 season if they had taken the usual route of red-shirting their freshman year on campus.
Fourteen SEC schools signed nineteen QBs in 2009 (yes I'm counting Missouri and A&M even though they weren't in the conference in 2009). Eight of those nineteen QBs were ranked in the top 20 of their recruiting class by Scout.com Of those nineteen, three are current starting QBs for the team they originally signed with, three played receiver or tight end last year and eleven are no longer with their teams for reasons other than graduation or using up their eligibility.
Let's take a look:
Alabama
A.J. McCarron (Scout.com's #17 ranked QB): This worked out pretty well, right? Back to back National championships. Home run.
Arkansas
Brandon Mitchell (Scout.com #80): Mitchell got beat out by Tyler Wilson and spent last year at WR. He has one year left and looks like he will battle Brandon Allen for the starting job this season.
Auburn
Tyrik Rollison (Scout.com #11): Rollison was suspended early in his career and then took off right before Cam Newton nabbed the starting job. He moved to Sam Houston State before leaving to go the JUCO route. He could show up somewhere in 2013 but for Auburn this was definitely a bust.
Clint Moseley (Scout.com #79): Moseley threw 60 passes in 2012 with 3 INT and 1 TD. In 2011 he played in 10 games and threw 5 TD vs 3 INT. Shortly after Gus Malzahn was named head coach, Moseley left the team.
Florida
Jordan Reed (Scout.com #42): This worked out pretty well for the Gators, just not at QB. Reed had a nice career with the Gators (45 receptions in 2012 on a team that didn't throw the ball very well) but surprisingly turned pro after the 2012 season (he would have been a red-shirt senior in 2013).
Georgia
Aaron Murray (Scout.com #3): Murray is in the conversation when you talk about the best QBs in college football going into next season. He's had his ups and downs and has been criticized for his lack of a big game win but I think most fans would take him as QB for their team. Murray threw for 3893 yards last season and 36 TDs.
Zach Mettenberger (Scout.com #14): Mett got kicked out of Georgia as he was battling Murray for the starting job and then landed at LSU after going to a JUCO. He's currently the starting QB at LSU and got mixed reviews in 2012 which was his first year as a starter.
Kentucky
Morgan Newton (Scout.com #6): As a senior last season, Newton threw just 32 passes. There were high hopes for Newton in Lexington but it just never paned out.
Ryan Mossakowski (Scout.com #25): Left Kentucky early in his career and took the JUCO route. Threw 13 TDs for the Lamar Cardinals in eight games in 2012.
Brian Adams (Scout.com #55): Was moved to WR and had 5 receptions in 2011 and then gave up football to focus on baseball.
LSU
Russell Shepard (Scout.com #2): Was moved to receiver and had only six receptions in 2012.
Chris Garrett (Scout.com #27): Transferred to Northwestern State and then to Ole Miss but he's not listed on the active roster.
Mississippi State
Tyler Russell (Scout.com #13): Russell was the starting QB last season and threw for 2897 and 24 TDs but struggled with consistency and a 58.6% completion rate. Will go into 2013 as the starting QB for the Bulldogs.
Missouri
Blaine Dalton (Scout.com #18): Dismissed from team in 2009 after an arrest. Went to Fort Scott Community College (threw for 531 yds and 3 TDs in one year) then went to FIU but left after spring practice and is currently out of football.
Ashton Glazer (Scout.com #75): left in 2012 to transfer to Missouri State. Played in 11 games in 2012 for Missouri State throwing for 1221 yards and 2 TDs.
Ole Miss
Raymond Cotton (Scout.com #22): transferred to South Alabama (threw three passes in one season) and then to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Played in 10 games in 2011 throwing for 804 yards and 6 TD. Played for the Belhaven Blazers in 2012 where he started two games and played in nine.
South Carolina
Andrew Clifford (Scout.com #125): Played in two games and threw one pass in 2012 for the Gamecocks. Has thrown five passes from 2010 to 2012.
Tennessee
Nick Lamaison (JUCO): Red-shirted in 2009 and then transferred to Mount San Antonio College in California before landing at UTEP. In 2012 for UTEP he threw for 1686 yards (12 TD, 9 INT) as the Miners finished 3-9.
Texas A&M
No QBs signed
Vanderbilt
Charlie Goro (Scout.com #139): left the team in 2011 after James Franklin took over the team. Transferred to the University of South Dakota as a defensive back and had 28 tackles in 2012.
It's that time of year when fans are living and dying with recruiting and if you look back to 2009 you can see that QB recruiting is definitely one where you roll the dice. Alabama and Georgia came out the best and it's probably no surprise that they met last season in the 2012 SEC Championship Game. Finding a quarterback isn't as easy as it looks, is it?
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