pretty good article: http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...eason-it-faces-risks-of-a-freshman-qb-in-sec/
highlights below:
Over the past 20 years, 15 SEC quarterbacks have started at least half of their team's games as a true freshman. Only five of those quarterbacks saw their teams finish with a winning SEC record: Georgia's Quincy Carter (1998),Tennessee Volunteers 's Casey Clausen (2000), Florida Gators 's Chris Leak (2003), Tennessee's Erik Ainge (2004) and Arkansas Razorbacks ' Mitch Mustain (2006).
Ainge is the only true freshman quarterback over the past 20 years to win an SEC division title. When Arkansas won the SEC West in 2006, Mustain began the year as the starter and later got benched.
Carter holds the SEC record for passing yards by a true freshman quarterback (2,484). He was 21 years old at the time because he had been playing minor league baseball.
TRUE FRESHMAN STARTING QBS* IN THE SEC SINCE 1996
Quarterback, School (Year) Yards Completions TD-INT Team record
Quincy Carter, Georgia (1998) 2,484 60.7% 12-9 9-3 (6-2 SEC)
Chris Leak, Florida (2003) 2,435 59.4% 16-11 8-5 (6-2 SEC)
Tyler Bray, Tennessee (2010) 1,849 55.8% 18-10 6-7 (3-5 SEC)
Josh Booty, LSU (1999) 1,830 48.6% 7-19 3-8 (1-7 SEC)
Matthew Stafford, Georgia (2006) 1,749 52.7% 7-13 9-4 (4-4 SEC)
Casey Clausen, Tennessee (2000) 1,473 62.4% 15-6 8-4 (5-3 SEC)
Erik Ainge, Tennessee (2004) 1,452 55.1% 17-9 10-3 (7-1 SEC)
Wesley Carroll, Mississippi St (2007) 1,392 52.5% 9-7 8-5 (4-4 SEC)
Drew Locke, Missouri (2015) 1,332 49.0% 4-8 5-7 (1-7 SEC)
Kyle Allen, Texas A&M (2014) 1,322 61.5% 16-7 8-5 (3-5 SEC)
Gabe Gross, Auburn (1998) 1,222 44.7% 7-12 3-8 (1-7 SEC)
Treon Harris, Florida (2014) 1,019 49.5% 9--4 7-5 (4-4 SEC)
Mitch Mustain, Arkansas (2006) 894 52.3% 10-9 10-4 (7-1 SEC)
Jalen Whitlow, Kentucky (2012) 801 54.0% 3-2 2-10 (0-8 SEC)
Morgan Newton, Kentucky (2009) 706 55.6% 6-3 7-6 (3-5 SEC)
Average 1,464 54.4% 10-9 7-6 (4-4 SEC)
* Quarterbacks listed started at least half of their team's games as true freshmen.
This isn't to say a true freshman can't succeed in the SEC. Texas A&M's Kyle Allen had a promising rookie year in 2014, though the Aggies went 3-5 and he later transferred. Leak had a very solid true freshman year and later won a national championship. Yet even Stafford, a future No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, was a 53-percent passer with seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions as a Georgia true freshman 10 years ago.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, only 13 true freshman quarterbacks at Power Five schools finished in the top 100 nationally for passing efficiency over the last five seasons. Only three threw for 3,000 yards as true freshmen:UCLA Bruins 's Josh Rosen (2015), Miami's Brad Kaaya (2014) and Cal's Jared Goff (2013). Washington's Jake Browning (2015) and Penn State Nittany Lions's Christian Hackenberg (2013) nearly had 3,000 yards in recent years as true freshmen.
highlights below:
Over the past 20 years, 15 SEC quarterbacks have started at least half of their team's games as a true freshman. Only five of those quarterbacks saw their teams finish with a winning SEC record: Georgia's Quincy Carter (1998),Tennessee Volunteers 's Casey Clausen (2000), Florida Gators 's Chris Leak (2003), Tennessee's Erik Ainge (2004) and Arkansas Razorbacks ' Mitch Mustain (2006).
Ainge is the only true freshman quarterback over the past 20 years to win an SEC division title. When Arkansas won the SEC West in 2006, Mustain began the year as the starter and later got benched.
Carter holds the SEC record for passing yards by a true freshman quarterback (2,484). He was 21 years old at the time because he had been playing minor league baseball.
TRUE FRESHMAN STARTING QBS* IN THE SEC SINCE 1996
Quarterback, School (Year) Yards Completions TD-INT Team record
Quincy Carter, Georgia (1998) 2,484 60.7% 12-9 9-3 (6-2 SEC)
Chris Leak, Florida (2003) 2,435 59.4% 16-11 8-5 (6-2 SEC)
Tyler Bray, Tennessee (2010) 1,849 55.8% 18-10 6-7 (3-5 SEC)
Josh Booty, LSU (1999) 1,830 48.6% 7-19 3-8 (1-7 SEC)
Matthew Stafford, Georgia (2006) 1,749 52.7% 7-13 9-4 (4-4 SEC)
Casey Clausen, Tennessee (2000) 1,473 62.4% 15-6 8-4 (5-3 SEC)
Erik Ainge, Tennessee (2004) 1,452 55.1% 17-9 10-3 (7-1 SEC)
Wesley Carroll, Mississippi St (2007) 1,392 52.5% 9-7 8-5 (4-4 SEC)
Drew Locke, Missouri (2015) 1,332 49.0% 4-8 5-7 (1-7 SEC)
Kyle Allen, Texas A&M (2014) 1,322 61.5% 16-7 8-5 (3-5 SEC)
Gabe Gross, Auburn (1998) 1,222 44.7% 7-12 3-8 (1-7 SEC)
Treon Harris, Florida (2014) 1,019 49.5% 9--4 7-5 (4-4 SEC)
Mitch Mustain, Arkansas (2006) 894 52.3% 10-9 10-4 (7-1 SEC)
Jalen Whitlow, Kentucky (2012) 801 54.0% 3-2 2-10 (0-8 SEC)
Morgan Newton, Kentucky (2009) 706 55.6% 6-3 7-6 (3-5 SEC)
Average 1,464 54.4% 10-9 7-6 (4-4 SEC)
* Quarterbacks listed started at least half of their team's games as true freshmen.
This isn't to say a true freshman can't succeed in the SEC. Texas A&M's Kyle Allen had a promising rookie year in 2014, though the Aggies went 3-5 and he later transferred. Leak had a very solid true freshman year and later won a national championship. Yet even Stafford, a future No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, was a 53-percent passer with seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions as a Georgia true freshman 10 years ago.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, only 13 true freshman quarterbacks at Power Five schools finished in the top 100 nationally for passing efficiency over the last five seasons. Only three threw for 3,000 yards as true freshmen:UCLA Bruins 's Josh Rosen (2015), Miami's Brad Kaaya (2014) and Cal's Jared Goff (2013). Washington's Jake Browning (2015) and Penn State Nittany Lions's Christian Hackenberg (2013) nearly had 3,000 yards in recent years as true freshmen.
