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RotoBaller's list of the leading passer for all 16 SEC programs. College football stat leaders and top SEC passers, including Jaxson Dart, Peyton Manning, and more.
The 16 SEC teams have had plenty of great quarterbacks through the years, and with offenses and passing games taking over football, we could see changes on this list in the next few years.
That said, signal callers rarely stick with one team for more than a couple of seasons, so it will be interesting to see how the list of career passing leaders shakes up in the next decade of action.
In this piece, we'll list the all-time career leading passers for all 16 SEC squads. This list includes pre-SEC stats for schools like South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, all of which have leading passers who played in other conferences. Let's dive in!
Alabama - A.J. McCarron (2010-2013): 9,019 Yards
McCarron was a foundational piece of the Nick Saban era in Tuscaloosa, and the three-year starter won a whopping 36 games with the Tide.
He has three BCS National Championship rings and will go down in Alabama history as one of the best to do it. Alabama's offense wasn't a pass-first, high-flying attack back in those days, but he was an efficient leader who got the job done.
Arkansas - KJ Jefferson (2019-2023): 7,923 Yards
Jefferson earned the full-time starting gig as a redshirt sophomore and led Arkansas to a 9-4 campaign. The future appeared to be bright with Jefferson holding three more years of eligibility, but the Razorbacks never got back to their 2021 form under Sam Pittman.
KJ Jefferson's record-setting touchdown on the first Razorback drive of the game? Definitely a @Dillards Perfect Fit. pic.twitter.com/7mVAtPsGw9
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) November 21, 2023
It's tough to blame Jefferson, though, who threw for 64 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his three years as the QB1. He finished his career at UCF, but hopefully, Arkansas fans can look back on and appreciate his tenure in Fayetteville.
Auburn - Stan White (1990-1993): 8,016 Yards
White didn't play in a pass-happy era, but he's the only four-year starter in school history, and he led the Tigers to an undefeated season in 1993.
You won't find many people who bring him up when you talk about all-time greats in the SEC, but he deserves recognition for a strong collegiate career. Auburn fans know the legend.
Florida - Chris Leak (2003-2006): 11,213 Yards
Chris Leak often gets overshadowed by Tim Tebow's incredible career that followed his, but don't forget he was a four-year starter and a BCS National Championship-winning QB in Gainesville. Leak played under Ron Zook and Urban Meyer, and he should get a ton of credit for the program's turnaround.
The 2003 SEC Freshman of the Year and three-time All-SEC performer finished his career by leading Florida's offense to 41 points against No. 1 Ohio State. He was excellent from start to finish.
Georgia - Aaron Murray (2010-2013): 13,166 Yards
After redshirting in 2009, Murray had a fantastic four-year run as the starter in Athens under Mark Richt.
#98Days ‘till SEC football.
Aaron Murray connected with Reggie Davis for this 98 yard touchdown in Georgia’s 2013 win over North Texas.
At 13,166 career passing yards, Murray still stands tall as the conference’s all-time leader in that statistic. pic.twitter.com/3ZvMBwRxRr
— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) May 23, 2024
He was as consistent as they come and led Georgia to two appearances in the SEC Championship Game. While Murray and Richt never reached the heights of the modern Georgia program under Kirby Smart, they helped lay a strong foundation and high floor. Murray is an undisputed Georgia great.
Kentucky - Jared Lorenzen (2000-2003): 10,354 Yards
Lorenzen is and was a fan favorite nationally thanks to his unusual body type at the quarterback spot, which gave him the nickname "Hefty Lefty." He was a true gun-slinger for the Wildcats, throwing 78 touchdowns and 41 interceptions in 43 career games. He wasn't the most athletic, polished, or accurate quarterback, but he sure was fun. College football fans collectively mourned his passing at the age of 38 in 2019.
LSU - Tommy Hodson (1986-1989): 9,115 Yards
Another four-year starter on this list, Hodson, led LSU to two SEC Championships and threw for 69 touchdowns in 44 career games.
He's another quarterback that younger fans likely haven't heard much about, but he was a three-time First-Team All-SEC selection and ranks 21st all-time in SEC passing yards. In 1987, he led the Tigers to a top-five AP Poll finish, their first since 1961. He's the only LSU QB ahead of Joe Burrow in career passing yards.
Mississippi State - Will Rogers (2020-2023): 12,315 Yards
You won't find many who will argue Will Rogers as the best quarterback in Mississippi State history, but he is the most prolific.
This one meant a lot to Will Rogers and @HailStateFB ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bQfncG6yrT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 2, 2023
Rogers had plenty of ability, but he also had the fortune of playing for Mike Leach in an air raid offense. In just his sophomore and junior seasons combined, he tallied 8,713 passing yards and 71 passing touchdowns in 26 games while playing for The Pirate. Dak Prescott ranks second in career passing yards (9,376) among Bulldogs.
Missouri - Chase Daniel (2005-2008): 12,515 Yards
Before Chase Daniel had a long career as an NFL backup for seven organizations, he led Missouri to some of its greatest heights.
Daniel won 30 games in three years as a starter and led the Tigers to a top-five overall finish in 2007. The program was one win away from playing in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. If this list only included SEC-game stats, Drew Lock would rank No. 1.
Oklahoma - Landry Jones (2009-2012): 16,646 Yards
Like Missouri, Oklahoma's all-time leading passer comes from the Big 12 days. The Sooners have a long and storied history of high-level quarterback play, so ranking No. 1 in career passing yards is extra special at the school.
Jones threw for at least 4,267 yards and 29 touchdowns in each of his last three seasons in Norman, and the Sooners finished as a top-16 team in all three. Only Case Keenum (Houston), Dillon Gabriel (UCF, Oklahoma, Oregon), and Timmy Chang (Hawaii) have more all-time collegiate passing yards than Jones.
Ole Miss - Jaxson Dart (2022-2024): 10,617 Yards
Four of the top five leading passers in Ole Miss history began their Rebels careers after 2010, but Chad Kelly, Matt Corral, and Bo Wallace could not pass Eli Manning. Jaxson Dart did, though, and he did it in three seasons. Dart was a perfect fit in Lane Kiffin's offense as an aggressive gun-slinger with high-end scrambling ability.
JUICE. WELLS. 🧃@JaxsonDart ➡️ @juicew3lls pic.twitter.com/HWiGCHj5ic
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) August 31, 2024
The former USC Trojan helped Kiffin and Ole Miss rise to a level the program has never seen, and he'll go down as an Ole Miss legend.
South Carolina - Todd Ellis (1986-1989): 9,953 Yards
Ellis took hold of the starting quarterback job in Columbia as a freshman, which ended up being his best season of production. He threw for 3,020 yards and 20 touchdowns in Year 1. However, South Carolina won more games in its final three seasons.
Ellis threw 49 career touchdowns to 66 interceptions, so he won't go down as one of the sport's best quarterbacks. But for now, he remains atop the list of the Gamecocks. South Carolina's SEC-era leading passer is Steve Taneyhill (8,555).
Tennessee - Peyton Manning (1994-1997): 11,201 Yards
Have you heard of this guy? Manning entered his freshman season on Rocky Top as the third-string quarterback behind Jerry Colquitt and Todd Helton (yes, that Todd Helton). QB1 and QB2 both suffered injuries early in the season, leading to the young gun from Louisiana to take the starting job.
30 years ago today: Peyton Manning to @joeykent for an 80-yard touchdown on Play No. 1 against Alabama.
One of the all-time great plays on the field and calls by John Ward in Tennessee football history. pic.twitter.com/BnpCRoFgBW
— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) October 14, 2025
He won seven of eight starts in 1994 and never looked back. Overall, he finished his Volunteer career with a 39-6 record behind 11,201 passing yards, 89 passing touchdowns, 33 interceptions, and 12 rushing touchdowns. He went on to have a solid NFL career, too.
Texas A&M - Kellen Mond (2017-2020): 9,661 Yards
The Aggies have spent most of their existence in the Southwest and the Big 12, but their all-time leading passer comes from the SEC era. Mond started 44 games for Texas A&M, winning 31 of them behind 9,661 passing yards, 1,608 rushing yards, and 93 career touchdowns.
He began his career with Kevin Sumlin, but played his final three seasons under Jimbo Fisher. The Aggies barely missed the 2020 College Football Playoff but failed to win anything significant with Mond at the helm. Still, he deserves his flowers as one of the best SEC quarterbacks of his era.
Texas - Colt McCoy (2006-2009): 13,253 Yards
Colt McCoy is on the Texas football Mount Rushmore, which tells you all you need to know. He won a whopping 45 collegiate games, completed over 70% of his career passes, and tallied 132 total touchdowns in 53 career starts. Replacing Vince Young isn't an easy task, but McCoy did about as well as you can when replacing a legend.
McCoy nearly had the fairytale ending to his career, but the Longhorns were bested by Nick Saban and Alabama in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.
Vanderbilt - Kyle Shurmur (2015-2018): 8,865 Yards
You would certainly rank Diego Pavia and Jay Cutler ahead of Shurmer on the all-time Vandy QB rankings, but you can't take away Shurmer's No. 1 placement in career passing yards among Commodores.
Shurmer led Vanderbilt to two bowl games in three and a half years as a starter, a significant achievement at the time before Pavia raised the ceiling of the program.
