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Post-signing day SEC position rankings: Quarterback

Jalen Hurts returns to Alabama, and two highly-regarded 2017 signees, Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, join him. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Signing day is in the books, and spring football is just weeks away. This week, we'll take a position-by-position look at where teams are heading into the spring. We begin by ranking the league's quarterback situations as they stand today:

1. Alabama: When you have the reigning SEC offensive player of the year returning at quarterback, you're in pretty good shape. That's what the Crimson Tide have in Jalen Hurts. After Hurts, two highly-regarded true freshmen enter the fray: 2017 signees Tua Tagovailoa (an ESPN 300 recruit) and Mac Jones (a four-star recruit). One concern: All the quarterback transfers have left no experience behind Hurts.

2. Auburn: The Tigers made a huge addition with ESPN JC 50 No. 1 player Jarrett Stidham, who could vault them to No. 1 on this list by season's end if it goes as well as they hope. Sean White, who started in 2016, is still around, as is John Franklin III. Redshirt frosh Woody Barrett and true freshman Malik Willis will provide quality depth.

3. Arkansas: Austin Allen, who will be a senior, played first-team All-SEC caliber football the first two months of the 2016 season and showed he's more than capable of getting the job done. There is plenty of depth behind him with backup Ty Storey returning in addition to redshirt freshman Cole Kelley and true freshman Daulton Hyatt, a 2017 ESPN 300 signee and early enrollee.

4. Ole Miss: The potential is limitless here with 2016 super recruit Shea Patterson entering his first season as the full-time starter. The flashes he showed late last season provide optimism. Jason Pellerin, who has some experience, returns. Junior college transfer Jordan Ta'amu is on campus, and 2017 signee Alex Faniel will arrive in the summer.

5. Georgia: There were plenty of ups and downs for Jacob Eason in his first season, but that's to be expected for a true freshman. He still has plenty of promise. Senior Brice Ramsey is back, and the Bulldogs add true freshman Jake Fromm, an ESPN 300 recruit, to the room. He's already on campus.

6. Mississippi State: Nick Fitzgerald was impressive in his first season as a starter and there's no reason to believe -- given Dan Mullen's history of quarterback development -- that he won't improve. The problem for the Bulldogs? They're tremendously thin at this position. After Fitzgerald, 2017 signee Keytaon Thompson (who enrolled last month) is the only other scholarship QB on campus (Nick Tiano and Damian Williams both transferred).

7. South Carolina: Jake Bentley is yet another talented young SEC QB who appears to have a bright future. Behind him is Brandon McIlwain, who also got starting experience as a true freshman in 2016. Veteran Michael Scarnecchia returns from an injury that kept him out all last season, and 2017 recruit Jay Urich will join the team in the summer.

8. Missouri: Drew Lock's sophomore season was much stronger than his freshman campaign, and a with a second season working with OC Josh Heupel coming up, an even better junior year should be on tap. After that, there are no quarterbacks who have taken a college snap: Jack Lowary and Micah Wilson both redshirted last season, and 2017 recruit Taylor Powell will join the team in the summer.

9. Tennessee: There is quite a bit of talent and depth at the position, just not much experience. Quinten Dormady -- who backed up Josh Dobbs the past two seasons -- and Jarrett Guarantano, a 2016 ESPN 300 recruit, figure to be the frontrunners to compete for the starting job. Sheriron Jones, a 2015 ESPN 300 recruit, is also around. And 2017 recruit Will McBride enrolled last month.

10. Kentucky: This situation is intriguing. Stephen Johnson II, who became the starter after Drew Barker was injured early in the season, is back and will be the starter going into spring football. Barker continues to rehab from his injury. Gunnar Hoak, the Wildcats' 2016 QB recruit, will also compete. Kentucky signed two 2017 QB recruits also: Danny Clark and Walker Wood, who are both already on campus.

11. Texas A&M: The Aggies will likely turn to a quarterback who hasn't taken a collegiate snap as their 2017 starter. Redshirt freshman Nick Starkel and true freshman Kellen Mond -- the No. 2 dual-threat QB in the 2017 recruiting class -- figure to be the frontrunners for the starting job. Jake Hubenak, who does have some starting experience in his two seasons on campus, will be a senior and will compete for the gig as well.

12. Vanderbilt: Can Kyle Shurmur take the next step? That's what the Commodores hope. Shurmur, who will be a junior, showed some encouraging progress late in the 2016 season. After Shurmur, there are lots of bodies: Wade Freebeck, Deuce Wallace, Shawn Stankavage and soon-to-come will be 2017 recruit Jacob Free, who will arrive in the summer.

13. LSU: With a new offensive coordinator in the fold, the competition for the starting job should be wide open. Danny Etling and Brandon Harris lead the pack (Etling took the starting job from Harris three games into last season; Harris was the primary starter in 2015), but neither has been particularly impressive in their time on the field. Justin McMillan and Lindsey Scott, QB recruits from each of the past two classes, respectfully, are back. And talented new blood enters the competition in the form of 2017 recruits Lowell Narcisse and Myles Brennan, both of whom are ESPN 300 prospects. Narcisse is already on campus; Brennan will follow in the summer.

14. Florida: The theme continues: The Gators need to find a quarterback. They have plenty to choose from. Luke Del Rio, last year's starter, is back after an injury-plagued season, but he'll miss spring football because of shoulder surgery. Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, the Gators' 2016 QB recruits, both redshirted last year and will compete for the job. Kadarius Toney, a four-star 2017 athlete recruit who played quarterback in high school, will begin spring behind center. And Jake Allen, another 2017 recruit who was a four-star quarterback, will arrive in the summer.