NFL.com, as they did the before the season began, ranked each quarterback situation among FBS teams at the midpoint of the season.
It might surprise you to find out that Tennessee actually ranked in the top half of the SEC schools.
Here’s how the SEC schools stacked up and where they ranked overall.
- Vanderbilt — 125
- Florida — 107
- LSU — 94
- Arkansas — 87
- Missouri — 78
- South Carolina — 57
- Georgia — 56
- Tennessee — 47
- Kentucky — 45
- Alabama — 35
- Auburn — 18
- Texas A&M — 15
- Ole Miss — 3
- Mississippi State — 1
Tennessee’s situation was ranked 78th before the season started.
I don’t think there’s anyone that believes Justin Worley has done anything but perform better than expectations.
Here’s what NFL.com had to say about the Vols’ quarterback situation.
"Main starter: Justin WorleyBuzz: Worley has been better than expected, especially considering he plays behind a porous line. He has thrown 12 TD passes, which is one more than he had thrown in his first three seasons combined. And outside of a loss to Oklahoma, he has been an accurate thrower."
It’s worth noting that Tennessee has only played two SEC games so far this season. They’ve lost both of those games to teams that had quarterback situations ranked below Tennessee’s.
That’s a testament to two things:
- How much the youth of the Vols is shining through.
- How well Justin Worley has played this season.
Justin Worley isn’t going to win the Heisman. He won’t make an All-SEC team. He’s not going to pile up a bunch of accolades.
But one thing is certain — Tennessee would be in a bad, bad place without him.
We saw in the Florida game what the Vols would be in store for if Worley were to be injured. And it wasn’t pretty.
Justin Worley has easily been the Vols MVP during the first half of the season. It’s nice to see NFL.com recognize his strong/consistent play.