SEC QB Tier list: D Tier
For the D tier, I'm putting players in who have either become a proven commodity (in a negative way) or who are less known but have a very low chance of success.
It was clear when Hugh Freeze arrived on the Plains that he would need more at the signal caller position than what was on campus at that point. Hence, he went to the portal to try to remedy that situation. What he ended up with was former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne.
This is a result that, even at the time, was regarded with some doubt by those watching from outside the Auburn program. Thorne wasn't exactly a star while at Michigan State, and it didn't seem as though he was a long-term answer for the Tigers.
That suspicion proved to be well-founded. Thorne struggled for much of the year (162 for 251, 6.6 YPA, 135 YPG) and though he added a dimension on the ground, he struggled to lift the team around him.
I will be honest with you: I did not know, before beginning this article, who Vanderbilt's starting quarterback was going to be. I even could still be wrong with this guess!
Johnson comes in after two years at Utah, where he was used as much as a rusher as he was as a passer: 59 rush attempts and 72 pass attempts. Though it was a limited sample size, his passing stats don't look great: 54.2% completion and 6.9 YPA isn't amazing. He threw three touchdowns and zero interceptions, however, which is certainly better than throwing zero touchdowns and three interceptions.