There is no denying that Arkansas’ quarterback situation the last two years as been among the worst in the country, much less the SEC or SEC West.

With the addition of graduate transfer Feleipe Franks from Florida, though, the Razorbacks seem to have gotten a major upgrade at the position.

Spring practice is still several weeks away and the transfer portal is just heating up, so plenty could change between now and Week 1 of the 2020 season, but here’s where HawgBeat believes Franks ranks among projected starting quarterbacks in the division…

1. Kellen Mond - Texas A&M

2019: 61.6%, 2,897 yards, 20 TD, 9 INT; 500 rush yards, 8 rush TD

With the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner (Joe Burrow) and 2018 Heisman Trophy runner-up (Tua Tagovailoa) heading to the NFL, Mond is the most experienced quarterback in the division. The former five-star recruit has improved in each of the last two seasons under Jimbo Fisher, with his completion percentage increasing from 51.5% as a freshman to 57.3% and 61.6% with his new coach. Mond is a true dual-threat quarterback, as well, combining for 44 passing touchdowns and 15 rushing touchdowns in 2018 and 2019.

2. Mac Jones - Alabama

2019: 68.8%, 1,503 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT; 1 rush TD

We got a glimpse of what Alabama will look like in the post-Tagovailoa era and Jones - while maybe not as talented - looked pretty good. It helped that he had one of the best groups of wide receivers in the country, but he still had to make the throws that resulted in 335 and 327 passing yards against Auburn and Michigan, respectively, to end the season. Both of those performances came against top-25 scoring defenses, with the showing against the Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl being particularly impressive because they finished the year with a top-10 passing defense. Although Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs declared for the NFL Draft, Jones will still have DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle as top targets and will be surrounded by five-star talent at other positions, as well.

3. Bo Nix - Auburn

2019: 57.6%, 2,542 yards, 16 TD, 6 INT; 313 rush yards, 7 rush TD

The son of a former Auburn standout quarterback, Nix was the most hyped signee at his position in the SEC last year. He was the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the country, according to Rivals, and proceeded to win the starting job for the Tigers’ opener against Oregon - which helped beat in comeback fashion, capped by a game-winning touchdown pass with nine seconds left. Despite the usual true freshman struggles, Nix still accounted for 23 total touchdowns and earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors. It’s likely that experience will pay off in the long run, but it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to new offensive coordinator Chad Morris in his sophomore season.

4. Feleipe Franks - Arkansas

*2018: 58.4%, 2,457 yards, 24 TD, 6 INT; 350 rush yards, 7 rush TD

It may be easy to forget because he was in the opposite division and not on Arkansas’ schedule, but Franks came into the 2019 season as one of the hottest quarterbacks in the SEC. Coming off a surprising sophomore campaign under new Florida head coach Dan Mullen in which he had 31 touchdowns (24 passing, 7 rushing) and only six interceptions, Franks was ranked behind only Tagovailoa, Georgia’s Jake Fromm and Mond in Athlon Sports’ ranking of the conference’s best quarterbacks. Saturday Down South had him behind those three, Burrow and Clemson graduate transfer Kelly Bryant at Missouri. He started off last season by completing 65.9% of his passes for an average of 9.7 yards per attempt against Miami (Fla.) and Kentucky before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. It’s uncertain how the injury will effect his mobility and how well he adjusts to a new team, but the Razorbacks do return all three starting receivers - including rising sophomore Treylon Burks and Trey Knox - as well as starting running back Rakeem Boyd, who should take some pressure off of him.

5. Myles Brennan - LSU

Career: 60.0%, 600 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

Despite being a former four-star and Rivals250 prospect, we don’t know too much about Brennan because he’s been a backup the first three years of his career at LSU. He was the No. 2 quarterback behind Danny Etling as a freshman in 2017 and Burrow the last two seasons, which includes a redshirt in 2018. Most of his action has come in blowouts, as only 14 of his 70 career attempts have come when LSU was winning or losing by two possessions or less. It’s also worth noting that Brennan won’t have Joe Brady as passing game coordinator, but it’s not too much of a stretch to think offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger learned a thing or two from him last season. There’s a chance Brennan - assuming the Tigers don’t add a graduate transfer - could move up this list, especially with Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase back for his junior season, but there is just too much unknown for him to be higher at this point.

6. John Rhys Plumlee - Ole Miss

2019: 52.7%, 910 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT; 1,023 rush yards, 12 rush TD

There’s no guarantee Plumlee will be the starter for new head coach Lane Kiffin, but the Mississippi native showcased his legs quite a bit as a true freshman. He led the Rebels in rushing, highlighted by a 212-yard, four-touchdown effort against No. 1 LSU. Mississippi State held him in check the next game, though, and he watched as Matt Corral - a former 6.0 four-star prospect who began the season as the starter - led the final two drives of the season in the Egg Bowl. Corral is definitely the better passer, but he still completed only 59.0% of his passes. It will be interesting to see how the battle shakes out under the offensive-minded Kiffin.

7. Garrett Shrader - Mississippi State

2019: 57.5%, 1,170 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT; 587 rush yards, 6 rush TD

Forced into action because of injuries, Shrader was a 5.8 four-star prospect and one of the top priorities for Joe Moorhead. With him out and Mike Leach in, though, the Bulldogs could be on the market for a graduate transfer. A more-than-capable runner, Shrader was inconsistent and struggled with accuracy as a true freshman. Considering the air raid system it will use under Leach, he doesn’t seem to be best-suited for Mississippi State’s offense. Another name to watch is true freshman Will Rogers, who played at the same high school - Brandon, Miss. - as Gardner Minshew. Minshew, of course, finished fifth in the 2018 Heisman Trophy voting as Leach’s quarterback at Washington State.