Weekly Syllabus: Fifth-year madness in college football with Week 0 days away

Not even all-time program great Peyton Manning accomplished the feat, instead taking over as starting quarterback during his first collegiate season in October 1994.

Former Auburn Tigers quarterback Bo Nix is the most notable recent example of a true freshman starting the season at quarterback in the SEC. He earned the job in 2019 during training camp and finished the season 217-of-377 (57.6 percent) for 2,542 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games. Auburn went 9-4.

Here's a quick look at other memorable (both good and bad) SEC true freshman quarterback performances over the years:

Jake Fromm (Georgia, 2017) | Taking over for an injured Jacob Eason, Fromm finished a win shy of joining Jamelle Holieway (1985) as the only true freshman quarterback to lead his team to a national title.

Jalen Hurts (Alabama, 2016) | A season before Fromm, Hurts attempted to add his name next to Holieway's after former Alabama coach Nick Saban tabbed him as the Crimson Tide's starter in Week 2, replacing Blake Barnett.

Brandon Harris (LSU, 2014) | Harris was named LSU's starter over Anthony Jennings for its 2014 SEC road opener at Auburn and delivered a stinker during a "nightmare" performance. Harris went 3-of-14 for 58 yards before exiting with a sprained ankle in the second half of a 41-7 loss.

Matthew Stafford (Georgia, 2006) | The 2025 NFL MVP appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but wasn't declared the starter over Joe Tereshinski until mid-October with five regular-season games — plus the Chick-fil-A Bowl —remaining. Georgia went 4-2 during the stretch but Stafford struggled, completing 54 percent of his passes while throwing six touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Chris Leak (Florida, 2003) - Beginning the season as backup to Ingle Martin, Leak became the starter after a 24-10 loss to Tennessee four games into the season, and the true freshman helped right the ship. At one point, Leak led the Gators to five consecutive wins, including at LSU and in The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party against Georgia.

Other starting QBs named

Florida coach Jon Sumrall named Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo his starting quarterback on Monday, while former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles will start at Northwestern.

In Monday's most surprising starter announcement, first-year Washington State coach JaMarcus Shephard tapped former FCS star Braden Atkinson as his starter over Maalik Murphy, who started eight games for the Beavers in 2025.

Week 0 on the docket

Let the games begin.

Week 0 is this Saturday, with the North Carolina Tar Heels (in Year 2 under Coach Bill Belichick) playing the TCU Horned Frogs in Dublin in the weekend's biggest game. 

North Dakota State (vs. Jacksonville State) and Sacramento State (at Eastern Michigan) make their FBS debuts, and both are projected to win according to ESPN Analytics.

But for those who can't wait until the weekend, the FCS season starts Thursday with 22 games, giving us a healthy serving for a first course.