New crop of talented SEC quarterbacks emerge

One of the greatest quarterback classes in Southeastern Conference history is now toiling in the NFL.

Gone are the likes of Johnny Manziel and Aaron Murray, but the big passing numbers have stayed.

A new crop of quarterbacks — led by Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill, South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson, Kentucky’s Patrick Towles and Missouri’s Maty Mauk — are faring just fine on the football field. Their numbers look a whole lot like the stats their predecessors piled up last year.

But the games are about to get harder for many teams.

Hill is the biggest star so far, throwing for 511 yards in a win over South Carolina in the season opener. His 794 passing yards rank third nationally.