The Southeastern Conference lost several great quarterbacks from 2013 including Johnny Manziel from Texas A & M, Georgia’s Aaron Murray, A.J. McCarron from Alabama, LSU’s Zach Mettenberger, and Connor Shaw of South Carolina. I would also throw James Franklin from Missouri into that conversation as well.

How will their replacements fare in 2014? Will the SEC’s production at quarterback decline or improve this season? Even with the names mentioned above leaving the conference, most of the teams have set themselves up nicely with solid replacements.

Dylan Thompson at South Carolina is a senior leader that has a lot of game experience, so he should fit right into the system there. With Shaw, it was more of a spread look because of his mobility. Thompson is a pro-style quarterback, so expect Steve Spurrier to tailor the offense to meet his playing style. He has a great running back in Mike Davis and some big-time targets at receiver and tight end. The production at quarterback shouldn’t change much in Columbia, South Carolina.

Shaw was a great quarterback at USC, but with Spurrier coaching, there’s little concern over the quarterback position.

At Alabama there’s competition to replace McCarron, and there are four guys that could win the job. Florida State transfer Jacob Coker is the fan favorite, but Blake Sims, Cooper Bateman, and David Cornwell also offer solid competition. This situation isn’t much different than the one in South Carolina. McCarron was a great quarterback, but he also thrived in the system Nick Saban put in place for him. Saban provided McCarron with one of the top offensive lines in the nation, a deep backfield of running backs, and playmakers at wide receiver. Whichever quarterback wins this job will come into a situation in which they won’t have as much pressure to perform. They can simply be game managers, as McCarron was often called.

Saban has set up the next quarterback at Alabama well, with weapons on offense and a solid offensive line.

The outlook for LSU and Texas A&M doesn’t look as bright. LSU’s replacement for Mettenberger will be either sophomore Anthony Jennings or true freshmen Brandon Harris. Judging by the spring game it appears that Harris is the better option. The Tigers have a great offensive coordinator in Cam Cameron, who will eventually develop one of these guys into a solid quarterback, but I’m not sure how long that will take.

Manziel was the operating piece for the Aggies. Everything they did offensively revolved around his skills as a quarterback. Now, they will have to change the offense to fit the skill set of the new quarterback. Kyle Allen, a true freshman, is listed on 247Sports as the No.1 pro-style quarterback in the nation in last year’s recruiting class. Sophomore Kenny Hill is in contention for the spot, but early predictions have Allen coming out on top of the depth chart.

Georgia RB Todd Gurley is likely to take a lot of pressure off Hutson Mason this season.

The situations in Georgia and Missouri look bright for now. Hutson Mason is a senior that has been around the offense, so it’s not like putting a true freshman out there. He will have a great running game to lean on, and he has some of the top receivers in the SEC returning. Mason will have a solid year for the Bulldogs.

Missouri loses Franklin, but Mauk played very well last year, throwing 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions. His situation is rather unlucky considering he loses Dorial Green-Beckham, L’Damian Washington, and star running back Henry Josey. Mauk has showed the ability to make plays, and head coach Gary Pinkel had good things to say about him at SEC Media Days. He will be a solid replacement for this Missouri Tigers team.

So all in all, the SEC quarterback situation still looks very good. Eventually Kyle Allen and Brandon Harris will likely develop into top quarterbacks, along with Maty Mauk, who is just a sophomore. Hutson Mason and Dylan Thompson are seniors, but their experience will help them lead their teams this fall. While some may look at what the SEC lost at the position, attention should be focused on how well each quarterback will fit into their system this season. Outside of LSU and Texas A&M, I don’t expect any of these teams to take a major hit at the position. There are some good young quarterbacks in this conference that will be exciting to watch over the next few years.