SEC StatCat's Top5 Pressured Passers ahead of 2021

Though passing under pressure is volatile and rather unpredictable, quarterbacks need to be able to operate when dressed from time to time. If passing from clean pockets help set a passer’s floor, then play when pressured can aid in determining one’s ceiling. Being able to stand tall in the face of a defender barreling towards you or playing backyard ball when a design fails is crucial to keep drives afloat and win ball game s. Though these snaps don’t do a great job of forecasting year-in and year-out, I think most would rather have the guys that don’t constantly fold under the gun. Here are the SEC’s top5 pressured passers returning for 2021. 

5. Max Johnson

LSU’s Max Johnson certainly showed promise during his freshman season while facing pressure. On the whole, his figures were relatively forgettable. But based on how his returning SEC contemporaries performed, his profile is as good as anyone’s. The Tiger faced pressure on about a quarter of his attempts and was flustered into plenty of uncatchable uncatchable attempts. In fact, no returner sports a worse Pressured Uncatchable Pass Rate. But despite that and suffering from a 8.1% Drop Rate — the highest clip of anyone on this list — the soon-to-be sophomore dons a top5 Depth Adjusted Accuracy%, Success Rate, First Down+TD Rate, Interceptable Pass Rate, and Yards/Attempt within the SEC ahead of this fall. 

4. Luke Doty

Playing small within structure and avoiding negative plays under pressure is a difficult modus operandi from which to sustain success, but South Carolina’s Luke Doty simply had no other alternative. No returner experienced a higher Pressure Rate than his 37% clip. Whether it was him buying time after a busted rep or beating a blitz, Doty was a typical check down charlie. His average depth of target is the 2nd-lowest amongst returners, which allowed him to keep his chances in play. Behind the SEC’s best returning Uncatchable Pass Rate and Depth Adjusted Accuracy, Doty rocks the 3rd-best Yards/Attempt, 4th-best Success Rate, and 2nd-best Explosive Pass Rate. 

3. Myles Brennan

Myles Brennan edges out his Tiger teammate thanks to out-dueling him with his result-based metrics when pressured. While Johnson was slapped with an 8.1% Drop Rate, Brennan’s targets didn’t log a single one in this context . With that, his Success Rate and First Down+TD Rate bests all other conference returners. Plus, his Pressured Explosive Pass Rate and Yards/Attempt crack the SEC’s top3 ahead of 2021. While the results are nice, Brennan’s depth-adjusted accuracy finished 14th within the conference last year and his 11.1% Interceptable Pass Rate more than doubles Johnson’s. Though Brennan was fortunate to log a pretty respectable bottomline, his iffy ball placement in these unstable situations suggest he could be in for some bad bites if he fails to handle himself better. 

2. JT Daniels

Not one to beat defenders with his legs, JT Daniels showed he’s up to the task of besting blitzes and neutralizing pressures with his arm. While his overall Depth-Adjusted Accuracy was rather crappy, his clip when pressured reached a respectable 46.7% last fall. Ahead of this season, it holds the conference’s bronze medal with Daniels rocking the 2nd-highest average depth of target. This laudable ball placement is accentuated by the fact the Bulldog didn’t throw a single interceptable pass attempt under duress in 2020. Daniels’ results were just as strong as his process. His Yards/Attempt and Uncatchable Pass Rate reached the top4 amongst returners while his Success Rate, First Down+TD Rate, and Explosive Pass Rate all are top3 worthy. 

1. Matt Corral 

Whether it was eliminating a would-be sack with one of his ample scrambles or finding a target whilst in a defender’s cross hairs, Matt Corral is the most well-rounded conference QB returner under pressure. The Rebel ranks no less than third amongst SEC returners in pressured Depth Adjusted Accuracy, Success Rate, First Down+Td Rate, Uncatchable Pass Rate, and Interceptable Pass Rate. With the exception to the latter, all were top5 worthy within the conference last year. And to further rose-scent the Rebel’s resume in this context, no returner can challenge his 9.2 Yards/Attempt or 15.4% Explosive Pass Rate. Though a number of his result-based metrics look up to Brennan’s, Corral bests the Tiger’s Depth Adjusted Accuracy by over 15 percentage points, which solidifies his premium position on this list.