SEC QB carousel is good for one, struggle for others

As we enter college football Week 5, some SEC teams have already made multiple quarterback changes.

While it may be necessary to find a new groove for offenses, it must impact the young passers mentally as well. Saturday will be a huge opportunity to see how some of them respond.

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze swapped out season starter Payton Thorne in Week 3 for freshman passer Hank Brown. The very next week, Brown was benched for Thorne, who starts again for the Tigers in Week 5.

"What really went into that decision was that I experienced that two weeks earlier and I wasn’t going to continue down that road," Freeze told reporters Monday of his decision-making process.

Both quarterbacks combined for four interceptions in the last game for the program, so clearly a reset was needed for someone. Saturday's game against No. 21 Oklahoma will really test Thorne — and Freeze's — mentalities.

Speaking of the Sooners, head coach Brent Venables has his own quarterback problem.

During last week's loss to Tennessee, Venables benched season starter Jackson Arnold for freshman Michael Hawkins Jr.

Saturday he'll turn to Hawkins to make his first collegiate start, a sure blow to Arnold's confidence.

"Still believe in Jackson," Venables told The Ada News. "It’s just the right thing to do in this moment."

Meanwhile, the quarterback "controversy" in Austin, Texas, has been anything but a problem.

Freshman Arch Manning will make his second collegiate start, his first in the SEC, as season starter Quinn Ewers continues to recover from an oblique injury.

Manning, while not perfect, led No. 1 Texas to a convincing 51-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe in Week 4 — tallying 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

He'll face lowly Mississippi State on Saturday, looking to prove his flashy play is no temporary fluke.

But the Manning era in Austin won't be permanent as long as Ewers returns healthy. His own camp knows he's the backup and is not on any "fast track."

These SEC quarterback storylines will be worth tracking the rest of the season, but Week 5 will offer the next test in their intriguing sagas.