Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer has done a lot to fortify the Crimson Tide's secondary in the NCAA transfer portal, adding four defensive backs since he was hired four months ago. That's in addition to cornerback Domani Jackson, who Alabama added from the portal in December.

So what's he gearing up for?

Some highly gifted quarterbacks await the UA defense this fall, and a couple of the best will get to test the Crimson Tide early in the season. A year ago around this time, we took an early peek at the passers on Alabama's 2023 schedule. Now, quarterback rankings for Alabama's 2024 schedule are back again. For several schools, the quarterback listed is projected, but not certain, to start; fall camps could render a few of these as backups when the season begins. Let's dive in:

1) Carson Beck, fifth-year senior, Georgia

Career starts: 14

Faces Alabama: Sept. 28 in Tuscaloosa

Why he's No. 1: Beck was outstanding in his first year as a starter last season and nearly led the Bulldogs to a shot at a third consecutive national title. He led the SEC in passing yards (3,941), ranked second in the league in completion percentage (72.4%), third in TD passes (24), and third in yards per attempt (9.5). All that, and he knows when to get rid of the ball, too — he took 11 sacks all year. Not a difficult choice here; Beck is formidable by any measure.

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2) Brady Cook, fifth-year senior, Missouri

Career starts: 27

Faces Alabama: Oct. 26 in Tuscaloosa

Why he's No. 2: Cook was brilliant last season in leading the Tigers to an 11-win season, including a trouncing of Tennessee and a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. He knows where to find the open man, he's accurate, and he'll again be connecting with one of the most explosive receivers in college football in Luther Burden. Cook is also deceptively athletic and can move the chains as a runner, as well.

3) Tyler Van Dyke, fifth-year senior, Wisconsin

Career starts: 28

Faces Alabama: Sept. 14 in Madison, Wisc.

Why he's No. 3: Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin from Miami, where he started for three seasons and piled up 54 career TD passes. The 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year should bring instant juice to a UW passing attack that historically underwhelms. Last year, he hung five TD passes on Texas A&M. He's no threat to run, so he'll have to do his damage from the pocket, but he'll be a strong early test for the UA pass defense.

4) Nico Iamaleava, redshirt freshman, Tennessee

Career starts: 1

Faces Alabama: Oct. 19 in Knoxville.

Why he's No. 4: Tennessee fans have been waiting for Iamaleava to take the helm of Josh Heupel's offense since the day he stepped on campus. As a freshman last year, he looked the part as a backup to Joe Milton, but there's some buy-in on the hype here, too, because his track record is still awfully short. At season's end, he won the Citrus Bowl MVP with four touchdowns (three rushing) in his first career start, a 35-0 win over Iowa.

5) Jackson Arnold, sophomore, Oklahoma

Career starts: 1

Faces Alabama: Nov. 23 in Norman, Okla.

Why he's No. 5: Arnold's career track has somewhat mirrored Iamaleava's: both were highly-touted, five-star recruits. Both served as freshman backups last year and made their debuts as starters in bowl action. And both are mega-talents with a lot of room for growth. Arnold threw for 361 yards, but also three interceptions, in Arizona's 38-24 Alamo Bowl win over the Sooners.

6) Payton Thorne, sixth-year senior, Auburn

Career starts: 39

Faces Alabama: Nov. 30 in Tuscaloosa

Why he's No. 6: Thorne is the most experienced passer in the league, entering his fourth year as a starter (two at Michigan State, one at Auburn). He's no superstar, but he's a savvy team captain and should have a better offense around him this fall. He caused Alabama's defense a lot of problems as a runner in the second half of the Iron Bowl last year.

7) Garrett Nussmeier, fourth-year junior, LSU

Career starts: 1

Faces Alabama: Nov. 9 in Baton Rouge

Why he's No. 7: Though Nussmeier made one start at LSU, he's more experienced than that would suggest. Across three years as a backup, he's thrown 219 passes, and lit up Georgia for 294 yards in a half in the 2022 SEC title game. With a career TD-INT ratio of 11-7, he'll have to be more productive with fewer turnovers to carry the Tigers offense.

8) TJ Finley, fifth-year junior, Western Kentucky

Career starts: 24

Faces Alabama: Aug. 31 in Tuscaloosa

Why he's No. 8: Now at his fourth school in five years, Finley figures to get his third career shot to beat Alabama, if he can win the job. He lost home games to the Crimson Tide as LSU's quarterback in 2020 and Auburn's in 2021. He was inconsistent as an SEC quarterback, but found his career footing at Texas State last year, where he notched a road upset at Baylor and posted a 24-8 TD-INT ratio.

9) Byrum Brown, junior, South Florida

Career starts: 15

Faces Alabama: Sept. 7 in Tuscaloosa

Why he's No. 9: Brown had an outstanding season for the Bulls last year, accounting for 4,101 total yards and breaking all kinds of school records, culminating in a Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP performance. He lit up the AAC, but given that he struggled mightily at home against Alabama, it's hard to rank him any higher ahead of a visit to Tuscaloosa.

10) LaNorris Sellers, redshirt freshman, South Carolina

Career starts: none

Faces Alabama: Oct. 12 in Tuscaloosa

Why he's No. 10: Sellers, a home-state recruit, steps into Spencer Rattler's shoes after winning the starting role in spring practice. If Sellers can't hold the job, former Auburn QB Robby Ashford awaits his second shot at starting in the SEC.

11) Nate Johnson, third-year sophomore, Vanderbilt

Career starts: 3

Faces Alabama: Oct. 5 in Nashville

Why he's No. 11: Ranked the No. 16 QB in the country out of high school, Johnson showed dual-threat promise as a redshirt freshman at Utah last year in limited action. Also competing for a starting role is transfer Diego Pavia, who comes in from New Mexico State.

12) DJ Smith, junior, Mercer

Career starts: none

Faces Alabama: Nov. 16 in Tuscaloosa

Why he's No. 12: No matter who the Bears trot out, it's going to be tough sledding. Smith comes in from Jones County (Miss.) Junior College. Another possibility is true freshman Neko Fann, who competed in spring drills.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Ranking opposing quarterbacks on Alabama football's 2024 schedule