SEC Schools Interested in Former NC State QB Russell Wilson

After some drama surrounding his minor league baseball career and his noncommittal stance on whether he'd play football again, Russell Wilson has been dismissed by NC State. He was first team All-ACC his freshman year and second team All-ACC last season. He also led the conference in passing yards and total yards per game in 2010.

Wilson is primarily a passing quarterback, though he does have some mobility. Because he has already graduated, he has some mobility among colleges too. A recent NCAA rule allows him to transfer without sitting out a year. So with that in mind, cue Joe Schad:

Which schools might those be? Glad you asked.

Who it's not likely to be: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.

Alabama and Arkansas have quarterbacks who are already familiar with their systems ready to step in for departed starters, though Bama's not quite sure which one it will be yet. Georgia and Tennessee have promising sophomores set to make a step forward in 2012, and bringing in Wilson would only disrupt their development. I can't imagine Florida screwing over a legacy player like John Brantley by bringing Wilson in. He wouldn't be a great fit at Mississippi State, and he'd probably not enjoy rotating with the more mobile Chris Relf all year. Kentucky and Vandy are probably not big enough destinations to land him.

Auburn: The Tigers have a couple of quarterbacks vying for the starting role, but landing Wilson would provide a star to buoy a team that lost more than two dozen players off of its national title team. He's no Cam Newton, but he would do well there.

LSU: A lot of people seem to think LSU is a prime landing spot for Wilson, but I'm not so sure. Jordan Jefferson did well enough in Spring to hold onto the starting job, and they already have a splashy transfer in Zach Mettenberger. However, LSU might be a top QB away from being the national title favorite, and Wilson could be that guy.

Ole Miss: Houston Nutt seemingly has never met a transfer quarterback he didn't like, but again, this seems like an unlikely landing spot. Randall Mackey got a lot of praise in spring, and like LSU, the Rebels got a highly touted transfer this year in Barry Brunetti. Still, you never can count Nutt out in these things, can you?

South Carolina: The Gamecocks got to see Wilson up close in their game in 2009, and with Stephen Garcia in disciplinary limbo again, they could use a reliable quarterback. Steve Spurrier seems fairly high on Connor Shaw as a backup, but Wilson would be a better alternate option to Garcia than the young Shaw is.

Of course, the SEC is not the only place where teams might be looking for some help behind center this fall. Being the premier conference though, the SEC has a better chance than any other at landing him.

It's worth noting that despite Wilson's prolific yardage output last year, his passing efficiency dropped to a career low 127.71 last year. He figures to make an impact on whatever team he ends up on, but he'll only have fall practice to get current with his new squad. Whether or not that's enough time to be worth the upheaval depends on which place he actually lands.