Who will be SEC’s 3,000-yard passers for 2016?

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With few proven or truly experienced quarterbacks coming back this year, the SEC should continue to rest on the backs of its hefty running games.

But that doesn’t mean the league will be void of high passing numbers here and there. While you won’t see Pac-12 numbers from these gunslingers, there are a couple of top-flight quarterbacks returning and some smart offensive coordinators ready to light the skies when possible.

Last year, the SEC had four 3,000-yard passers — Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly (4,042), Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott (3,793), Arkansas’ Brandon Allen (3,440) and Alabama’s Jake Coker (3,110). Kelly is the only one of those four who returns in 2016.

So how many 3,000-yard passers will the SEC see this season? I’ll say four, again.

Here’s my list in order of most likely to get to 3,000 yards:

Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly threw for 4,042 yards last season and should air it out again this year. Stacy Revere/Getty Images

1. Chad Kelly, Ole Miss: Pretty easy choice when you consider that he threw for a school-record 4,042 yards in his first season as a starter for the Rebels. Laquon Treadwell is gone, but Kelly still has a solid receiving corps to work with, and with questions still remaining at running back, Ole Miss will rely on his arm a lot this fall.

2. Austin Allen, Arkansas: Maybe it’s because of good genes or the fact that Dan Enos did a tremendous job with Allen’s older brother last year. Or maybe it’s because Bret Bielema thinks the younger Allen can actually throw the ball around better than his elder. With Enos’ instruction and a very solid and deep unit of receivers returning in …

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