$5.3 million college football QB predicted to win the Heisman Trophy next season

A quarterback at a major college football program has been projected to win the Heisman Trophy in 2026.

Dec 31, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) rushes with the ball for a touchdown against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The 2025 College Football Playoff wrapped up its quarterfinal round on Thursday. Four teams are advancing to the College Football Playoff semifinal round: No. 1 Indiana, No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Miami.

Fernando Mendoza of Indiana received the Heisman Trophy amid his quest to lead the Hoosiers to a national championship victory in the 2025 College Football Playoff. With the 2025 Heisman Trophy ceremony in the rearview mirror, the question now revolves around the contenders for the award in 2026.

Despite a vast array of prospects for the award, some are turning to a name that was floated for the Heisman Trophy before the beginning of the 2026 season.

College football media personality Paul Finebaum had previously claimed Texas quarterback Arch Manning was the best player the sport had seen since Tim Tebow and predicted that he would win the Heisman Trophy.

Finebaum once again projected Manning to win the award in 2026.

SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

"I can't help but think back to six months ago today when a bespeckled, balding, aging, former sports writer appeared on your show and made the prediction that everybody hated about Arch Manning being the next Tim Tebow," Finebaum said on "Get Up" on ESPN.

"He wasn't that. But in the last two months of the season, I'm gonna give him the Heisman. You can't give him the Heisman for the last two months, but he was one of the best players, if not the best quarterback in the country."

Should Manning stay out of the 2026 NFL draft, he would enter his fourth season with the Longhorns. He redshirted in 2023, appearing in a blowout victory over Texas Tech (57-7) in which he completed two of five passes for 30 yards and ran for another seven yards.

While Manning backed up Quinn Ewers over the course of the 2024 season, the Longhorns still featured him heavily in short-yardage packages. He appeared in 10 games and passed for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 108 yards and four touchdowns.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) is tackled by Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Payton Page (55) | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Longhorns did not come storming out of the gate with Manning in 2025. Texas began the season 3-2, losing at Ohio State (14-7) and Florida (29-21).

Despite the fact that the Longhorns won all of them, the final three games of October were a challenge as they prevailed in a defensive duel with Oklahoma (23-6) and trudged through a pair of overtime road victories against Kentucky (16-13) and Mississippi State (45-38).

But as Finebaum alluded to, Manning became stronger as the season went along. He finished 2025 with 3,163 passing yards for 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 399 yards and 10 touchdowns. Texas ended its season with a victory over No. 18 Michigan (41-27) in the Citrus Bowl.