College Football HQ

$5.4 Million QB Ranked No. 1 in SEC Entering 2026 College Football Season

A familiar face tops a ranking of SEC QBs for 2026.
Joe Cox|
Heading into 2025, few would have expected Arch Manning to still be in college a year later. But now, he's the top-ranked SEC QB entering 2026.
Heading into 2025, few would have expected Arch Manning to still be in college a year later. But now, he's the top-ranked SEC QB entering 2026. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

In this story:

Texas Longhorns

One thing at a premium in modern college football is familiar faces. Between the transfer portal and the road to the NFL, for fans, it can seem like favorite players barely arrive before they're out the door again. But that's not the case with the SEC's top ranked QB, according to a recent CBS Sports article.

CBS Sports' Cody Nagel ranked the SEC's top passers heading into 2026. Only six returning starters from 2025 are slated to be in place for 2026, but that includes the league's top three projected passers, according to Nagel.

The Top SEC QB

The unsurprising top pick is Texas's Arch Manning. Heading into 2025, Manning was viewed as a likely Heisman Trophy contender and Texas began the year as the nation's No. 1 ranked team. It didn't quite turn out this way, as both took some lumps over the year.

But Nagel notes that Manning accounted for 16 touchdowns over the final six weeks of the regular season while committing just two turnovers. He also terms Manning's athleticism as "often overlooked" calling him "the most physically gifted" QB in his historic family.

That's one side of the coin for the immensely talented Manning, possessor of a $5.4 million NIL valuation from On3Sports. His 2025 totals of 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns are impressive... but they only tell part of the story.

Manning's Struggles

Pedestrian teams like San Jose State and Kentucky managed to get Manning off track a year ago. He completed less than half of his passes in each game, threw for a combined 246 yards and just one touchdown. This is even more remarkable in light of Kentucky and San Jose State going a combined 8-18 for the season.

At times, particularly early in the season, Manning seemed to be near a case of the yips, so extreme and egregious were his passing misses. Maybe it's the lack of prior experience (just two college starts heading into 2025), maybe it was heavy expectations, or maybe it was a porous Texas offensive line and a weak receiving corps.

Finebaum
ESPN personality Paul Finebaum has been both of one of Arch Manning's biggest promoters and detractors, depending on Arch's latest effort. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In any case, there's definite reason for optimism this year. Manning did play better as the season went and Texas had one of the nation's top transfer portal classes, so he should have a more agreeable assortment of offensive teammates in 2026.

For Texas partisans, Manning is back and a year older and more mature. For the rest of the SEC, a familiar face might be bad news for their SEC title hopes.

Sark
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian might get a sharper performance from Arch Manning in 2026 than he did in 2025. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

Home/News