$5.4 million QB named No. 3 quarterback in college football

A quarterback at a Power Four college football program has been named third-best at the position by a major outlet.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs with the ball against the Michigan Wolverines | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

More than a week has passed since the end of the 2025 college football season. A lengthy offseason separates the College Football Playoff National Championship game from the first weekend of the 2026 season.

As each season ends, outlets from around the college football media landscape release way too early projections for how the following season will unfold. This may include top 25 rankings, College Football Playoff bracket projections and rankings of the best returning college football players.

J.D. PicKell of On3 compiled a list of the 10 best college football quarterbacks heading into the 2026 season on his show, "The Hard Count." PicKell included 2025 Texas starter Arch Manning at No. 3 on his list.

"I think that he cracked the code toward the end of last year. It was a slow start, it was a weird start, and it was weird because you saw Arch Manning do a lot of things that looked like he didn't have the juice physically," PicKell said.

"Once he settled in, I think we all got to see Arch Manning is just fine physically, like Arch Manning has all the goods physically. His last six games had a total of 19 touchdowns."

The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder was a five-star recruit in Texas' 2023 signing class, the final season the Longhorns were members of the Big 12.

Manning only attempted passes in Texas' blowout win over Texas Tech in 2023, going two-for-five for 30 yards while rushing for seven more yards. He also played in the final minutes of the 2023 Big 12 Championship game.

Quinn Ewers suffered an injury against UTSA in 2024, so Manning started the following two games, ULM and Mississippi State. Despite backing up Ewers most of the season, Manning was heavily featured in short-yardage run packages. In total, he completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 108 yards and four more touchdowns.

As PicKell mentioned, the first half of the season was challenging for Manning and the Longhorns. Texas fell in each of its first two games against Power Four foes at Ohio State (14-7) and Florida (29-21). October brought challenges in the form of overtime road wins at Kentucky (16-13) and Mississippi State (45-38).

However, a road loss at Georgia (35-10) was the Longhorns' only loss in their final eight games. In total, Manning passed for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 399 yards and 10 more touchdowns, guiding Texas to a 10-3 overall record.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a game against the Texas A&M Aggies | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images