Arch Manning Named College Football's 4th Best Quarterback
Arch Manning is projected to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL Draft. But is he even the country's No. 1 college football quarterback?
ESPN has Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, going No. 1 overall to the Arizona Cardinals next spring.
"Pairing Manning with Jeremiyah Love would give the Cardinals two elite building blocks. Manning, at 6-foot-4, 219 pounds, is a sturdy dual-threat quarterback. He finished with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdown throws and seven interceptions in his first year as a starter while adding 10 rushing touchdowns. Manning's throwing motion, footwork and progressions are still inconsistent, leading to scattershot ball placement and holding on to the ball too long, but he continued developing as the season went on. He has all the traits of a No. 1 pick -- he just needs to unlock the next stage of his development," ESPN projects.
"Even after they drafted Carson Beck in the third round last week, QB is absolutely in play for the Cardinals if they have a high pick."
But according to On3, Manning isn't even the best quarterback in college football right now. He's not the second or third best, either.
Manning came in at No. 4 in the quarterback rankings for the 2026 college football season, which is approaching quickly.
Texas quarterback snubbed by preseason rankings?
Was Manning snubbed or is this where he deserves to come in?
- Oregon QB Dante Moore
- LSU QB Sam Leavitt
- Ohio State QB Julian Sayin
- Texas QB Arch Manning
College football fans are debating.
"Arch (i get it) just isn't a top 10 player college right now. Might still be top 10 as projects forward, but for this year so many better players you could argue in that ten spot," one fan wrote.
"Arch Manning has had about 3 good games in his career against legit opponents. Leavitt wasn't good last season," one fan added.
"Sam Leavitt is not better than Julian or Arch. He is not that good," another fan wrote.
We'll have to let the games play out this fall.
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 7:51 AM.