Despite his limited on-field experience at the college level, college football analysts have been gushing over Texas quarterback Arch Manning ahead of the 2025 season.
With Quinn Ewers out of the picture, Manning, who was the No. 1 recruit out of high school in 2023, will finally get his chance to take over as the Longhorns' starting quarterback, and expectations are incredibly high.
Not everyone is ready to jump aboard the Manning hype train just yet, however. ESPN's Jordan Rodgers pushed back on the narrative that the Texas quarterback is destined to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, and even ranked him beneath a handful of quarterbacks in the SEC leading into the season.
"I have Arch Manning at fifth in the SEC when it comes to quarterbacks, when a lot of the media and a lot of the landscape of college football is talking about him being a top 10 or a No. 1 overall draft pick next year. I think that is insane," said Rodgers on College Football Live, via On3.
Among those who have had effusive admiration for Manning is renowned college football analyst Paul Finebaum, who even called him the best college quarterback since Tim Tebow. Rodgers pushed the brakes on that talk, suggesting that, despite holding Manning in incredibly high regard, the narrative surrounding the 21-year-old has gotten a bit out of hand.
In parts of 10 games last season, Manning completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN's Jordan Rodgers Has Arch Manning Ranked Stunningly Low Among SEC QBs.