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Despite his stellar 3,000+ yards plus run in 2025, Texas Longhorns’ Arch Manning is falling behind another quarterback. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has reaffirmed that, going into this season, the Ole Miss Rebels QB reigns superior between the two.
“I will say this: The Arch Manning we saw over the last eight games last season was entirely different than the dude we saw in the first five,” Smith said on July 20 on ESPN’s First Take.
This conversation took place before Day 1 of the SEC Media Days in Tampa. Jordan Rodgers, a former NFL player and football analyst, kicked off this conversation by answering the pressing question: Is Arch Manning the best QB currently in the SEC?
Rodgers was quick to agree.
“No,” he said in the episode uploaded on ESPN College Football’s YouTube page. “he’s not. It’s Trinidad Chambliss.”
But was the comparison fair? Reports questioned Manning’s health last season.
“It was unclear how healthy Arch Manning was throughout most of the regular season, as many believed he dealt with shoulder pain for a majority of the year,” Tanner Shapiro of Sports Illustrated wrote on July 21.
Last season, 22-year-old Manning from New Orleans threw for 3,163 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns for just seven interceptions.
Trinidad Chambliss, the Ole Miss Rebels quarterback, ended his regular season with a whopping 3,937 passing yards and 22 passing TDs.
He played in 15 games and threw just 3 interceptions. While Manning is expected to further his family legacy, Chambliss has had a remarkable arc.
Why Chambliss’ postseason run sealed his No. 1 status?
Trinidad Chambliss, a Division II transfer, has outshone everyone in the competition. With him, the Rebels put forth one of the best runs in their history.
The Rebels reached the College Football Playoff and won two games before losing to the Miami Hurricanes, who reached the finale.
All the while, their former head coach Lane Kiffin’s abrupt exit destabilized their campaign. In his postseason run, Chambliss recorded 558 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
The Longhorns ended with an underwhelming 10-3 record. Chambliss’ ability to lead his team last season cemented his status as the best SEC quarterback in Stephen A Smith’s eyes.
“But to see the transfer that was Trinidad Chambliss perform the way he did throughout the season, while Lane Kiffin was there and after he departed, and balling the way he did on the big stage of the College Football Playoffs, I don’t see how anybody can just put Arch Manning ahead of him,” Stephen A Smith added further. “I’m sorry. I’m not doing it.”
The two quarterbacks will face each other on October 24. This game could hold College Football Playoff implications and answer the question for good. What are your thoughts?
