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The college football world hasn't seen much ofArch Manning under center-but that hasn't stopped the hype from catching fire.
With Quinn Ewers gone to the NFL, Manning is expected to take over as Texas' starter this fall. He's already got the name, the pedigree, and now, the buzz: Bleacher Report's John Frascella ranked Manning as his No. 1 quarterback for the 2026 NFL Draft earlier this week-ahead of Clemson's Cade Klubnik, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, and Miami's Carson Beck.
Yes, that Carson Beck-the two-year Georgia starter who threw for nearly 4,000 yards last season and led the Bulldogs to a playoff berth. Beck, one of the most battle-tested QBs in college football, was placed at No. 7.
NFL Draft boards are tilting early-and they're favoring upside over experience
Frascella's rankings immediately stirred debate among fans and insiders. It's not the first time Manning has been placed among the elite. On3's Ari Wasserman recently listed him as the No. 3 college QB headed into 2025, despite just two career starts and fewer than 1,000 total ing yards.
Even NFL scouts seem divided. "There's no denying the tools," one AFC scouting director told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer."But we haven't seen him run an offense consistently yet. We're still in projection mode." Another scout was more blunt: "You're guessing."
That's not to say the guesswork is totally unwarranted. Manning's brief appearances last year were explosive: 9 touchdown es, 4 rushing scores, and flashes of athleticism that caught teams off guard. And with Steve Sarkisian's QB-friendly system in Austin, it's easy to imagine those flashes turning into fireworks.
Meanwhile, Beck's drop says as much about the obsession with upside as it does about him. He's not flashy-but he's steady. Scouts may be overthinking the value of proven production in favor of the "what if?" promise surrounding Manning.
Texas fans won't have to wait long to find out if the hype is real. But the message is clear: Arch isn't just stepping into the spotlight-he might already own it.