A month ago, Arch Manning was considered the No. 1 quarterback prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. It didn’t take long for him to lose his grip on the top spot.
Manning hasn’t looked very sharp as the starting quarterback for Texas. He has completed 55.3% of his passes for 579 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions through the first three games of the 2025 season. The former five-star recruit from Isidore Newman looked extremely uncomfortable last weekend against UTEP.
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During this Saturday’s edition of “College GameDay,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel unveiled a poll that ranked the No. 1 quarterback in the country. He said 25 NFL executives and scouts were surveyed.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 1: Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns walks off the field after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)CFP/Getty Images
As of this weekend, South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers is considered the No. 1 prospect for the 2026 class. He has a slight edge over LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier.
Sellers is off to a slow start this season, make no mistake about it. His 2024 film, however, was very impressive. The dual-threat quarterback had 2,534 passing yards, 674 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns.
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Here’s the full poll from Thamel:
LaNorris Sellers (8 votes)
Garrett Nussmeier (7 votes)
What do NFL Draft analysts think?
Before the start of the 2025 season, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. revealed that Manning was at the top of his big board.
“We put him at No. 1 because we have to. It’s Arch Manning. We saw glimpses last year of the greatness he could provide that Texas offense. Running the football, he’s got great legs. Cooper Manning, his father, was a wide receiver until he got injured. So he’s got speed – something Eli and Peyton didn’t have…” Kiper said. “We don’t know if he will develop into that because he only has 95 career pass attempts… But for right now you have to put him in one.”
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Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay, on the other hand, had Clemson’s Cade Klubnik ranked in the No. 1 spot. So far, that take hasn’t aged well.
“Klubnik I’ve got at No. 1 because I think he’s got size, he’s got mobility, he’s got arm strength, he’s got the tools and I saw a lot of refinement from him last year,” McShay said, via On3. “What a jump from 2023 to 2024. I love his ability to drive the deep out with the verticals and the arm strength. He extends a lot of play but he does it with poise. He’s got instincts, agility and enough strength to ward off defenders. He was only sacked 23 times in 14 games last year.”
Suffice to say, it’s a guessing game as to who’ll be the No. 1 quarterback taken in next year’s draft.
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For now though, Sellers and Nussmeier seem to be at the top of their class.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.