ESPN published a ranking of all 136 FBS quarterbacks ahead of the 2026 season on Tuesday morning.
The ranking accounts for programs who have not yet named a starter. The players are grouped by tier, starting with the ‘Tier 1A’ contingent.
That segment of players includes 2 stars — Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Miami’s Darian Mensah and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr also made the cut.
Manning earned a spot on the list thanks to a strong close to end the 2025 season. Over his final 5 regular season games, Manning averaged 8.2 yards per attempt to go along with 12 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions. He led the Longhorns to a 4-1 record over those contests as well.
Experts are projecting Manning to contend for the Heisman Trophy this season. Here’s the latest Heisman odds on Kalshi:
Chambliss is another preseason Heisman contender after leading Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. Here’s an excerpt of ESPN’s analysis on what Chambliss accomplished in 2025:
On third- or fourth-and-long in 2025, Chambliss posted a 97.0 QBR with seven touchdowns, no turnovers, six completions of 20 yards or more, five runs of 10 yards or more and converted at a 42% clip, the highest rate of any returning quarterback.
Only two Power 4/Power 5 QBs in the playoff era have posted 4,000 total yards and 30 touchdowns with fewer than five turnovers in a season: Bo Nix in 2023 and Chambliss last season.
Manning and Chambliss will go head-to-head this year on Oct. 24 when the Longhorns host Ole Miss in Austin.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
