Jordan Rodgers, who championed Arch Manning last offseason, now believes that he is not college football's best quarterback. This is unpleasant news for the Texas Longhorns starter, overshadowed by another.

“No, I don’t,” the former QB said on ESPN College Football when asked about Manning’s status as the best college QB.

 He joined Mike Tannenbaum and Dan Graziano on June 29 to discuss Manning and his trajectory. During the segment, Rodgers said the best quarterback heading into this season is Trinidad Chambliss.

The ESPN analyst then stated that he supported Manning last season, and he has the best regular-season stats. 

“I was the one, maybe the only one last year preseason saying, ‘Let's pump the brakes a little bit. We haven't seen this guy play yet.’ Now, he did play really well down the stretch,” he said. “Seven, one down the stretch, 20 touchdowns, just two interceptions. Arch was the best quarterback at the end of the regular season.”

The 22-year-old QB from New Orleans had a stunning run last season. He threw for 3,163 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns for just seven interceptions. Chambliss, on the flip side, ended his regular season with 3,937 passing yards, 22 passing TDs, and just 3 INTs in 15 games. 

In his postseason run, the Ole Miss Rebels QB recorded 558 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. This performance impress Rodgers, who raved about him. 

“What he did in that playoff, he was the best player, 362 yards against Georgia, almost single-handedly beat Miami to advance to the national championship,” the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB said. “He might have been, and there was a lot of people talking about him as a first-round draft pick if he chose to come out.”

Even though he does not see Manning as the top QB, he does have high expectations for him.

Arch Manning seen as contender for the Heisman Trophy

In his take over the Texas Longhorns’ starter, Jordan Rodgers revealed that he expects Arch Manning to win major laurels in his college career. 

“I expect him to be in New York at the Heisman Trophy ceremony,” Rodgers said. “He's going to be really good, but I still think some of those mechanical issues I want to see cleaned up to project him to be a top 10 or a first-round draft pick next year.”

The Longhorns are set to open the season against their rivals, Texas State, on September 5. The in-state rivalry will make for prime football, and Manning will get his chance to sway Rodgers’ opinion. 

What do you think of him?

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar