Arch Manning’s future at Texas has turned into college football’s loudest quarterback storyline, and a transfer for the 2027 season would instantly make him the most coveted name in the portal. While Manning hasn’t communicated any transfer intentions, this list fuels speculation about where he might land.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said, “I need to see a better version of Arch Manning,” before last Saturday’s 34-27 win over Ole Miss. Manning sits at No. 24 on Mel Kiper Jr.’s 2027 NFL Draft big board, and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said, “I do not believe Arch should go to the NFL.”
Ole Miss offers family ties
Trinidad Chambliss is in his final season of eligibility and ranks No. 6 on Kiper’s board, so the Rebels will need a new starter in 2027. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he texted someone who has known Manning a long time and asked where he saw the quarterback next season. “His response was, ‘Ole Miss,’” Pelissero said.
The family history carries the pitch. Archie Manning played quarterback in Oxford from 1968-70, and Eli Manning threw for 10,119 yards and 81 touchdowns there before going No. 1 overall in 2004.
Still, Pete Golding’s staff already has a successor in mind. Ole Miss landed former five-star Deuce Knight from Auburn in January, and the Lucedale, Mississippi, native accounted for 401 total yards and six touchdowns in his only start for the Tigers. Golding also watched Manning throw two interceptions and lose a fumble against his defense Saturday, a night when Paul Finebaum said both quarterbacks made “idiotic mistakes.”
Why would Georgia chase Manning?
Gunner Stockton is a redshirt senior playing his last college season, and Georgia’s next options are redshirt sophomore Ryan Puglisi and Ryan Montgomery. Kirby Smart has a history with the Texas passer, too. “I was kind of down to the wire between Georgia, [Texas] and Alabama,” Manning said at 2025 SEC Media Days.
The latest smoke came from a former Bulldogs All-American. David Pollack said on his “See Ball Get Ball” podcast that an SEC head coach told him “he would be shocked if he (Arch) didn’t end up at Georgia.”
But Smart builds his quarterback room from within. Stockton didn’t make his first start until the final game of his third season, and Georgia didn’t sign a high school quarterback in its 2026 class, which leaves Puglisi, Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender as the developmental group Smart would be passing over for a one-year addition.
USC and Lincoln Riley’s resume
Jayden Maiava is a redshirt senior, and freshman Jonas Williams was projected as USC’s only returning scholarship quarterback for 2027. Williams played the fourth quarter of the opener against San Jose State and threw for 55 yards and an interception.
Riley’s track record makes the strongest development case on this list. He coached Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams to Heisman Trophies, and all three went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. For a quarterback who’s lost draft ground this fall, a season in that system offers a direct path to rebuilding his stock.
The complication is Riley’s own job. USC lost 24-7 at Wisconsin, and Finebaum said the program is on “life support.” Josh Pate said a reported $70 million buyout may be the only thing keeping USC from making a change, so Manning would need clarity on the coaching staff before choosing the Trojans.
What happens if Mensah leaves Miami?
Darian Mensah has eligibility left, but the Hurricanes’ quarterback ranks No. 4 on Kiper’s board and is completing 81.4% of his passes with 22 touchdowns and one interception for No. 1 Miami. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said, “I’ve heard a buzz from teams who think he could end up being the best of the bunch.” Mensah has also said, “I want to make the NFL.”
Mario Cristobal has built his last three offenses around one-year transfer starters. Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans in 2025, Carson Beck led Miami to last season’s national championship game and Mensah has the Hurricanes in the Heisman Trophy race again.
So Manning would be stepping into a process Miami already runs. But the job only opens if Mensah declares, and Cristobal would have his pick of other veteran portal quarterbacks as well.
LSU offers a Louisiana homecoming
Manning grew up in New Orleans and starred at Isidore Newman, and his grandfather played for the Saints from 1971-82. Orlovsky listed LSU among five schools he’d like to see Manning consider, and Lane Kiffin’s offense is producing again. Sam Leavitt threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday’s 38-17 win at Auburn, pushing LSU to 6-2.
That production is also the obstacle. Leavitt is a redshirt junior, and Kiffin has publicly planned around him beyond this season. “Sam’s going to play on Sundays,” Kiffin said, adding that LSU should be happy to have him “for two to three more years.”
LSU also has former five-star Husan Longstreet, a redshirt freshman who transferred from USC, waiting behind Leavitt. The Tigers become a fit only if Leavitt heads to the NFL Draft and Kiffin decides Longstreet needs another year before taking over.
Would Manning cross the Red River?
John Mateer is in his final year of eligibility, and freshman Bowe Bentley, a four-star recruit from Celina, Texas, is viewed as the quarterback of the future. A veteran for one season would give Bentley another year to develop under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
Manning also knows how dangerous Brent Venables’ defense can be. Oklahoma beat Texas 27-24 on Oct. 10 after Peyton Bowen returned a fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown and Courtland Guillory picked off Manning again with 19 seconds left. Mateer finished 18 of 26 for 155 yards and said, “I thought about this game for 365 days.”
The rivalry would make this the most dramatic move of the six, and the football case has its own hurdle. Mateer completed 62.2% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his first season under Arbuckle and has struggled again this fall, so Oklahoma would have to convince Manning its offense can develop him better than Texas has.
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