Plenty of elite quarterbacks will walk into the Saturday matchups against Texas A&M thinking that it has the goods to take care of business.
With what the Aggies 2026-27 schedule looks like, it sets up a debate on which schools will present the hardest quarterback challenge for head coach Mike Elko’s program but it is nothing new that his program hasn’t seen.
On the schedule for the Maroon and White are 12 different opponents that offer unique offenses that will all try to throw off the defense and walk away with wins. Between the three non-conference games and the nine conference games, these three gunlingers will without a doubt showcase their skill set on the field come the fall.
Austin Simmons, Missouri
Some coaches do not elect to announce who their starting quarterback is going to be based on the competition they have seen over the course of spring ball but head coach Eli Drinkwitz did not hesitate to let the public know who he will be rolling the dice with for the upcoming season and it will be Austin Simmons.
One thing that makes Simmons special is that he tosses the football around as a left-hander and there is a quick release that makes defenses struggle to defend. He is an Ole Miss transfer that was expected to be the starter before suffering an ankle injury which changed his route. It didn’t stop him from getting back to competing for a starting job and he won it.
There are multiple reasons why the Tigers feel most comfortable with him being named the man under center is because he thrives in both short and long pass situations which gives a secondary problems with his ability to make decisions fast. When he has played, it is on full display and evident when he finished with 64 completions for 1,026 yards in his short tenure with the Rebels. Pair him with Cayden Lee along with Caleb Goodie and Donovan Olugbode who have reshaped the offense and will be a force to reckon is going to be something that not many SEC teams want to see.
Sam Leavitt, LSU
This one adds up because Sam Leavitt is one of two quarterbacks on this list that have been in the College Football Playoff and might have the group of men to get back there with a new head coach in Lane Kiffin that has proven he can win. It will all be a matter of whether the system is a fit, but it is looking like a chance it might. Leavitt transferred from Arizona State and took the school to its first ever CFP appearance and nearly won but fell just short. Yes, this is a different year with a different coach but all the pieces are there.
The Tigers are likely going to see a ton of Leavitt throwing darts to his wide receivers such as Jayce Brown, Eugene “Tre” Wilson Ⅲ and Jackson Harris that have been working in the offseason to build chemistry and do not forget that tight end Trey’Dez Green is in the mix. Leavitt has plenty of options he’ll be looking downfield for and with the composure he has to not panic under pressure makes him possibly the man to break the losing streak against the Aggies.
From last season, it might be a slight concern that his foot injury might play a role in how effective he can be after his recovery but Leavitt is a proven winner that is ready to bounce back from the adversity. All the pieces are there with his accuracy to succeed as his stats back it up with a total of 4,652 yards, 36 touchdowns and only 11 touchdowns in three seasons. With a rowdy Tiger Stadium remembering what happened last season, it might fuel him even more to showcase the goods he has in front of the home crowd and add that much-needed win to the resume.
Arch Manning, Texas
Based on the sample size that everyone has on Arch Manning, this could be the easiest choice of the three quarterbacks that make this list. The 6-foot-4 upcoming junior registered 3,163 yards in the air and posted 26 touchdowns last season. One of the more obvious reasons he made the cut is that he has been in the Heisman conversations and could very well find himself in New York for the ceremony if he lives up to the hype. He is mobile, clever, reads defenses and is a dual threat.
Looking at what the New Orleans native did alone last season versus A&M, he has proven that he can win the big games in the big moments and this is another one of those games that just means more. During that game in Austin last season, Manning was creative using his legs and had seven carries for 53 yards and a touchdown that really turned around the contest.
He only completed 14 passes for 179 yards but given the arm talent he has along with the speed and weapons, he has plenty going on for him in a season where he can possibly take head coach Steve Sarkisian and the program to the next level if he addressed the points of emphasis over the offseason.
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