The Arch Manning era is knocking on the door. But even before he gets the chance to prove his worth under center as the new QB1 of the Longhorns, the overhyped narrative is widely escalating. A good chunk of the media hype surrounding Manning has to do with his esteemed last name. Being the nephew of NFL legends Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning has vehemently triggered the media to go after the youngest Manning of the family and churn his fate against the other competitors. But when you come to the ongoing race for the best SEC QB, it seems the Texas blueblood takes a back seat. Thanks to the other big fish in the bowl, like LSU’s QB1, Garrett Nussmeier.

David Pollack and a few other national analysts have already thrown Manning out of the top-five SEC QB bucket. Pollack deems him one of the better quarterbacks of the conference, but the best, the can’t-miss guy, a Heisman winner? simply a fat chance. He mentioned a bunch of other names, like Drew Allar, Nico Iamaleava, DJ Lagway, etc., who he thinks will be ahead of Manning in the best quarterback run. And guess what! He is not the first and last pundit to express some trepidation about Manning’s highly touted transition from backup to starter.

Analyst

Jay Smith of Unfair Sports echoed Pollack’s sentiment but with another QB phenom under his belt. ”But I don’t understand why Arch Manning would be above Garett. Now, Grant, if you’ve seen me on our SEC Squad shows, I throw jabs at the LSU fans just for kicks of it around Nussmeier because Nussmeier has been there this entire time; he’s been there four years.”

Last season, Garrett Nussmeier already showcased that he could carry the load of a team on his shoulders if needed. He amassed 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns, completing 64.2% of his passes. While the SEC QB room is no less than a heated battlefield jampacked with talent, the one factor that gives LSU an edge is the experience.

Despite getting the chance to jump ship to the pro, Nuss came back to his senior season under Kelly, and there is a good chance that he can work on his issues and rewrite a 9-4 season for the best. The greatest ace in the hole in his resume is that he doesn’t surrender under pressure.

”While there were a couple of people that have taken his job or at least have won the job over him, but the good thing for him is he’s taken his time, developed, and has gotten better, and I do believe that he is the best quarterback in the SEC, mainly for one reason: he threw for 4,000 yards last year,” Smith added, giving a brief rundown to Brian Kelly’s go-to guy’s resilience.

On the other hand, Arch Manning’s fairytale is still on our heads and the scoreboard. The Texas Crown Jewel has to do a lot to bring his hypothetical legacy into reality. As backup behind Ewers, he completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards and nine TDs, plus 108 yards and four TDs on the ground, and sold a stellar performance against Mississippi and UL Monroe. But his age and newbie status under the center is still a concern, especially in his compelling Heisman dream.

Arch Manning’s Heisman dream seems to be in serious jeopardy 

As per BetMGM, Cade Clubnik, Jeremiah Smith, Drew Allar, and Garrett Nussmeier are all in fiery contention with each other and Arch Manning for the coveted trophy. ESPN holds Manning as an odds-on favorite to win the trophy. But JD Pickell took a sharp jab at ESPN for glorifying the Texas QB in the early conversation. On the other hand, Urben Meyer deems Jeremiah Smith as the best to win, while Manning’s potential is yet to be determined.