The best quarterback in the SEC may not be who you think it is.
Or he just might be, if you were unconvinced by the product Arch Manning put on the field in his debut season as the starting quarterback at Texas, but it was another returning star who topped the latest preseason signal caller rankings in the SEC.
It wasn’t Manning who debuted at No. 1, but Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss who is considered the conference’s best at the position, according to On3 Sports analyst Chris Low.
Instant impact player
Chambliss put on an Ole Miss uniform last season having never played Division I football, but you would never know it by what he did on the field.
Suddenly thrust into a starting role after an injury to Austin Simmons early in the year, Chambliss made an instant impact for the Ole Miss offense, taking command and never letting go of the QB1 gig right through the school’s first playoff appearance.
Chambliss completed over 66 percent of his passes while covering 3,937 yards in the air and put up 22 touchdowns with just three giveaways total in that time, helping push the Rebels into their debut in the College Football Playoff.
Change in Oxford
But there’s more pressure heading into the 2026 season, as Ole Miss embarks on its first full outing without Lane Kiffin on the sideline, as Pete Golding takes over for good.
Kiffin is now at LSU, and so is former Rebels offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, Jr., and the team is set to bring in a new look wide receiver rotation to incorporate into the offense, although stud running back Kewan Lacy will also return this fall.
Arch the bust?
That was the trendy opinion early on last season after Manning’s unproductive first start in a loss at Ohio State to open up the 2025 campaign, putting up meager numbers and making key mistakes that stymied his team’s attempt at a comeback.
Coming in as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country and wearing the name Manning on his back resulted in an avalanche of preseason hype, and analysts were quick to dump on the Longhorns’ quarterback after a sluggish first half of the season.
But his output improved considerably as the year went on, leading Texas to critical statement wins against ranked Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, and was the field general for a massive signature win over undefeated rival Texas A&M in the season finale.
More of that, and Manning could finally live up to that hype.
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