Entering the 2026 college football season, Texas Longhorns junior quarterback Arch Manning was considered a much better prospect than Ole Miss Rebels senior QB Trinidad Chambliss. Oh, how things have changed after three weeks.
After Chambliss guided the Rebels (3-0) to a 32-24 win over the LSU Tigers (2-1) in head coach Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, FanDuel Sportsbook now lists him as the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy (+300). Manning, meanwhile, has +1200 odds to win the award. Three of the last four Heisman winners have been QBs, and two have gone No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft:
Chicago Bears third-year QB Caleb Williams and Las Vegas Raiders rookie QB Fernando Mendoza.
The Heisman chances aren’t the only thing that has shifted. So has the perception of each QB. As a result, some draftniks are reconsidering their preseason rankings.
2027 NFL Draft stocks of Arch Manning, Trinidad Chambliss trending in opposite directions
In a story published Monday, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson shared several concerning statistics about Manning (6-foot-4, 222 pounds) to highlight how his numbers compare unfavorably to the final college seasons of 24 first-round QBs from 2019-25. Chief among them were his yards per attempt and completion percentage. Look at the chart below to see how he fares.
| Stat | Manning | Median of first-round QBs from 2019-25 |
| Completion percentage | 60.8 percent | 68 percent |
| Yards/attempt | 6.8 | 9.3 |
Manning’s numbers are only through his first three games in 2026, so it’s still way too early to press the panic button, but he needs to start showing more. Aside from leading the Longhorns (3-0) to a 24-23 comeback win over the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1) in Week 2, he hasn’t done enough in the mind of Wilson and others to prove he’s a surefire No. 1 pick.
“He entered the season with people assuming he’d be the first-overall pick,” wrote Wilson. “The more immediate question: Can he start consistently playing like a first-round quarterback?”
Chambliss, meanwhile, is consistently playing like a first-rounder. Entering Week 4, he ranks third among 16 eligible SEC QBs in completion percentage (70 percent) and 10th in yards per attempt (8.4). Both marks are above average.
Chambliss has faced more quality opponents than Manning thus far. The Ole Miss QB has faced two Associated Press Top 25 opponents: No. 10 LSU and the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (2-1). The Texas QB, meanwhile, has faced one (Ohio State).
Manning will have another big test when the No. 1 Longhorns travel to the No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers (3-0) on Saturday at noon ET on ABC. No. 4 Ole Miss (3-0), meanwhile, travels to the No. 21 Florida Gators (3-0), with the game kicking off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Chambliss’ combination of poise and arm talent has CBS Sports’ Mike Renner believing he can be an NFL starter, despite his height (6-foot, 205 pounds). Other scouts would agree with his assessment.