Oklahoma’s defense is about to spend 2026 staring down some of the best quarterback talent in the country, and the Manning Passing Academy only sharpened that picture.
The event in Thibodaux, Louisiana, brought together the top college quarterbacks and gave a fresh look at who could be ready to explode this season. It also made one thing clear for Brent Venables’ Sooners: the schedule is loaded.
On3’s list of standouts included 11 quarterbacks, and four of them are on Oklahoma’s slate. Even OU quarterback John Mateer drew attention, with his physical transformation going viral and his new throwing motion on display.
That’s the backdrop for a ranking of the quarterbacks Oklahoma will see in 2026, and the top end is as nasty as you’d expect. Arch Manning sits at No. 1, while Trinidad Chambliss comes in right behind him. Between them and the rest of the list, the Sooners are going to be tested almost every week.
Manning is the name that jumps off the page first. He’s been labeled overhyped, but that’s tied to the impossible standard around him, not because he failed to develop.
He got better as 2025 went along and threw only two interceptions over the final eight games after settling in. If he comes anywhere close to the ceiling people keep assigning him, he’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football.
Chambliss might be the most remarkable story of the bunch. After a legal battle and a stretch when his college career looked finished, he returned and helped Ole Miss reach the CFP semifinals last season after stepping in as QB1 because of an injury two games in. The source makes it clear that it would not be a shock if he ends up winning the Heisman Trophy in December.
Marcel Reed lands next in the conversation after what he did at Texas A&M in 2025. He guided the Aggies to the CFP after they lost only one regular-season game.
Reed averaged 243.77 passing yards per game, fourth in the SEC, and added 25 touchdown passes along with six rushing scores. Oklahoma at least gets the advantage of facing him at home.
Gunner Stockton is another quarterback who will make life difficult for defenses, even if he doesn’t quite have the same special traits as the names above him. He’s the kind of steady winner Georgia leans on, and his production last season reflected the talent around him. Stockton averaged 206.71 passing yards per game, which ranked 10th among the 16 starting SEC quarterbacks.
Then there’s KaMario Taylor, who made one of the biggest impressions at the Manning Passing Academy. He was still relatively unknown, but he stood out even next to the best quarterbacks in the sport.
Taylor got the reins in just two games last season, both losses, but he gave the Bulldogs life. In his first career start, a rivalry game against Ole Miss, he totaled 351 yards.
The sample size is tiny, but the flashes were enough to buy into the hype and project him as a top-five quarterback.
Bryce Underwood is another name Oklahoma fans know well. The Sooners caught him at his worst last season in his first career road start at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and Venables had the freshman spinning.
But Underwood now has a full season behind him and a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham. He was the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, and if he reaches that level in 2026, he belongs near the top of any list like this.
Austin Simmons is harder to pin down, but the upside is obvious. He won the starting job last year at Ole Miss over the quarterback who tops this list, though an injury eventually cost him the role.
He made three starts and threw two interceptions in both full games he played, including against Georgia State. That leaves plenty of room for him to rise, or to flatten out.
Kenny Minchey and Florida’s quarterback situation add another layer to the schedule. The Gators will have a fall camp battle between Aaron Philo and Tramel Jones Jr., and whichever one wins out is projected to be the weakest SEC quarterback Oklahoma faces.
Philo redshirted in 2024 and spent last season as Georgia Tech’s backup. Jones redshirted last year and couldn’t get on the field over DJ Lagway.
Minchey, meanwhile, transferred to Kentucky after losing the starting job to CJ Carr at Notre Dame. He arrives as a former four-star recruit and now gets a chance to work under new head coach Will Stein, one of the better quarterback developers in the sport.
The bigger takeaway for Oklahoma is simple: the Sooners are going to see elite quarterback play over and over again in 2026. The Manning Passing Academy just put a spotlight on how deep that challenge really is.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Just Got A National Nod That Will Fire Up Sooners Fans
Pro Football Focus gave Oklahoma a preseason boost this week by slotting defensive tackle David Stone at No. 31 on its college football top 50 for 2026, a notable national nod for a Sooners defense that figures to lean on him again. Stone was the lone Oklahoma player to make the list, and the recognition fits the way he flashed in 2025 as a disruptive interior force.
PFF pointed to Stones pressure production and his ability to impact the run game, two traits that should keep him central to Oklahomas plans as the new season approaches. With other key pieces like John Mateer, Isaiah Sategna and Michael Fasusi expected to shape the offense, the Sooners have reasons to feel good about their roster balance, but Stones rise gives the defense a headline name and a reminder that the front can still set the tone. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Receiver Depth Looks Better But One Doubt Still Lingers
Oklahomas receiver room is in a better place heading into 2026, at least on paper. Isaiah Sategna is back, and the Sooners have added transfer help in Parker Livingstone and Trell Harris, giving the top end of the group a look that should be more dependable than it was a year ago. For a team that wants more consistency on the outside, that kind of upgrade matters, especially with a clear trio emerging as the foundation of the passing game.
The lingering question is what comes after those three. Brent Venables has talked up several reserve wideouts during spring practice, but Oklahoma has not leaned heavily on its receiver depth in the past, and it is still unclear how much trust the staff will place in the lower part of the chart once the season starts. If the Sooners are going to get where they want to go, they may need more than just the headline names to hold up when the games start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]