Arch Manning’s name has become the biggest quarterback magnet in college football, and the possibility of a 2027 transfer sends the portal into instant frenzy. He has not said he plans to leave Texas, but that uncertainty is exactly why a handful of schools already feel like plausible landing spots if he ever makes that move.
The SEC chatter starts in Oxford, where Ole Miss has family ties working in its favor. Archie Manning played there from 1968-70, and Eli Manning piled up 10,119 yards and 81 touchdowns before going No. 1 overall in 2004.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he texted someone who has known Manning for a long time and asked where he thought the quarterback would be next season. “His response was, ‘Ole Miss,’” Pelissero said.
That said, the Rebels are not exactly bare at the position. Pete Golding’s staff already has former five-star Deuce Knight in the fold after landing him from Auburn in January, and the Lucedale, Mississippi, native posted 401 total yards and six touchdowns in his only start for the Tigers. Golding also got a front-row look at Manning on Saturday night, when Texas threw two interceptions and lost a fumble against his defense in a game where Paul Finebaum said both quarterbacks made “idiotic mistakes.”
Georgia is another school getting tossed into the mix, and the appeal there comes from more than just proximity to the SEC spotlight. Former Bulldogs All-American David Pollack said on his “See Ball Get Ball” podcast that an SEC head coach told him “he would be shocked if he (Arch) didn’t end up at Georgia.”
Kirby Smart’s quarterback room, though, is built to grow from within. Gunner Stockton is a redshirt senior in his final college season, while Ryan Puglisi, Ryan Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender represent the developmental pipeline.
Georgia also didn’t sign a high school quarterback in its 2026 class. Manning himself said at 2025 SEC Media Days, “I was kind of down to the wire between Georgia, [Texas] and Alabama,” which keeps the connection alive.
USC offers a different kind of pitch: the chance to enter a system with a proven quarterback-development record. Lincoln Riley has coached Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams to Heisman Trophies, and each went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. For Manning, whose draft stock has slipped this fall, that kind of setting could help rebuild his value fast.
The challenge is that USC’s situation around Riley is unsettled. The Trojans lost 24-7 at Wisconsin, and Finebaum said the program is on “life support.” Josh Pate said a reported $70 million buyout might be the only thing keeping USC from making a change, which means Manning would need clarity before signing on.
Miami fits because it already operates the way a portal quarterback would want it to. Darian Mensah still has eligibility left, but he is No. 4 on Kiper’s board, has completed 81.4% of his passes with 22 touchdowns and one interception for No.
1 Miami, and Daniel Jeremiah said, “I’ve heard a buzz from teams who think he could end up being the best of the bunch.” Mensah has also said, “I want to make the NFL.”
Mario Cristobal has leaned on one-year transfer starters before. Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans in 2025, Carson Beck guided Miami to last season’s national championship game, and Mensah has the Hurricanes back in the Heisman conversation. Manning would fit the pattern, but only if Mensah declares and opens the door.
LSU enters the picture through Manning’s New Orleans roots and the program’s familiar quarterback pull. He grew up in New Orleans, starred at Isidore Newman, and his grandfather played for the Saints from 1971-82. Orlovsky included LSU among five schools he’d like to see Manning consider, and Lane Kiffin’s offense is producing again.
Still, the Tigers already have a starter and a successor lined up. Sam Leavitt threw for 387 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday’s 38-17 win at Auburn, helping LSU move to 6-2.
Kiffin has been direct about Leavitt’s future, saying, “Sam’s going to play on Sundays,” and that LSU should be happy to have him “for two to three more years.” Behind him sits former five-star Husan Longstreet, a redshirt freshman who transferred from USC.
LSU only makes sense if Leavitt heads to the NFL Draft and Kiffin decides Longstreet needs more time.
Oklahoma may be the most dramatic fit of all because of the rivalry angle alone. Manning has already felt Brent Venables’ defense up close, with Oklahoma beating Texas 27-24 on Oct. 10 after Peyton Bowen returned a fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown and Courtland Guillory picked off Manning again with 19 seconds left. John Mateer finished 18 of 26 for 155 yards that night and said, “I thought about this game for 365 days.”
The Sooners’ quarterback situation also leaves the door open. Mateer is in his final year of eligibility, freshman Bowe Bentley is viewed as the quarterback of the future, and a veteran one-year addition would give Bentley another season to develop under offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. Mateer completed 62.2% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his first season under Arbuckle and has struggled again this fall, so Oklahoma would have to sell Manning on its offensive development as the place to go next.
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Lane Kiffin Just Reopened A Painful Ole Miss What-If
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For Ole Miss fans, the more delicate part is how naturally Kiffin can now talk about life in Baton Rouge without sounding like a man carrying second thoughts. With LSU and Alabama both sitting on two losses, the game looming this week has the feel of one of those defining checkpoints that can shape a season, and it also serves as a reminder of just how quickly the Rebels old what-if can resurface whenever Kiffin gets comfortable somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]