Texas A&M fans have plenty of reason to keep their eyes on Marcel Reed heading into 2026, and not just because he’s the Aggies’ most important player for the coming season. The buzz around his development has been strong as fall approaches, and that matters in a conference where quarterback talk never really cools off.
But the wider college football conversation has also drifted west, where Arch Manning has drawn plenty of attention largely because of the name on his jersey. The hype has been loud, and by this accounting, it’s been overdone. An objective look at the SEC quarterback landscape puts Manning outside the top five, with Reed landing well ahead of him.
Here’s how the conference’s best passers stack up heading into 2026.
At No. 5 is LaNorris Sellers, whose 2025 season fell well short of his breakout run in 2024. That earlier stretch included several moments where he looked unstoppable, including against Texas A&M in that night game in Williams Brice.
A new playcaller in Kendal Briles could change the picture, though. Sellers also lost two starting receivers, but if Briles can tap back into the rushing threat that made Sellers so dangerous in 2024 - or even push it further - South Carolina’s quarterback could climb right back toward the top of draft boards.
No. 4 goes to Gunner Stockton, one of the SEC’s more overlooked quarterbacks. He brings a little bit of everything: big throws, toughness, and a willingness to run through contact when needed.
The rough edges are real, but so they are for almost every quarterback in the sport. Even with that, Stockton has a stronger record than most, and he could finish near the top of the league in QBR as the season unfolds.
Reed comes in at No. 3, and the case for him is stronger than the public narrative suggests. Too many people focus on the rough ending to last season and ignore the high-level moments he delivered in 2025.
Among returning SEC quarterbacks, he ranks second in pass yards per game, which cuts directly against the idea that he’s more athlete than quarterback. His clutch drive to beat Notre Dame and his repeated success against Blake Baker’s LSU defense two years running show what he can do when the game is on the line.
There’s also real chatter about his offseason improvement. If he reduces turnovers and starts taking the easier throws when they’re available, he has a path to the top of this list by season’s end.
John Mateer checks in at No. 2.
The Oklahoma quarterback got the nod over Reed by a narrow margin because of the kind of touch he can show on deep throws. He shares Reed’s dual-threat ability and, at times, the same willingness to gamble with the football.
His blind side may be protected by what could be the best tackle in college football in Michael Fasusi, but the rest of the supporting cast will matter plenty for how the Sooners’ season plays out. There’s still plenty to sort out with Mateer before the year is over.
At No. 1, the pick is Trinidad Chambliss, the Ferris State transfer now at Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin may have preferred to land him in Baton Rouge, but Chambliss stayed in Oxford and will carry extra edge into that week three matchup.
His athleticism is a major weapon, but what separates him from the rest is his downfield accuracy. He can make every throw on the field, and that combination is why he sits alone at the top of the SEC quarterback list for 2026.
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