Arch Manning Ranked As Second Best Backup QB In College Football; Who Beat Him Out?

Website selects a true freshman as the best backup quarterback in college football.

Texas Longhorns Arch Manning, 16, during the first fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

If you ask anyone in Austin, TX who the best backup quarterback in the nation is, you are going to get the same answer,

Arch Manning. By a long shot.

However, 247Sports has a different view of the heir apparent to Quinn Ewers than Longhorns fans. The website came out with an opinion piece that stated University of Florida's true freshman DJ Lagway was the better of the two. Manning came in second to a prep signal caller who is going through his first fall practice. Say it isn't so.

Texas Longhorns quarterback, Arch, Manning during the first day with pads in fall football camp practice for the Texas Longhorns at Denius Fields on Monday, August 5, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

"A future Heisman winner will be one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football and the best signal caller since Tim Tebow," Clint Brewster of 247Sports said of Lagway.

Lagway backs up former Wisconsin starter Graham Mertz at Florida. The fact that Lagway can't unseat Mertz is evidence to an extent he is not better than Manning. Manning came in and paid his dues behind Ewers and Malik Murphy.

However, Manning had a great spring game for Texas. He showed what he can do in a live football situation. With Murphy transferring to Duke, Manning is one play away from being the starter,

"Manning has an elite passing skill set and sneaky mobility," Brewster said. "Manning and Lagway will take over college football in 2025 and headline the SEC for the next few seasons."

Brewster reminds us Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama, Sam Darnold of USC, and Cardale Jones of Ohio State were once ranked as top backups at the quarterback position. All three eventually became starters at their respective schools and went on to get drafted by the National Football League.

Tagovailoa just signed a $212.4 million contract extension with the Miami Dolphins. Darnold signed a $10 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings and is their projected starter. Jones took over at Ohio State, and had a great college career, but never found success in the NFL.