What if Arch Manning is just really good? Or anywhere in between \u201cthe clear No. 1 pick in whichever draft he chooses to enter\u201d and \u201cthe bust of busts?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Texas redshirt sophomore quarterback enters the 2025 season as college football\u2019s most interesting person. Most talked about, most followed, most dissected, most hyped \u2014 soon to be most responsible for weekly overreaction, starting with the No. 1 Longhorns\u2019 Aug. 30 opener at No. 3 Ohio State.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a 21-year-old member of the first family of football, hoping to emulate his grandfather and uncles in greatness at the sport\u2019s most important position. He has the traits. He has the preparation, both in terms of football mentors galore and an upbringing that limited distractions<\/a>.<\/p>\n He seems to have the personality to handle the circus, which is good because he has a lot of analysts \u2014 including The Athletic\u2019s Dane Brugler \u2014 projecting him as the NFL\u2019s top prospect after this season<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what the scouts think now, and it\u2019s understandable. But a year ago, they were highest on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, and he\u2019s playing for the Miami Hurricanes this season. Some of them viewed Quinn Ewers, who started at Texas the past two seasons while Manning sat, as a first-round talent. Ewers ended up going in the seventh round to the Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n These people don\u2019t play a lot of actual football, and a dozen or so games of it can vastly change how they are viewed by the folks who build professional teams.<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing in Manning\u2019s past, including the 95 passes he\u2019s thrown as a collegian, that guarantees he\u2019ll do the job at a No. 1 overall pick level. Maybe he\u2019ll play more like the 20th pick, the third or fourth quarterback in his class, which would still be really good. Maybe Texas will fall short of the expected national title. Maybe Manning will disappoint this season, which would not be difficult to do given the expectations, and come back as a completely different player in 2026.<\/p>\n The only guarantee is that his every move on the field will be as scrutinized as any player this sport has seen. And that some of the people watching and commenting will lack the thing that seems to have Manning in position to grasp this opportunity: perspective.<\/p>\n Here are 24 others of interest in \u201925, including five others at his position:<\/p>\n Shane Beamer, head coach, South Carolina; Bret Bielema, head coach, Illinois<\/p>\n These two go together after their little Citrus Bowl kerfuffle last season, and because they have preseason top-15 teams<\/a> that could potentially hook up in a much more important postseason game after the 2025 season. We\u2019re talking big personalities, feather rufflers by nature, building traditional non-powers into College Football Playoff hopefuls. And with potential Heisman\/first-round candidate LaNorris Sellers<\/a> leading South Carolina and quarterback Luke Altmyer and 15 other starters back for Illinois<\/a>, they have the goods to back up the talk.<\/p>\n They could also share top billing on \u201cStepbrothers 2.\u201d Imagine Bielema crashing one of those Beamer Tik-Tok dances and giving him the noogie of all noogies.<\/p>\n Bill Belichick, head coach, North Carolina<\/p>\n Obvious, yes, but undeniable. And here\u2019s another reason to be thankful for the start of the season. Belichick\u2019s personal affairs can recede and one of the fascinating questions in American sports in 2025 can prevail: What will a 73-year-old legendary NFL coach who has never worked in college football do with a perennially underwhelming college football program?<\/p>\n Beyond the challenges of player procurement and retention that have driven people such as his buddy Nick Saban out of the sport, there are questions of connection and development. Long-ago North Carolina star Lawrence Taylor accelerated the rise of Belichick, who has been around pros for 50 years. Now he\u2019s dealing with kids and is expected to equip them to beat teams with more talented kids.<\/p>\n Jen Cohen, athletic director, USC<\/p>\n Less obvious but a key story in the sport, this year and beyond. Less than two years into the job, Cohen is in charge of an inherited coach who, like Brian Kelly at LSU, hasn\u2019t delivered on expectations. Lincoln Riley is 15-11 since his 11-3 debut with the Trojans in 2022. He may not be on the hot seat now, but he\u2019s in need of a statement season and doesn\u2019t necessarily have the team to deliver it. Cohen, meanwhile, has hired a GM for the program and is trying to get it where it should be financially.<\/p>\n USC football has one top-10 finish in the past 13 years, and the school has not had sustained AD\/football coach excellence since the days of Mike Garrett and Pete Carroll. Cohen\/Riley have the potential to forge a national power, but right now have a Big Ten afterthought.<\/p>\n James Franklin, head coach, Penn State<\/p>\n It\u2019s going to take Franklin a long time to pretty up that 1-18 record against top-five teams, but the 125-57 record as a head coach also counts. And matters. And should impress. That includes two College Football Playoff wins last season. The reality for Franklin is that, while he has rebuilt a traditional power into a special program over more than a decade, it\u2019s not Ohio State. But Franklin might have the better team in 2025, especially if quarterback Drew Allar takes another step. Does Franklin quiet the haters a year after Ryan Day did the same in Columbus?<\/p>\n Jon Gruden, future head coach?<\/p>\n Grumors are back, baby! Gruden\u2019s years-long image rehab project, after offensive emails got him fired as Raiders coach in 2021, has delivered him to the doorstep of hirable status again. His relationship with the NFL right now is suing the league over those emails, and he just said he\u2019d \u201cdie to coach in the SEC,\u201d so an on-campus opportunity seems most likely for a guy who hasn\u2019t been in college football since he coached receivers for Paul Hackett at Pitt in 1991.<\/p>\n Oklahoma? LSU? Arkansas? Tennessee, gratifying the fans who have been most obsessed with him over the years, say after Josh Heupel leaves to take the Oklahoma job? Let\u2019s get the speculation cooking.<\/p>\n Nico Iamaleava, QB, UCLA<\/p>\n He\u2019s been one of the most-watched players in the sport since the groundbreaking NIL deal<\/a> that brought him to Tennessee. His first full season on the field was pretty good, not great, but then he didn\u2019t have much great around him either. So whether Iamaleava\u2019s camp was complaining more about a pay raise or about offensive roster support after the season, they handled things terribly<\/a>, and he ended up in a worse situation. Of course, if his loss proves UCLA\u2019s gain<\/a> and he can give a jolt of life to a sluggish program while looking more like the NFL prospect he\u2019s supposed to be, Iamaleava will have Vol Twitter reeling.<\/p>\n DJ Lagway, QB, Florida<\/p>\n Unfortunately, some of the intrigue relates to Lagway\u2019s preseason injuries, and he\u2019s had a few of them dating to the hamstring he pulled last season against Georgia. That\u2019s the only game the Gators lost with him as a starter, winning the other six, and there\u2019s plausible hope that he can turn the Gators into a Playoff contender and cement Billy Napier as the long-term answer in Gainesville. He\u2019s a potentially special player. But he has to play. In less than a month, it\u2019s Florida at LSU, at night.<\/p>\n The future is bright for Florida with DJ Lagway under center. The true freshman QB put together an impressive 2024 season and is expected to be one of the top QB\u2019s in the nation in 2025! pic.twitter.com\/E9HHO4NAk8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 College Football Live (@CollegeFBonX) March 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame<\/p>\n College football is better when there\u2019s a running back who bends the imagination and takes a bit of oxygen away from the quarterbacks and receivers who dominate the modern game. Love is that kind of player. It\u2019s even more fun when a player like that plays at a place like Boise State and takes a bit of oxygen away from the usual suspects. Love definitely doesn\u2019t check that box, and he\u2019s not quite as dazzling as last year\u2019s must-see runner, Ashton Jeanty. But Notre Dame could use a Heisman winner \u2014 receiver Tim Brown was its most recent, in 1987.<\/p>\n John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma<\/p>\n Seriously, Mateer made the cut before his recent, strange dip into newsmaking \u2014 Venmo transactions labeled as gambling payments<\/a> that weren\u2019t that at all, he said in a statement. We\u2019ll see if anything beyond raised eyebrows comes of that. And we\u2019ll see if Mateer is the next Washington State transfer quarterback to do big things at a bigger program. Brent Venables and Oklahoma need something in the range of Mateer\u2019s 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns from last season. That should be possible, though we won\u2019t set an over\/under on his 2025 production.<\/p>\n Joey McGuire, head coach, Texas Tech<\/p>\n Cody Campbell is the star in Lubbock, the billionaire and former Texas Tech lineman who has provided the resources<\/a> for what he told The Athletic\u2019s Sam Khan is the most talented team in the Big 12, \u201cand it\u2019s not really even close.\u201d Now it\u2019s on McGuire to translate that into a College Football Playoff berth. Anything short of that is a disappointment for the AP preseason No. 23 team and will bring comparisons to some of Texas A&M\u2019s recent failures to actualize its \u201con paper\u201d greatness. McGuire has had a solid first three seasons, coaching the Red Raiders to 23 wins. Solid won\u2019t cut it anymore.<\/p>\n Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n Vanderbilt opponents in 2025 will have a common rallying cry: stop, and shut up, Pavia. The last time Vanderbilt football had a player with the skill and brashness to cause such a stir was \u2026 when? We might be going back a century to one of coach Dan McGugin\u2019s stars, popping off to newspaper writers on a train ride to play the University of Chicago.<\/p>\n Pavia is out here talking about winning a national championship and declaring Clark Lea\u2019s program is \u201cgonna run Tennessee\u201d in the future. This has to be such unfamiliar fun for Vanderbilt fans. Also, the element of surprise is gone. And the schedule is brutal. But even if Vanderbilt is 0-11 entering the finale at Tennessee, Pavia will believe the Commodores are going to win and will be a must-watch on every snap.<\/p>\n Diego Pavia says Vanderbilt is coming for it all this season \ud83c\udfc6 \ud83d\udc40 <\/p>\n (via @finebaum<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/b474tHaOcY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Koi Perich, DB\/WR, Minnesota<\/p>\n It\u2019s not like Travis Hunter brought two-way stardom to college football, but he did it at the highest level possible and no doubt inspired others to work toward that kind of impact. Perich, as reported by The Athletic\u2019s Scott Dochterman<\/a>, is college football\u2019s best hope in 2025 for that kind of player. He stood out as a freshman safety and returner, and now P.J. Fleck declares it \u201cisn\u2019t a gimmick\u201d that Perich is going to make a difference for Minnesota\u2019s offense. If it\u2019s more than the occasional wildcat snap or trick play, he will be that program\u2019s most talked-about player since Laurence Maroney 20 years ago.<\/p>\n Dave Portnoy, analyst, Fox<\/p>\n Fox\u2019s \u201cBig Noon Kickoff\u201d has made a rather uninspired attempt here to close the gap on ESPN\u2019s \u201cCollege GameDay,\u201d bringing in Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports. It\u2019s a choice clearly influenced by the popularity of Pat McAfee.<\/p>\n Yes, both say lots of stupid stuff and hold the attention of America\u2019s young beer guzzlers and gambling app enthusiasts. But while McAfee is a largely affable pro wrestling heel who does his homework for when it\u2019s time to talk ball, Portnoy comes across as mean, self-aggrandizing and preoccupied with insulting Ohio State (he\u2019s a Michigan fan). Fox must want more than that. If Portnoy can\u2019t deliver, at least \u201cBig Noon Kickoff\u201d will also get contributions from Barstool\u2019s top talent, Dan Katz.<\/p>\n Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama<\/p>\n It would be a slap in the face to football to have a list like this and not include at least one giant on each side of the line of scrimmage. Proctor is the offensive lineman to watch in 2025, the starting point for what Alabama hopes is an instant return to the sport\u2019s top rung. He is No. 2 on Bruce Feldman\u2019s Freaks List<\/a>, with utterly absurd numbers: 6-feet-7, 366 pounds, a squat of 815, a bench of 535 and a 32-inch vertical leap. Yes, a 366-pound man with a 32-inch vertical leap. That\u2019s enough to make concrete tremble.<\/p>\n Mack Rhoades, CFP selection committee chair<\/p>\n Rhoades takes over as College Football Playoff selection committee chair, replacing Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel. So get ready to boil in anger on Tuesday nights this fall as Rhoades explains why one team is ranked over another, citing reasoning that contradicts something he said a week earlier in comparing other teams. In all seriousness, it would be great if Rhoades could try to be a bit more forthcoming than Manuel was last year on committee decisions. Mark Dantonio, Damon Evans, Ivan Maisel, Chris Massaro and Wesley Walls also join the selection committee in 2025.<\/p>\n Nick Saban, analyst, ESPN<\/p>\n No, this is not to suggest Saban actually wants to get back into coaching. It is to suggest his voice remains highly important in the sport, and hopefully he\u2019ll do more embracing of actual solutions for college football\u2019s issues and less reminiscing on the way it used to be. Also, Nick? Have some fun. If someone makes a crack about your recruiting tactics at Alabama, roll with it. No one who loves the sport enough to watch \u201cGameDay\u201d believes any talent factory of the past 50 years did it on room, board, scholarship and family atmosphere alone.<\/p>\n Deion Sanders, head coach, Colorado<\/p>\n A lot of people in college football would have bet a lot of money a couple of years ago that Sanders wouldn\u2019t still be coaching Colorado at this point. But here he is, watching Travis Hunter and son Shedeur Sanders from afar, fighting through cancer<\/a> and trying to prove this program has substance and staying power. It\u2019s hard not to respect that.<\/p>\n Greg Sankey, SEC commissioner<\/p>\n If the college football universe were \u201cStar Wars,\u201d Sankey would be Darth Vader. Yes, he\u2019s a villain \u2014 especially if you don\u2019t want NCAA Tournament expansion \u2014 but he wins a lot, he fits into the universe and deep down there\u2019s the heart of someone who used to fight for the little guy.<\/p>\n