Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns secured one of their more convincing wins of the college football season on Saturday, beating Mississippi State 31-3 in Austin. Manning also put together one of his better individual performances of the season, completing 16 of 20 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns, looking much more comfortable than what we'd seen earlier in the year. The win moves Texas to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in SEC play, keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
However, Manning's performance still hasn't slowed speculation about his future at Texas. With questions still being raised about his long-term development under Steve Sarkisian, some analysts believe a transfer could be worth exploring after the season, with other top programs like Georgia, Ole Miss, and LSU all being floated. But ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay recently threw out another name: the Kentucky Wildcats under head coach Will Stein.
"I think he's coming back, and I think he should be," McShay said. " There's one guy that turned Bo Nix into Auburn laughable Bo Nix who got drafted 12th overall. There's one guy who turned Dillon Gabriel into a third-round draft pick.
There's one guy who turned Dante Moore into, it's not working here at UCLA, now we're saying, 'I don't know the upside's better on him than [Fernando] Mendoza if he had come out.' Or he would have been the No. 2 overall pick. That's what my advice would be, is to explore that avenue." More news: Duke Star Makes History With Record-Breaking Game Against Boston College Stein is in his first year as head coach at Kentucky after spending three seasons as Oregon's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He's already off to a hot start in Lexington, with the Wildcats sitting tied for the top spot in the SEC at 7-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
Kentucky is currently ranked No. 9 in the country, riding a six-game win streak, including signature wins over Texas A&M, South Carolina, LSU, and Oklahoma, and is firmly in line for a spot in the CFP. That alone is what makes Kentucky an attractive destination now for any prospect, but there's also Stein's impressive track record with quarterbacks. At Oregon, he worked with Bo Nix, who threw 45 touchdowns in 2023 before becoming the Denver Broncos' franchise quarterback.
He also helped Dillon Gabriel deliver a 30-touchdown season in 2024 and oversaw Dante Moore's development into one of the top quarterbacks in college football last season. More news: Nick Saban Picks Former Team as Surprise Championship Sleeper More news: Pete Thamel Reveals Surprise New QB1 for 2027 NFL Draft as Arch Manning Slides Kentucky isn't a traditional powerhouse in college football, but there may still be some appeal for Manning. He'd be working with someone who has shown an ability to get the most out of multiple different quarterbacks and would give him a new environment for a fresh restart.
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