There’s not a player in college football with more hype heading into 2025 than Texas Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning. Not only was Manning a consensus five-star and the highest-rated recruit in the 2023 class, but he’s also the nephew of two NFL legends: Eli and Peyton Manning.
Manning has patiently been waiting to take over at Texas, and in 2025, he’ll get that chance. Fans and analysts are ecstatic to see how good Manning will be, with some even dubbing him the best quarterback in the SEC. While there’s no denying Manning’s hype, one SEC coach thinks that his quarterback should be receiving more praise heading into next season.
Brian Kelly Believes Garrett Nussmeier Should Be the Most Hyped Up SEC Quarterback Heading Into 2025
In a recent episode of the “College Gameday Podcast,” Brian Kelly explained that he believes that his quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier, should be getting the most praise heading into 2025.
LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly thinks Arch Manning needs to PROVE IT😤
Thoughts?⤵️ pic.twitter.com/JvrxqQsyN6
— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) June 11, 2025
Kelly has heard the Arch Manning hype telling hosts Rece Davis and Pete Thamel, “Look, we hear it every day because [Arch] is from Louisiana, and listen, there’s another guy that hears it all the time and that’s Garrett Nussmeier.”
The LSU head coach went on to praise Nussmeier, saying, “All I’m saying is, Nussmeier has seen it. He knows what he’s going to get. There’s a confidence he’ll bring each and every game through experience, maybe even through some scar tissue, that’s going to allow him to be, I believe, the best quarterback.”
While Kelly believes in Arch Manning’s ability to be great, he feels that the experience is what sets Manning and Nussmeier apart, saying, “Manning is extremely talented, but he’s got to go to it and there’s going to be a couple of days where it doens’t come out the way it’s supposed to. How do you bounce back? How do you come back from that? Does it work the next week in your game plan,” later adding, “I’ll take the guy that’s played in the SEC and seen what it looks like.”
Kelly does have a point here, as Manning has only started two games in his college career and has thrown a total of 95 passes in two seasons.
There’s no doubt that Manning has more to prove than Nussmeier at this point in their careers, and I commend Kelly for having his quarterbacks back, but it does seem a little weird that Kelly is obsessing over preseason takes from the media.
KEEP READING: Top 100 Players for the 2026 NFL Draft: Arch Manning Lands Outside the Top 10
Regardless of what Kelly thinks, the only thing that matters is how both these guys play on the field, and SEC fans should be excited to watch their conference in the hands of two guys as talented as Manning and Nussmeier.
