Tennessee faced several outstanding quarterbacks last season, one reason the Vols’ defense was exploited.
Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia carved the Vols up like no other Commodore quarterback. Alabama’s Ty Simpon was a first-round draft pick. John Mateer was a top portal get for Oklahoma. And Arkansas’ Taylen Green was an extraordinary athlete.
None of them face the Vols this season. But this year’s collection of star-powered opposing quarterbacks are just as good.
Here is my ranking of the top five quarterbacks Tennessee will face this fall.
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- LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina
Sellers looked like a potential high draft choice coming off his 2024 season. He passed for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns with seven interceptions despite missing time with an injury. He completed 66% of his passes. He rushed for 674 yards (4.1 per carry) and seven touchdowns. Against Missouri, he had 350 passing yards and five touchdowns. The Gamecocks won their last five regular-season games, including an upset over ranked rival Clemson.
But he regressed in 2025, completing 60.8% of his passes for 2,437 yards with only 13 touchdown passes and eight picks. He rushed for a mere 270 yards (1.8 per carry). Carolina averaged only 22.7 points per game and had four SEC games with 14 or fewer points.
Yet, Sellers is a great athlete and a dual threat. He’s rushed for 944 yards and 12 touchdowns the last two years combined.
Look for Sellers to have a bounce-back season in 2026.
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- Sam Leavitt of LSU
Leavitt was injured most of last season, making just seven starts.
But in 2024, Leavitt was one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12. He passed for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns against six picks. He completed 62% of his throws. He also ran for 443 yards and was terrific in a two-overtime playoff loss to Texas.
Leavitt was one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the transfer portal and is surrounded by elite talent at LSU. He won’t be nearly as good as Trinidad Chambliss was for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss last year, but Leavitt should have a big year, if he stays healthy.
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- Marcel Reed of Texas A&M
Reed could be a Heisman Trophy candidate or an imposter.
The dual threat was good enough to win at Notre Dame 41-40 and blow out LSU with 49 points, yet he managed only three points in a CFP game against Miami and 16 against Auburn.
Reed completed 62.1% of his passes for 3,109 yards and 25 touchdowns with a too-high 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 493 yards (4.8 per carry) and six touchdowns, posing a dangerous threat around the goal-line.
If Reed can gain consistency, he could be one of the nation’s elite quarterbacks.
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- Byrum Brown of Auburn
Brown was only the 12th quarterback in college history to pass for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
If you’re wondering if those numbers will translate from a smaller school (South Florida) to the SEC, ask Joey Aguilar. Or how about Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss. Or Cam Ward, who went from Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami to first overall pick in the NFL draft.
Brown should thrive in coach Alex Golesh’s system as he did at South Florida, and take the Tigers from an inept offense that scored three points against Kentucky to a threat to beat some upper echelon teams in the SEC.
For his career, Brown has 7,690 passing yards and 61 touchdowns, and he’s rushed for 2,265 yards and 31 scores.
Brown might not account for over 4,000 total yards and 42 touchdowns at Auburn like he did last year, but 3,200 total yards and 30 touchdowns is realistic.
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1,Arch Manning of Texas
Arch has been a Heisman Trophy candidate since he was 12. You can thank his bloodlines.
Manning, a redshirt sophomore, is finally a legit contender for national player of the year. That means he could finish in the top six, like Uncle Peyton did as a true sophomore at Tennessee.
Manning’s 2025 numbers compared to both Peyton and Uncle Eli at Ole Miss are startlingly similar, with the exception that Arch is a far better runner – taking after Grandpa Archie.
Arch’s stats in 2025: He completed 61.4% for 3,164 yards and 26 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He also rushed for 399 yards and 10 more scores – accounting for 36 touchdowns as Texas went 10-3.
Peyton’s sophomore stats: He completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,954 yards and 22 touchdowns against four picks – by far his best TD-to-INT ratio as a Vol. He ran for a net 6 yards and five touchdowns as Tennessee went 11-1.
Eli’s sophomore stats: He completed 63.5% of his passes for 2,948 yards and 31 TDs with nine picks. He had 9 net yards and no rushing TDs as Ole Miss went 7-4.
The passing yards for Peyton and Eli as sophomores are eerily similar.
As sophomores, Peyton attempted 380 passes, Eli 408 and Arch 404 in two more games than his uncles.
Arch plays against Ohio State in Game 2 – he was shut down by the Buckeyes last year – and he plays at Peyton’s Place in Game 4 in what promises to get national attention.
In his last 10 games of 2025, Arch accounted for 27 touchdowns and had an 83 QB rating – both top 10 in the FBS. He threw for 389 yards and accounted for six touchdowns against Arkansas. He passed for 221 yards and ran for 155 in a win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
However, he completed only 56% of his passes of 0-10 yards and less than 50% when outside the pocket.
He’ll need to improve those numbers if he wants an invite to New York in December.
