The Fort Worth Press - Matt Leinart assesses Arch Manning and the leading names in college football

Leinart said elite college quarterbacks share arm talent, making poise, leadership, sideline conduct and communication especially important. He described Manning as a hard-working player who resisted using his family name or name-image-and-likeness opportunities as shortcuts. Leinart knows Manning’s father Cooper and said the quarterback carries the qualities teammates want in a leader.

Among other quarterbacks, Leinart praised Oregon’s Dante Moore for arm strength, processing and control, and called Ohio State’s Julian Sayin exceptionally accurate, calm and largely unaffected by pressure. He identified Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss as the season’s most fascinating player and a dark-horse Heisman and top-five draft candidate. Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, he said, has top-five-pick potential and may carry more of the offence after the departures of running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

Leinart expects USC’s Jayden Maiava to benefit from a third season under Lincoln Riley and challenged him to become a more vocal leader. He called Miami transfer Darian Mensah an upgrade with national exposure ahead, while describing his own son, SMU quarterback Cole Leinart, as raw but talented and accurate, with time to gain strength and learn the offence.

In the conference races, Leinart placed Oregon and Ohio State at the front of the Big Ten, with defending champion Indiana close behind after adding former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. He views Notre Dame as a possible national semifinalist, Georgia as his preseason SEC choice and Miami as the ACC favourite, while warning against overlooking SMU. In the Big 12, he highlighted BYU, Texas Tech, TCU and Utah.

Leinart called Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith the country’s best player and compared his physical gifts with those of elite receivers such as Julio Jones. Other players he wants to watch include Texas receiver Cam Coleman, USC freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Oregon running back Jordan Davison and Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht.

Coaching storylines include Lane Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to LSU, Matt Campbell’s arrival at Penn State and pressure on Riley in his fifth USC season. Leinart said Kiffin is polarising but an excellent coach and recruiter, while arguing that recruiting disputes reflect wider instability in college athletics.

Reflecting on his own career, Leinart called winning the 2004 Heisman life-changing and said his NFL career did not meet his expectations, though injuries and circumstances taught him lessons and opened later opportunities. He recalled genuine pre-draft interest from the New York Jets before they selected D’Brickashaw Ferguson. For the 2026 playoff, Leinart selected Oregon, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas, with Ohio State as champion because of Sayin, Smith and continuity on both sides of the ball.

M.T.Smith--TFWP