Jackson Arnold reportedly intends to opt out of Sooners contract but….
Oh no! There’s some bad news for Arch Manning’s fans. The 2024 Manning Passing Academy Standouts list is here. And guess what? Your favorite Arch’s name is missing from the list of 12 players. Even though the Texas Longhorns quarterback got unlucky in earning himself a spot, his teammate Quinn Ewers and Oklahoma Sooners QB Jackson Arnold stole the show.
athleticism, crazy receiver potential, air raid play calling, and a progressive start to the season against decent competition before the gauntlet gets here. What about the negatives? Well, the offensive line is brand new, there is no great option at tight end, and the SEC is coming. There’s a huge difference between Arizona’s defense and Auburn’s at Jordan Hare. However, I believe Bedenbaugh will shore up the O-Line, tight ends aren’t a major focus of the air raid, and Arnold is as primed a candidate to lead a transition to the SEC as any program can ask for.
Overall, I am encouraged and confident Arnold will have a top-5 QB season in the SEC this year. Georiga QB Carson Beck, Texas QB Quinn Ewers, Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, and Alabama QB Jalen Milroe are the conference’s clear top-4 signal callers. Either Arnold or Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava will be the 5th best QB at the end of the year. It is unrealistic to think Arnold is Caleb Williams because that type of talent is generational which is what makes it so special. Sooner fans are spoiled when it comes to quarterbacks and we can’t think every one of them is Kyler. However, the expectations are realistically high for Jackson Arnold because he has shown that he is one of the country’s highest potential future quarterbacks. He just needs a little more experience, a refined decision-making process, and his receivers to cash in on their potential. If that happens, which isn’t unrealistic at all, I see Arnold leading the Sooner’s offense to a birth in the College Football Playoff.
At this year’s Manning Passing Academy, around 50 top QBs of the nation took the field for the multi-day clinic, and out of them, only 12 were honored as the event’s best. The Longhorns QB, Ewers, was “among the best by routinely hitting on timing throws,” a superpower that will propel Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood’s offense this season. Last year, too, he got lucky to get nominated among the 2023 Manning Passing Academy standouts, which was the first time for Arnold. Meanwhile, being the latest torchbearer of the Manning family, fans were hoping to witness Arch make a debut in the list. But destiny had some other plans for the 19-year-old.
