College football is almost back.
The 2026 season officially gets underway on August 29, where schools all around the country will be bidding to earn a place in the coveted College Football Playoff by the time that December rolls around.
In the era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, many star-caliber athletes are choosing to prolong declaring for the NFL Draft, and instead, choosing to remain at the collegiate level for as long as possible.
Arch Manning, who has a NIL value of $2.5 million, is essentially an NFL legacy product with his uncles Peyton and Eli Manning both having been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after stellar careers at the top level.
The Texas Longhorns star has had eyes on him since his Freshman season in 2023, and in 2026, that will only be expected to grow as he prepares to enter the 2026 NFL Draft.
In 2025, Manning completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns to seven interceptions, and rushed for 399 yards and into the end zone for an additional 10 scores.
Many quarterback-needy NFL teams have already been linked with him, such as the Arizona Cardinals, who aren’t expected to make massive headway on their 3-14 losing campaign last season and are one of the favorites to land the No. 1 overall pick next summer.
However, they have already been left impressed by third-round pick Carson Beck after he flashed in his Cards debut at the Pro Football Hall of Fame preseason game.
But the quarterback Class of 2027 is perhaps more stacked than it has been in recent years with the likes of Oregon’s Dante Moore and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr.
For college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, though, he names one young signal caller who people should be paying more attention to in 2026 – perhaps even placing more attention on him than on Manning – in Trinidad Chambliss.
The 23-year-old Ole Miss quarterback won his court battle to be entitled to a sixth year of college eligibility, and Herbstreit tips the former Ferris State star to make the most of his opportunity under center.
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“I think, by the way, that the face of the sport going into the season as much as people are going to talk about Arch Manning, I really think Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss,” Herbstreit said in an appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show on August 4.
“Him getting that (extra) year, it looked like he might not get it. Then they went down to Oxford and talked to a judge and everything got taken care of.
“He is so refreshing, when you get around this guy. You guys should have him on the show before the season starts, if you haven’t had him on yet, you’ll instantly fall in love with his personality.”
In 2025, Chambliss lit up the college landscape, erupting for 3,937 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to just three interceptions under then-head coach Lane Kiffin.
He also tacked on an additional 527 yards and eight scores on the ground as Ole Miss reached the College Football Playoff semi-finals, only to lose out to the 10th seed Miami Hurricanes with Beck orchestrating the offense to a 31-27 victory.
Now under the leadership of Pete Golding, who spent last season as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator, following Kiffin’s messy departure to LSU, Chambliss is hoping to take his game to an even greater level
He has also responded to Herbstreit’s comments calling him the ‘face of college football,’ appearing to take it all in his stride.
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“I feel like pressure is a privilege,” Chambliss said when asked about Herbstreit’s comments. “I prayed to be in this situation. This is what I’ve asked for.
“I’m grateful that God has given me this opportunity to be the quarterback at Ole Miss and have the platform that I have. There is some pressure, but it’s what I’ve asked for.”
Chambliss enters the new campaign – his final at the collegiate level – as one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, behind Manning and co-favorite Carr, with Moore also very much in the conversation.
But he’s not focused on individual accolades.
“I’ve just got to do what I’ve been taught to do, what I’ve done my whole life, and that is just to play ball,” he said.
Ole Miss begin their season against Louisville on September 6 in a neutral site game in Nashville, Tennessee.
