{"id":243258,"date":"2025-08-24T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T16:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=243258"},"modified":"2025-08-22T09:32:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T13:32:33","slug":"no-arch-manning-this-year-meet-the-new-qb1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/24\/no-arch-manning-this-year-meet-the-new-qb1\/","title":{"rendered":"No Arch Manning This Year:  Meet the New QB1"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Arch Manning Won&#8217;t Declare, Meet the Quarterback Ready to Steal The Spotlight<\/h2>\n<h3>Arch Manning Will Not Declare For The 2026 NFL Draft<\/h3>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/tag\/texas-longhorns\/\" target=\"_self\">Texas&#8217;s<\/a> new starting quarterback, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/03\/20\/can-arch-extend-the-manning-legacy\/\" target=\"_self\">Arch Manning<\/a>, is already taking the college football world by storm. Most projections have him as the first quarterback\u2014and first overall pick\u2014yet he will not declare for the 2026 NFL Draft class.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Both of Arch&#8217;s uncles, Eli and Peyton, stayed for all four years at their respective colleges. Now heading into his third season with the Longhorns, Arch is, in typical Manning fashion, likely to stick around for another year at Texas. Then again, his grandfather Archie left college after just three seasons and, in a bit of irony, Archie has weighed in on teams potentially tanking for the Longhorns&#8217; quarterback.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Arch isn&#8217;t gonna do that; he&#8217;ll be at Texas,&#8221; he told <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.texasmonthly.com\/arts-entertainment\/arch-manning-ut-football-quarterback\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Texas Monthly<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>With Arch out, the big question is simple\u2014who&#8217;s QB1?<\/div>\n<h3>Introducing Cade Klubnik, the 2026 QB1<\/h3>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/07\/23\/cade-klubnik-2026-nfl-draft-player-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Cade Klubnik<\/a>, from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/tag\/clemson-tigers\/\" target=\"_self\">Clemson Tigers<\/a>, <em>will<\/em> be the first quarterback taken off the board come next April. Klubnik finished his 2024 campaign with,<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>63.4% completion percentage (308 of 486)<\/li>\n<li>3639 passing yards<\/li>\n<li>36 passing touchdowns<\/li>\n<li>6 interceptions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>Numbers-wise, Klubnik had an incredible season. But stats only tell part of the story. Turn on the tape, and it&#8217;s clear\u2014this kid&#8217;s got wheels.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KUPC3rA3tgc\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clemson&#8217;s Cade Klubnik Calls Game On Pit<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>When Clemson faced NC State in Week 4 of last season, Cade Klubnik sprinted on a 55-yard touchdown run, reaching a top speed of over 21 mph.<\/div>\n<div>But Klubnik isn&#8217;t just a threat with his legs\u2014he&#8217;s incredibly accurate through the air. Against the Texas Longhorns, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/articles\/college-football\/2024-college-football-defense-rankings-team-pass-and-rush-stats\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the nation&#8217;s third-ranked defense<\/a>, he posted:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>60.4% completion percentage (26 of 43)<\/li>\n<li>336 yards<\/li>\n<li>3 passing touchdowns<\/li>\n<li>1 interception<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">(In Klubnik&#8217;s defense, the one interception came from a tipped pass).<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xaNhwkyyM_o&amp;t=29s\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clemson&#8217;s Cade Klubnik Throws For 300 Yards &amp; 3 TD in College Football Playoff<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Arguably, Klubnik&#8217;s most impressive trait is his consistent ability to improve year after year, making him a prospect with an ever-rising ceiling.<\/div>\n<h4>SOPHOMORE YEAR STATS<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>63.9% completion percentage (290 of 454)<\/li>\n<li>2844 passing yards<\/li>\n<li>19 touchdowns<\/li>\n<li>9 interceptions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>The numbers don&#8217;t lie\u2014Klubnik showed significant improvement from his sophomore to junior year. On just 18 more passing attempts, he threw:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>795 more passing yards<\/li>\n<li>17 more passing touchdowns<\/li>\n<li>3 fewer interceptions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Everything Lines Up for the Next QB1<\/h3>\n<div>Klubnik&#8217;s growth as a quarterback is undeniable, and with one of the nation&#8217;s <em>top<\/em> receiving corps\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/07\/27\/antonio-williams-2026-nfl-draft-player-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Antonio Williams<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/07\/07\/top-returning-acc-pass-catchers\/\" target=\"_self\">Bryant Wesco Jr.<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/07\/21\/clemsons-top-2024-commits-so-far\/\" target=\"_self\">T.J. Moore<\/a>\u2014at his disposal, the ceiling is sky-high. Behind the scenes, guided by Dabo Swinney, a two-time national champion, nine-time ACC title winner, and multiple-time Coach of the Year. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/11\/what-makes-a-good-nfl-quarterback-nature-vs-nurture\/\" target=\"_self\">Quarterback development is a combination of nature and nurture<\/a>, and the Clemson Tigers have the perfect environment to grow Klubnik&#8217;s skillset.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Clemson has everything in place for Klubnik to thrive: an <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/04\/18\/the-three-waves-of-terror-a-look-at-the-clemson-wide-receivers\/\" target=\"_self\">elite group of receivers<\/a>, a legendary coach, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/news\/college-football-top-10-defensive-lines-entering-the-2025-season\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a top-ranked defensive line<\/a>, and the #4 spot in the AP Poll. Given his track record of improving every year, expect Klubnik to surpass his previous success, cement himself as the consensus best quarterback in the nation, and even be the first name called next April.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Possible Team Fits:\u00a0<\/strong>Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/06\/20\/best-quarterbacks-in-the-2026-nfl-draft\/\" target=\"_self\"><em>Read More: 2026 Quarterback Prospect Rankings<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Main Photo Credit: Syndication: Austin American-Statesman<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arch Manning Won&#8217;t Declare, Meet the Quarterback Ready to Steal The Spotlight Arch Manning Will Not Declare For The 2026 NFL Draft Texas&#8217;s new starting quarterback, Arch Manning, is already taking the college football world by storm. Most projections have him as the first quarterback\u2014and first overall pick\u2014yet he will not declare for the 2026 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5616,"featured_media":240535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,8,28,9],"tags":[33533,33885,32984,33585,40],"class_list":["post-243258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-browns","category-saints","category-steelers","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-2026-nfl-draft-quarterbacks","tag-arch-manning","tag-cade-klubnik","tag-nfl"],"modified_by":"Mike Kashuba","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5616"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243258"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243299,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243258\/revisions\/243299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}