Every off-season is full of projections and hype. 2025 was no different, with several SEC quarterbacks garnering much of the talk. Would Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, DJ Lagway or LaNorris Sellers win the Heisman? Amazingly, in mid-September the odds are already against any of them going home with the trophy.
Arch Manning ā Texas
Considering his lack of experience, the expectations surrounding Manning were unrealistic. But because his last name is Manning, the masses believed that they were realistic. Instead, through three games he has passed for 579 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions while completing only 55.3% of his attempts. As the season progresses, I expect Manning to improve as he becomes more comfortable. However, by the conclusion neither he nor the Longhorns will achieve what many thought they would when the season began.
Garrett Nussmeier ā LSU
Unlike Manning, Nussmeier has plenty of experience but still has started off unexpectedly slow despite the Tigers being 3-0 and No. 3 in the AP Poll. There are two ways to look at this. The positive spin is that the Tigers are winning despite Nussmeierās slow start. One has to belief that the passing offense will improve, which will immediately make LSU an even bigger threat. The negative spin is that with his experience, this slow start never should have happened. The Tigers are only averaging 20.0 points per game, which is 109th in the country. If the offense doesnāt start clicking, that will catch up to LSU with No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 20 Vanderbilt, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 14 Alabama and No. 11 Oklahoma still remaining on the schedule.
DJ Lagway ā Florida
Not much has gone right for Florida this season. And that includes Lagwayās development. He showcased enough potential during the 2024 season to excite Florida fans and make him a darkhorse candidate for the Heisman. Instead, the Gators are 1-2 and Lagway has passed for 629 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions, which is second most in the FBS. If youāre looking for a positive, he is completing 71% of his passes, which is a marked improvement from his 59.9% clip last year. But if Lagway canāt quickly control his interception numbers, the Gators will see the losses pile up in the coming weeks against No. 4 Miami, No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 5 Georgia.
LaNorris Sellers ā South Carolina
Like Nussmeier above, something just seems to be a bit off with Sellers through three games. On top of that, he missed more than a half of the latest game, a loss to Vanderbilt, with a concussion. Overall, he has only passed for 431 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The lack of explosiveness has also affected his running ability, as he has only rushed for 45 yards and one touchdown, while averaging 1.9 yards per carry. These are sobering numbers for fanbase who had extremely lofty expectations during the off-season. The good news for South Carolina is that Sellersā availability for tomorrowās important game at No. 23 Missouri is improving. But unless they get a better version of Sellers, it might not matter.
