Arch Manning, the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2023, committed to Texas on Thursday.
That’s a label that will follow the Isidore Newman High School (New Orleans) quarterback through college into his potential NFL career. The stakes are already high given Manning’s bloodline, which includes former NFL quarterbacks with his grandfather Archie and uncles Peyton and Eli.
He also will be judged on past top quarterback recruits. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik from Westlake High School (Austin, Tex.) was the top quarterback in the 2022 class, and he will battle for playing time with Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei this season.
MORE: How Peyton, Eli, Archie fared early in college careers
How much pressure goes into being the top QB recruit in the country? Since 2012, two of those quarterbacks won national championships, two won the Heisman Trophy and two went on to become the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Yet five of those quarterbacks also transferred from their original school.
Sporting News looks at the No. 1 quarterback recruits in each class since 2012 and how their college and NFL careers have unfolded.
No. 1 QB recruits since 2012
2012: James Winston, Hueytown (Hueytown, Ala.)
College: Winston was a two-year starter at Florida State, and he stormed on to the college football scene with 4,057 yards, 40 TDs and 10 interceptions in 2013. He won the Heisman Trophy and led Florida State to the national championship. Winston led the Seminoles to the CFP the following year and had a 27-1 record as a starter.
Pro: Winston was the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He’s entering his eighth season and expected to start for the Saints in 2022. Winston led the league with 5,109 passing yards in 2019, but he has struggled with interceptions throughout his pro career and has a 33-44 career record and has not started a playoff game.
2013: Max Browne, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
College: Browne was a backup for most of his three-year career at USC before he transferred to Pitt for his senior season in 2017. He completed 71.1% of his passes but suffered a season-ending injury after six games. Browne finished his college career with 1,647 yards, seven TDs and four interceptions.
Pro: Browne went undrafted and did not play in the NFL.
2014: Kyle Allen, Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
College: Allen, who went undrafted, lost the starting job to Kenny Hill as a freshman at Texas A&M before taking over in 2015. He suffered a shoulder injury that year, however, and transferred to Houston where he played in 2017. Between the two stops, Allen had 4,283 yards, 37 TDs and 18 interceptions.
Pro: Allen has made 13 starts in four NFL seasons between stops with Carolina and Washington. He totaled 4,318 yards, 24 TDs and 17 interceptions in those games. He signed with the Houston Texans this offseason.
2015: Josh Rosen, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
College: Rosen arrived at UCLA with 351 yards and three TDs in his debut against Virginia, but he struggled with consistency over three seasons with the Bruins. Rosen totaled 9,340 yards, 59 TDs and 26 interceptions over 33 games.
Pro: The Arizona Cardinals drafted Rosen with the No. 10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, where he played one season before being traded to Miami. He played for the Dolphins in 2019 and Falcons in 2021. Rosen is a free agent.
2016: Shea Patterson, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
College: Patterson played two seasons at Ole Miss before transferring to Michigan, where he was a two-year starter for Jim Harbaugh. He compiled 8,800 yards, 68 TDs and 27 interceptions in those four seasons. He set the single-game passing yards record at Ole Miss with 489 yards; a record Matt Corral broke last season.
Pro: Patterson bounced around the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and played for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. He was the No. 1 pick by the Michigan Panthers in the 2022 USFL Draft, but he was released on May 25 and now plays for the New Orleans Breakers.
2017: Davis Mills, Greater Atlanta Christian School (Norcross, Ga.)
College: Mills was a backup his first two seasons at Stanford, and the 2020 season was cut short by COVID-19. He still had success with the Cardinal. In 14 games, he had 3,468 yards, 18 TDs and eight interceptions.
Pro: Mills was a third-round pick by Houston in 2021, but he emerged as the starting quarterback last season. He had 2,664 yards, 16 TDs and 10 interceptions in 11 games and is projected to be the starter for new coach Lovie Smith in 2022.
2018: Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville (Cartersville, Ga.)
College: Lawrence took the starting job from Kelly Bryant midway through his freshman year at Clemson and never looked back. He led the Tigers to a national championship, and Clemson lost the CFP championship game the following season against LSU. Lawrence had a 38-2 record as a starter, and he finished with 90 TDs and 17 interceptions.
Pro: Lawrence was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by Jacksonville. The Jaguars finished 3-14 last season, and Lawrence started in all 17 games. He finished with 3,641 yards, 12 TDs and 17 interceptions.
2019: Spencer Rattler, Pinnacle (Phoenix)
College: Rattler started as a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma in 2020 and led the Sooners to a Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl victory. He lost the starting job to Caleb Williams midway through last season and transferred to South Carolina. Rattler has 4,595 passing yards, 40 TDs and 12 interceptions for his career.
2020: Bryce Young, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
College: Young was the backup for Mac Jones as a freshman, and he stepped into the starting role in seamless fashion in 2021. Young passed for 4,872 yards, 48 TDs and seven interceptions and led the Crimson Tide to the SEC championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff championship game. Young is the returning Heisman Trophy winner heading into 2022 and projected to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
2021: Quinn Ewers, Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)
College: Ewers reclassified in the 2021 class to take advantage of Name, Image and Likeness and he chose Ohio State. Ewers did not throw a pass last season, and he transferred to Texas where he is competing for the starting job with Hudson Card in 2022 and presumably Manning in 2023.