Arch Manning ranked above Travis Hunter & Patrick Mahomes in the list of 25 best athletes of the next 25 years

Just how good is Arch Manning expected to be?

With the first quarter of the century coming to an end, we can look back at athletes like Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Lionel Messi, and LeBron James among the top sportspeople of their time.

So to start this year, Bleacher Report took to predicting who will be the athletes that will dominate for the next 25 years. Perhaps surprisingly, a football player with two career starts is in the Top 6. That’s Arch Manning.

Manning was the top-ranked football player in the countdown in front of Travis Hunter (7), Patrick Mahomes (10), Jayden Daniels (13), CJ Stroud (18), Shedeur Sanders (22) and Ryan Williams (25).

Mahomes is the only football with over three years as a pro on the list. Because of the time period, having players in their early 20s is to be expected. Mahomes is already 29 years old.

Arch Manning comes from football royalty. His uncle Peyton is an NFL Hall of Famer; Eli, his younger uncle, is a Hall of Fame finalist for the first time this year. He is also a grandson to Archie Manning, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback.

Travis Hunter was the second top football player on the list. - Source: Imagn

On the field, Arch Manning was a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 player in the nation in 2023. He sat for two years behind Quinn Ewers at the University of Texas. In limited playing time, Manning has passed for 969 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions.

The redshirt freshman quarterback is expected to take over for Ewers next season and, as the ranking shows, there are high expectations for his future. At 19 years old, the quarterback has time to take over for the next quarter century.

Who joined Arch Manning in the top 25 players for the next 25 years?

While Arch Manning is the top football player on the countdown, the top spot overall belongs to San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. The 20-year-old center has shown promise in a little more than one season in the NBA, averaging 22.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.

He's joined by three other basketball players in the top five. The second spot in the ranking is reserved for the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, who has revolutionized women’s basketball like no one before her. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Edwards is fourth while Duke superstar Cooper Flagg comes in at No. 5.

The third spot in the countdown belongs to the only NHL player on the list: Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard.

Other notable names are Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (9), tennis player Carlos Alcaraz (11), college basketball players JuJu Watkins (14) and Paige Bueckers (16) and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal (15).