Arch Manning moves out West, Notre Dame finds their replacement at left tackle, and more hypothetical college football trades

As is the case for every college football program during fall camp, there are going to be injuries. There are also going to be players that you expect to take a step forward, that don’t. Those instances create holes in rosters, hoping to find internal answers this time of the year.

Trades aren’t a thing in college football, at least for now. Although the transfer portal helps to fill those gaps, and supplement roster losses, let’s play a hypothetical game where trades do exist with the timing. Here are some trade scenarios that would be extremely interesting for some college football contenders.

If you’re looking for realism, this probably isn’t the place for you. This is merely a fun hypothetical to establish the key questions for several teams, and highlight some talented football players to know.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning for USC defensive tackle Bear Alexander

USC recently announced Miller Moss as their starting quarterback, beating out UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava for the position. While Moss showed some nice flashes against Louisville in the bowl game, he is a pretty ordinary talent. The odds are Lincoln Riley could get the most out of him, but there is no question there is a shorter ceiling there.

That ceiling doesn’t exist for Arch Manning, who was a former five-star signal caller. While people will fixate on his last name, Mamming is extremely talented in his own right. Blessed with a big frame at 6-4 and 220 pounds, as well as possessing a live arm and good feet, the upside is there. Whether it’s the short or long term, Manning would be a welcomed addition to a quarterback room in a bit of flux.

For the Longhorns, a lot of their success in 2023 was built off of being an imposing team up front defensively. With T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy both off to the NFL, a massive hole (quite literally) has been created. Alexander is an outstanding talent, who looked like one of the best defensive lineman in the country at times last season. He’s the type of impact talent that could help get Texas over the top in 2024, as long as his head is on straight.

Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris for Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr.

There is an argument that Ole Miss could have the deepest wide receiver room in college football heading into 2024, especially after receiving a transfer from Utah State standout Micah Davis. With Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins returning, as well as Antwane “Juice” Wells transferring in, the wide receiver room has an insane amount of depth.

That gives the Rebels a lot of flexibility to lose a player like Harris, who is very good, to make their roster even more complete. With so much talent in the defensive room for the Nittany Lions, there are a lot of good players to choose from. Winston is a player they just don’t have in the secondary, bringing an outstanding frame, downhill power, and playmaking upside. He would be a welcomed addition.

In return, Penn State gets a wide receiver they desperately need. That unit wasn’t very good last season, and could still use more help outside of former Ohio State pass catcher Julian Fleming. Harris, who hauled in 54 receptions for 985 yards and eight touchdowns, brings a big body and great ball skills. He would be Penn State’s go-to wide receiver instantly.

NC State left tackle Anthony Belton for Notre Dame left tackle Tosh Baker and defensive tackle Jason Onye

Notre Dame received a tough blow earlier this offseason when starting left tackle Charles Jagusah was lost for the season. They are set to start either Tosh Baker, or true freshman Anthonie Knapp, which isn’t an ideal situation to be in with a championship window seemingly in front of you.

Somebody like Belton would be an instant upgrade, who is one of the better offensive tackles in college football. At 6’5 ⅝” and 348 pounds, Belton is a massive dude who can create a lot of movement at the point of attack. He is also extremely experienced, which serves him well in pass protection. You would feel good about him protecting Riley Leonard’s blindside this fall.

For NC State, they receive Baker, who is a solid player. He’s not nearly the player as Belton but he’s passable, especially with an athletic quarterback like Grayson McCall behind center. The Wolfpack also get Onye in the deal, who would be a good starter for a lot of programs around college football. Unfortunately for Onye, he has Howard Cross and Rylie Mills in front of him. He would have a chance to show off his overall skill set.