The Texas football program is blessed to have Arch Manning as their quarterback. Texas may not have made the College Football Playoff, but they saw some great things out of their young quarterback this season. Arch played well enough that NFL scouts continue to buzz about his potential once he eventually joins the pros.
Manning is once again receiving hype around possibly declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. He is widely viewed as the consensus QB1 if he were to declare.
“He might still go No. 1 [overall],” one college area scout recently told Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports. “All the tools are there, even if the performance was erratic. He might need a little time to grow into himself as a player. But he’s got the size (6-foot-4, 219 pounds), the arm, the intangibles, and the kid had some great games. I think I’d still feel better about his future than anyone else in this year’s class.”
Manning started the season off a little slow, but he continued to get better throughout the fall. He even led the Longhorns to a huge win over the Aggies, who were unbeaten at the time.
The young quarterback finished the season with 2,942 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
But not everyone is convinced that Arch should go pro right away. One NFL assistant general manager explained that Manning could best be viewed as a project in 2026.
“It might be hard to take him really high if you need a quarterback right now, because he just didn’t look ready for the NFL to me,” the assistant general manager said. “But he will be. If you can afford a year or two to let him grow, maybe let him sit behind a veteran and learn like Patrick Mahomes did [in Kansas City] and Jordan Love [did in Green Bay], the payoff could be absolutely huge.”
There is certainly an argument for Manning staying at Texas and gaining more experience before leaving for the NFL.
It will be fascinating to see whether Manning decides to go to the NFL or stay at Texas for one more season. Perhaps the team's performance during bowl season could impact his choice.
Next up for Texas football is the Citrus Bowl against Michigan on December 31st.
