Arch Manning Delays NFL Leap, Betting on Growth and Redemption at Texas
Arch Manning’s name has been echoing through draft circles for years now, but come April 2026, it won’t be called. The Texas quarterback - once projected as the potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft - is heading back to Austin for another season in burnt orange.
The decision, confirmed by his father, Cooper Manning, might raise some eyebrows in today’s college football landscape, where early declarations and draft stock often take precedence over development. But for Arch, this move is less about the spotlight and more about the long game.
Let’s be clear: Manning’s 2025 campaign didn’t go the way many expected. He entered the season as a Heisman favorite and the presumed top quarterback in the draft.
But the road got bumpy - early inconsistency, growing pains in a new-look Texas offense, and the weight of expectations that come with the Manning name. Still, what could’ve been a lost season turned into a late-year resurgence that has people inside the program - and across the country - seeing something special.
Manning wrapped up his first year as the Longhorns’ starter with a 9-3 record, throwing for 2,942 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He added 244 yards and 8 scores on the ground.
Not eye-popping numbers at first glance, but the context matters. His best football came when it mattered most - late in the season, under pressure, against SEC competition.
Take the Arkansas game: 389 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 52-37 shootout win. Then came a clutch performance against a top-15 Vanderbilt team led by Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia, where Manning threw for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 34-31 victory. These weren’t just stat-padding games - they were signature wins that showed real development.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian put it best: “He’s got some unfinished business of what he came here to do, and what he came here to accomplish.” Sarkisian has watched Manning evolve - not just physically, but mentally.
The early part of the season saw a quarterback still finding his rhythm, still adjusting to the speed and complexity of the college game. His timing was off.
His reads were slow. But he didn’t shy away from the challenge.
Instead, Manning leaned into the process. He got better - sharper with his decisions, more confident in the pocket, and more aggressive when pushing the ball downfield.
By season’s end, the game had started to slow down for him. That Arkansas performance wasn’t a fluke - it was a glimpse of what he could be when everything clicks.
From a draft perspective, the choice to return to school makes a lot of sense. Quarterback evaluations are fluid - one season can make or break a prospect’s stock.
Manning knows that. By staying at Texas, he’s giving himself another year to solidify his résumé, build continuity with his young receiving corps, and enter the 2027 NFL Draft with momentum and polish.
For Texas, this is massive. Stability at quarterback is the foundation of any championship push, and Manning’s return gives the Longhorns a proven leader with room to grow. For the NFL, it means that when Arch Manning does declare, he won’t just be a name with pedigree - he’ll be a quarterback with production, poise, and polish.
Meanwhile, teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers - who’ve been eyeing this 2026 quarterback class closely - will have to adjust. Manning joins South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed as top-tier signal-callers opting to return to school, thinning out a once-hyped QB pool.
For quarterback-needy teams, that’s a curveball. For Manning, it’s a calculated move - one that could pay off in a big way.
Because while the NFL can wait, growth can’t be rushed. And Arch Manning’s story is still being written - chapter by chapter, throw by throw, back in Austin.