Arch Manning’s name carries plenty of weight in college football, and this season his Texas deal is drawing attention for a different reason: the number attached to it.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Manning is set to play this season on a $2.5 million contract with Texas. That figure sits well below what some of the other top quarterbacks around the country are reportedly making, even though Manning is viewed as one of the most important players in the sport this year.
On3’s reported quarterback contract figures include Darian Mensah at Miami for $6 million, Dante Moore at Oregon for $5 million, Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss for $5 million, Sam Leavitt at LSU for $4.5 million and Josh Hoover at Indiana for $4.5 million.
That makes Manning’s deal look like a bargain for Texas, especially considering the kind of impact he can have on the field. But the Longhorns quarterback is hardly leaving money on the table overall. He has NIL deals with Red Bull, Raising Cane’s, Vuori and more, plus a national TV commercial with Warby Parker Glasses that aired in the days leading up to Texas’ season opener against Texas State.
Still, the broader point is hard to miss: Manning could be making more through Texas if he wanted to push for it. The school could double his revenue share to get him to that reported $5 million mark.
If that happened, Texas would be making a clear statement about where Manning belongs among the sport’s highest-paid players. The question, of course, would be how that would affect the rest of the roster.
Manning’s approach fits the way he was raised. He comes from a family that knows how to deal with attention, and the idea that individual success depends on the team’s success comes through in the way this situation is being framed.
Texas already got its first look at that Saturday in a 59-7 season-opening win over Texas State, and the Longhorns will get a much bigger test when they host No. 1 Ohio State in Austin on Saturday.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Showed Texas Fans Something Bigger Than His Viral Fall
Before Texas even got to the opening kickoff, Arch Manning had already given Longhorns fans a moment they were not expecting when he was knocked down by a bystander in the tunnel before the first game of the season. The scene spread quickly online and became one of those viral pregame clips that seemed destined to overshadow everything else, but Manning handled the moment with humor in his media availability and then turned the focus back where Texas wanted it.
Once the ball was in his hands, Manning showed the bigger takeaway for Texas was never the stumble itself. He settled in and delivered a strong performance, completing 20 of 27 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, a response that mattered far more than the replay circulating on social media. For a fan base watching closely, it was a reminder that the noise around Manning can be loud, but his play on the field can still speak the loudest. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Must Answer One Costly Question In Ohio State Rematch
Last seasons matchup with Ohio State offered Texas a reminder that good stretches of offense do not always add up to enough. The Longhorns moved the ball at times but left with a blank in the most important part of the field, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has pointed to that issue as one of the biggest lessons carried forward into this years rematch.
There is more confidence around the offense now, with Cam Coleman added at receiver and Arch Manning showing more pocket presence and decisiveness. Even so, the challenge remains the same for Texas in a game of this size: turn opportunities near the goal line into points, because against Ohio State the margin for error figures to be razor thin again. [Read more 🡒]
Colin Simmons Just Unlocked A New Wrinkle In Texas Defense
Will Muschamps first game back calling Texas defense came with a noticeable tweak to how the Longhorns deployed Colin Simmons. The edge rusher still spent most of his night in his usual outside role, but Texas also began moving him around in ways that hinted at a broader plan for one of its most disruptive defenders. In the win over Texas State, the Longhorns mixed in a mint front package often enough to stand out, and Simmons was one of the players asked to help make it work.
For Texas, the interesting part is less about a single game and more about what it could mean going forward. Simmons ability to handle off-ball responsibilities alongside his normal pass-rush duties gives Muschamp another way to disguise pressure and keep offenses guessing, even in limited snaps. He was productive against Texas State while adjusting to the new responsibilities, and the early usage suggests the Longhorns may have found a wrinkle worth expanding as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]