NFL fan bases have been talking about tanking for Arch Manning this summer, but will he actually declare for the 2026 draft? On Thursday, the football world received an update on the Texas quarterback.
Manning, a former five-star recruit, wasn’t the full-time starter for the Longhorns last season. However, he received a decent amount of playing time due to an injury to Quinn Ewers. The nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had 108 yards and four scores on the ground.
Earlier this year, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tried to quiet down all the hype surrounding Manning’s NFL future. He hinted that Manning could wait until 2027 to go pro.
“First of all, there’s no guarantees that Arch Manning’s coming out after next year. It sounds like he certainly could be staying beyond next year,” Schefter said. “I’m not a college football insider, but none of the Mannings ever went out early, and I don’t know with NIL money being what it is why Arch would do that. So, all of this conversation about tanking for Arch next year, he could be in the draft in 2027, not even next year.”
During a discussion with Texas Monthly, former NFL quarterback Archie Manning shared his thoughts on his grandson’s future.
Archie let the college football world know that he doesn’t expect Arch to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Archie said. “He’ll be at Texas.”
Brett Davis-Imagn Images.
Fans shouldn’t be surprised by this announcement from Archie. He has been preaching patience for Arch’s career since 2023.
“Every situation is different. If you remember, Peyton and Eli went to school early for spring training. Peyton got thrown in for his first game as a freshman. He played a great deal that season. Tennessee had a great offensive line and two really good running backs, so that allowed him to work into it,” Archie said. “Eli had what I think is the best course. He redshirt his first year, was a backup in his second year, and then started in his third year. I think it’s a big jump. Arch played 2A Football, as did Peyton and Eli. Every situation is different.”
If Arch returns to Texas for the 2026 season, he’ll have two seasons to develop his skillset.
