Arch Manning has barely seen the field for the Texas Longhorns, yet no quarterback in college football has more early NFL Draft projections for 2026 than him.
A lot of that has to do with his last name — one that’s synonymous with quarterbacking royalty. Most notably, his uncles Peyton and Eli made the family name iconic in the NFL. But it all started with Arch’s grandfather, Archie Manning.
So if anyone would have inside knowledge on whether Arch plans to declare for the draft after this season, surely it’d be Archie, right?
Not exactly.
In an interview with Texas Monthly, Archie said he hasn’t had any conversations with his grandson about the matter. But knowing Arch, he doesn’t believe the NFL is in the cards just yet.
“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Manning said when asked whether his grandson would declare for the 2026 draft. “He’ll be at Texas.”
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Even though some outlets have already pegged Arch as a top prospect in way-too-early mock drafts, Archie’s prediction probably carries more weight than most. And it turns out some NFL scouts feel the same way.
“You’d like to watch a quarterback in double-digit games to really evaluate them,” an AFC college scouting director told SI’s Albert Breer.
So far, Arch has made appearances in 12 games over the past two seasons, with only two starts. He’s thrown for 969 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 115 rushing yards and four scores.
The former five-star has all the physical tools to become Texas’ next great quarterback — but before he’s labeled a future NFL franchise savior, it might help to have a year as full-time starter under his belt, at the very least.
