Though Arch Manning has yet to spend a full season as a starting quarterback, many mock 2026 NFL Drafts have the young Texas star going off the board at No. 1 overall. Hype is nothing new for Manning, who bears the name of football royalty.
He’s been one of the most ballyhooed athletes in the nation since he emerged as the top overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. The fact that he’s spent the last couple of years mostly on the bench behind Quinn Ewers has done nothing to diminish the buzz.
With Manning set to take full control of Texas’ offense in 2025, the noise has ratcheted up significantly. He’s an early Heisman Trophy favorite and, with tremendous talent around him, Manning and the Longhorns have their eyes set on a College Football Playoff National Championship run.
Beyond that, projections and prospect rankings have already included him in the crop of 2026 NFL Draft hopefuls; but will he actually leave college early?
Like the hype, speculation about Manning’s future is nothing new. Many assumed that he would transfer after failing to find consistent playing time in his first two years at Texas. Instead, he waited patiently for his opportunity.
He’s only attempted 95 passes and thrown for less than 1,000 yards as a collegiate quarterback. He’ll have every opportunity to put out great tape next year, and professional teams are almost certainly already interested in Manning, regardless of when he declares, but there’s merit to adding to his body of work.
It certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented for Manning to spurn the draft. His uncle, Peyton, elected to return for his senior campaign at Tennessee in 1997 in spite of the fact that he had already been a starter for two seasons and many saw him as a top-10 pick in…
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Author : Will Backus
Publish date : 2025-04-24 16:56:00
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