It’s hard to argue there’s anyone in college football with more pressure on their shoulders than Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, who is entering his first season as the Longhorns’ starter.
Many fans are chomping at the bit to see Manning, who is the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, take the field and have a dominant Heisman-worthy season en route to an early declaration for the NFL draft.
However, those fans may need to pump their brakes a bit, according to Manning’s grandfather.
“Archie Manning declares of his grandson, ‘He’ll be at Texas’ for 2026. He’ll have to yell that at the top of his lungs all season to get the mock drafts to stop including Arch,” reported NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Thursday.
Fans reacted to the news on social media.
“It’s been widely expected that Arch Manning will follow in Eli and Peyton’s footsteps by staying in school longer, but if he has an elite junior season at Texas and the right team is picking at the top, it might be hard for him not to declare early,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Arch only there cus his grandfather, he’s proven nothing he’s only talked about cus his last name,” someone else added.
“His family wants him to learn under Steve Sarkisian. This is only his first year starting. He will not leave for the 2026 Draft. He might not leave for the 2027 draft, but that is more likely if he shows enough improvement & Steve thinks he’s read,” another fan wrote.
It’ll be interesting to see if Arch has the dominant season fans are expecting of him.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.