Arch Manning may not be the Texas Longhorns No. 1 starter this season, he is No. 1 on another list.
Manning is the highest valuable NIL player in college football right now, topping the list at $3.8 million.
That’s ahead of Heisman winner Caleb Williams at $2.6 million, and Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.
Coming out of high school, Manning was ranked as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country, but for now, he will have to wait his turn before he ever starts for the Longhorns.
Many were stunned that Manning chose Texas over both Alabama and Georgia who were both losing their starters this offspring and where Manning may have had a better chance to compete for the starting quarterback position.
But apparently, he had fallen in love with the city of Austin and its college atmosphere, which is one of the reasons why he choose Texas.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian reminded those who were tough on the young quarterback as he debuted in the Orange and White game Saturday, that he is still just a kid.
“He’s a kid. He’s a college kid,” Sarkisian said, noting Manning twice lost his student ID in a week. “I think, so many times, you see the Manning name and you think he’s this perfect, in a box, like nothing’s wrong with him. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with him, but he’s still a kid. I love that about him.”
As Manning continues to grow and learn, you can’t imagine not seeing him being the starter at some point in his career.
About Stacey Mickles
Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.