Texas Longhorns star quarterback Arch Manning could have entered the NFL Draft after a strong close to the 2025 season. However, he chose to return to Texas, and the Longhorns are already rewarding him for that decision.
While Manning struggled mightily toward the beginning of the season, he was playing like one of the better quarterbacks in the country towards the end of the year.
In the final five games of the regular season, Manning surpassed 250 passing yards in four different games, leading the Longhorns to a 2-1 record against ranked opponents. Over that stretch, he threw for 12 touchdown passes and just one interception.
Manning’s significant development over the course of the season prompted speculation that he could declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, where he may have been regarded as one of the premier quarterbacks in the class. Instead, he chose to return to Texas for at least another year.
After Manning made the decision to return to Texas, the Longhorns seemed to respond by surrounding him with high-level talent in the transfer portal.
Since the transfer portal opened at the beginning of the month, Texas landed a commitment from former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, who was ranked as the top overall player in the transfer portal.
Texas also landed two elite running backs, signing NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers and Arizona State transfer Raleek Brown, both of whom were ranked as top-five running backs in this transfer portal class.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Longhorns signed former Pitt linebacker Rasheem Biles, who was the top linebacker in the transfer portal, as well as former Rutgers cornerback Bo Mascoe, who was a top-five corner in the transfer portal.
All in all, Texas signed five players ranked in the top 50 of On3 Sports’ transfer portal player rankings, including the top wide receiver.
Clearly, the Longhorns are going all-in to try to win a national title after Manning decided to return this year.
About Dave Kelsey
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