Texas Longhorns standout quarterback Arch Manning had the opportunity to declare for the NFL Draft after closing out the 2025 season on a strong note. However, it appears that path was never truly on the table.
Manning experienced his fair share of struggles early in the season, but by the time the year came to an end, he had emerged as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks.
Across the final five games of the regular season, Manning eclipsed 250 passing yards in four outings and helped lead Texas to a 2-1 mark against ranked opponents. In that stretch, he tossed 12 touchdown passes and threw just one interception.
That surge in play fueled speculation that Manning could declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, he made the decision to return to Texas for at least another season.
“I feel like I developed a lot this year, especially toward the back half and I want to keep it going,” Manning said of his decision to return to Texas, via Fox News Digital. “There’s no reason to leave. I feel like I got a lot more football left to play and excited to still be a part of this team.”
While the choice may have appeared difficult from the outside, it sounds like it was never much of a dilemma for Manning himself.
In a recent interview, Arch’s father, Cooper Manning, was asked whether Arch was “always staying in school.” Cooper made it clear that his son was never seriously considering an early jump to the NFL.
“I grew up listening to my parents talking about how great college was, I still love my years in college. Eli was there for five years, Peyton was four. It’s such a fun, special time in your life. The idea of hurrying it up and trying to get out of there seems kind of silly to me,” Cooper said during the interview.
“I know how challenging that next level is. So savor every moment of college. If you’re lucky enough to go to the University of Texas and hang out in Austin, Texas, where people like you and get to play football and go to these great SEC towns and compete on the highest level with your teammates and with your great friends, shoot, why would anybody want to hurry up and get out of that?”
Needless to say, this sparked a lot of reactions from fans in the comments.
“He’s not ready for the NFL. I think he WILL be, but another year of seasoning can only improve his potential,” one fan wrote in the comments of the story.
“The benefits of staying in college another year far outweigh the chasing of a top draft pick then struggling to make it in the NFL- see joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, etc. And yes there are some exceptions but the maturity level and extra year of learning greatly enhances future success in the NFL,” someone else added.
“He’s getting paid millions of dollars to play for the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns. Why wouldn’t he stay?” another fan wrote.
“Stay in school kid. Stop reading the headlines, improve your game, the education you are going need more,” someone else added.
“I respect Arch for going to Texas and putting in time as a backup QB, and then sticking with them when he could have cashed out in the NFL. In the current NIL/transfer portal era of college football, that kind of loyalty is almost extinct,” another fan wrote.
Clearly, the decision was never much of a decision at all for the young star quarterback. And Texas is already rewarding that decision.
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