1 of 5 | Texas quarterback Arch Manning is the projected top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but could opt to return to the Longhorns. File Photo by Mike Zarrilli/UPI | License Photo
Former football great Archie Manning believes his famous grandson, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, will skip the 2026 NFL Draft and return to the Longhorns.
Archie Manning made the comment in an interview with Texas Monthly.
“Arch isn’t going to do that. He’ll be at Texas,” Archie Manning said, when asked about Arch entering the 2026 NFL Draft.
Arch Manning, 21, is the projected No. 1 overall pick in some mock drafts. He also is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Archie Manning, who starred at Ole Miss, finished fourth in 1969 Heisman Trophy voting. He finished third in 1970 and went on to become the No. 2 overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft.
Arch’s uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning, were the respective No. 1 overall picks in 1998 and 2004 NFL Drafts. His dad, Cooper, also was a star prospect who committed to Ole Miss, but was forced to quit football due to a spinal condition.
Peyton Manning placed second in voting for the 1997 Heisman Trophy. Eli Manning placed third in voting for the 2003 Heisman Trophy. Both played four years of college football.
The elder Mannings did not play during college football’s name, image and likeness era, while Arch Manning has an estimated $6.8 million in NIL revenue, the highest in college sports, according to on3.com.
His income flows from deals with Raising Cane’s, Vuori and Panini America, among other companies.
Archie Manning said that he hasn’t yet discussed skipping the 2026 NFL Draft with his grandson, but the Longhorns quarterback told reporters at SEC media day that he talks to his grandpa every day.
“My grandfather, we’re like best friends,” Arch Manning said. “He texts me every day. He texts all the grandkids. He came to a bunch of practices in high school and we keep up. He is just a great role model for me.
“He just reminds me to be a great guy and be a great teammate. That’s what I try to do.”
Arch Manning said he was “just focused on this year,” when asked about his thoughts on the 2026 NFL Draft.
He sat behind starter Quinn Ewers for his first two seasons with the Longhorns, including a redshirt 2023 campaign. Ewers joined the Miami Dolphins in April as a seventh round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Arch Manning went 2-0 in two starts over the last two seasons. He completed 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards, two scores and two interceptions in a 51-3 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 21 in Austin, Texas. He completed 26 of 31 attempts for 325 yards and two scores, while rushing for another, the next week in a 35-13 win over Mississippi State in Austin.
He completed 66.3% of his throws for 969 yards, nine scores and two interceptions in a dozen games so far for the Longhorns. He also ran for 115 yards and four scores.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor and Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. are among the other top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier are among the other top quarterback prospects.
Several NFL executives and scouts previously told The Athletic that they also expect Arch Manning to return to Texas in 2026. Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam, who is predicted to own one of the worst teams in the NFL this season and could contend for the top pick, also told reporters last month that he expects him to return to the Longhorns.
“I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that — and I don’t know Arch at all — I bet he stays in college two years,” Haslam said. “So, I don’t even really think that’s worth discussing.”
The top-ranked Longhorns will play the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in their season opener Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio.
