The upcoming college football season is set to focus on Arch Manning as he enters his first year as the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. Despite having fewer than 100 career pass attempts, expectations are high due in part to Manning’s family background—he is the grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Peyton Manning, as well as Eli Manning.
Arch Manning’s college football career has been brief but promising. In 12 games played, he has completed 63 out of 95 passes for 969 yards, with a completion rate of 66.3 percent and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of nine to two. His average of 10.2 yards per attempt suggests a willingness to take risks downfield. As a redshirt freshman last season, Manning started two games: he accounted for five touchdowns against UTSA after coming off the bench and later threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe, though with two interceptions. He showed improvement the following week by completing 26 of his 31 passes for 325 yards against Mississippi State.
A highlight from last year includes Manning’s 67-yard touchdown run, which stands as the longest by a Texas quarterback since Vince Young’s run in October 2005.
As of late August, DraftKings lists Arch Manning as the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at +650 odds. He leads other quarterbacks such as LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik.
Texas starts the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 after reaching the national semifinals last year. The schedule opens with a notable game against Ohio State, followed by matches that could shape both team performance and player development.
Some analysts predict that Texas will face challenges on the road at Georgia but expect strong showings overall from Manning. It is anticipated that he will surpass 3,500 passing yards and account for over thirty-five touchdowns this season while being considered a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
Regarding potential entry into professional football, discussion has centered around whether Arch Manning will declare for the NFL draft after this season or stay longer at Texas like his uncles did during their college careers.
Archie Manning addressed speculation about his grandson’s plans earlier in the summer: “Arch isn’t going to do that. He’ll be at Texas.” However, Arch responded at SEC media days saying, “I don’t know where he got that from. He texted me to apologize about that. I’m really just taking it day by day right now.” Archie reportedly further clarified his position stating, “I thought that the thing that I said was that to name Arch to postseason awards and start placing him in the NFL draft was ridiculous when he hadn’t played (…) But then, of course, then the fact I said that he might be at Texas, that’s just an assumption on my part.”
As one of college football’s most watched athletes entering this season—with both statistical expectations and external attention—Arch Manning remains undecided about declaring early for professional play or remaining with Texas beyond this year.
