Saturday afternoon, Arch Manning kick off his first full season as Texas’ starting quarterback when the Longhorns take on Ohio State. But one of the year’s biggest storylines centers around what Manning does afterward. As a redshirt sophomore, Manning is eligible for the NFL Draft. But there are still questions about whether he would turn […]
Saturday afternoon, Arch Manning kick off his first full season as Texas’ starting quarterback when the Longhorns take on Ohio State. But one of the year’s biggest storylines centers around what Manning does afterward.
As a redshirt sophomore, Manning is eligible for the NFL Draft. But there are still questions about whether he would turn pro or opt to return to Texas for another season in Steve Sarkisian’s scheme.
That topic came up on NFL Live Friday afternoon as insiders Jeremy Fowler and Matt Miller weighed Manning’s next steps. His uncles, Peyton and Eli, spent four years at their respective schools – and the sense is Arch could opt to do the same. As for what scouts are saying, Fowler said it’s hard to tell where the former top recruit is leaning.
“I texted with some scouts around the league just minutes ago and they believe that they’re a little torn on this, that they feel like Arch Manning does value his development and getting better, which could lead to multiple years,” Fowler said. “If it’s a close call and maybe he’s on the fringe of being in a range that he wants to be – Top-5, Top-10, whatever it is – then he can go back to school and make millions of dollars at Texas. There’s no doubt about it, and he can get better.
“We’re seeing the players like Bo Nix, some of these young guys coming into that have 50-60 starts, experience is now coveted in the NFL as opposed to those one-hit wonders. Also, as multiple people pointed out, the situation will matter a ton. Looking back with Eli, that mattered to him. It could matter to Arch. If he’s on the fringe of the Top 5 and some of the teams at the top are bit of a mess, he could pump the brakes a little bit.”
‘Situation’ could matter more to Arch Manning than NIL
One of the highest-profile players in college football, Arch Manning has a $6.8 million On3 NIL Valuation and has signed multiple deals this offseason. A general manager previously told On3’s Pete Nakos the New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman product is due to make seven figures this year.
To Matt Miller, though, Manning’s NIL earnings might not be as much of a factor as his potential situation in the NFL. Regardless of when he declares, Miller said scouts are already expressing excitement about what Manning could do in the NFL.
“I think … the situation and Arch’s level of experience are going to matter more than the NIL,” Miller said. “I think the Mannings are probably doing okay financially – I don’t want to pretend to know how they’re doing, but I think the NIL that he’s making this year will probably be fine. But I can tell you, scouts are excited about him when he is going to be in the NFL Draft, whether that’s in 2026 or 2027. We’re talking about a player who last year, had he had enough dropbacks, would have had the third best QBR in college football. And you see some of the playmaking that he brings to the table as a 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback. The arm strength was there, the mobility is there.
“I went back yesterday and watched the Mississippi State game – the second game he started against an SEC team – and Arch has the wheels. He has running ability, he has the vision, he has the big arm. I think the key that I want to see and the scouts have said they want to see, will the game slow down for him as he gets into his first full season as the starter? And I think that experience, those reps, that’s what’s going to matter most to NFL scouts more than the last name, more than the arm strength is how well does he manage and play within the framework of the game and a great scheme that they have down there in Texas?”
Category: Football
