Texas football quarterback Arch Manning is 11 days away from his debut as the Longhorns’ full-time starting quarterback vs. No. 2 Ohio State, kicking off a highly anticipated road to the NFL draft.
But on Tuesday, Aug. 19, the Longhorns’ first-year starter had to address his future plans after his grandfather, former Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning, had said earlier this month that NFL teams shouldn’t expect his grandson to be available next April.
‘Yeah, I don’t know where he got that from,’ Arch Manning told assembled media on Aug. 19. ‘He texted me and apologized about that, but I’m really just taking it day by day right now.’
Archie Manning had previously told Texas Monthly he doesn’t anticipate his grandson leaving Texas after just one season starting for the Longhorns.
‘Arch isn’t going to do that,’ Archie Manning said. ‘He’ll be at Texas.’
Arch Manning is eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, as he has been out of high school for three seasons. The former No. 1-ranked player in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite, redshirted his true freshman season with the Longhorns in 2023.
Archie Manning exhausted his eligibility at Ole Miss before going No. 2 overall to the New Orleans Saints in the 1971 NFL Draft. Arch Manning’s uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning, also exhausted their eligibility before being selected No. 1 overall in the 1998 and 2004 NFL drafts, respectively.
The 6-foot-4 quarterback started two games last season for Texas while Quinn Ewers was out with an injury. In 10 games last year, which included coming in for occasional snaps in the postseason, Arch Manning completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns.
His first task as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback will be a challenging one, as Texas is set to travel to No. 2 Ohio State in Week 1 to open the season. On top of having to deal with the Buckeyes’ overall defense, Arch Manning will have to contend against an Ohio State secondary that includes star safety Caleb Downs, one of the top players at his position in the country.
Texas is scheduled for a noon ET kickoff against Ohio State on Saturday, Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio at Ohio Stadium.
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