Texas Longhorns' QB Arch Manning decided on his future for 2026 between a return to his team or a shot in the pros.
Texas Longhorns star quarterback Arch Manning only has one season of experience as a starter. Despite this, he’s eligible for the 2026 NFL draft after three years in college football. Manning sat behind Quinn Ewers for two years, who led the Longhorns to back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinal appearances. Manning, in his debut season, took Texas to a 9-3 record, but they fell just short of the 12-team CFP field as the No. 13 ranked team. If Manning were to declare this season, he would enter the NFL with no postseason experience as the starting quarterback.
The Manning family has approached Arch’s development in college football, and the overall college experience, with patience. That included a two-year stint on the bench backing up Ewers and waiting until he was the starter to ink any NIL deals. All of that has been done with the intent to cultivate him for the pros – and to make sure he’s ready. The natural conclusion follows: multiple sources confirm that Arch will return to the Longhorns for the 2026 season.
Here is the full story from Longhorns Roundtable writer Nathan Karseno on Arch Manning’s decision and what it means for Texas in 2026.
'He's Still Going': Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning Makes Major 2026 Announcement
Redshirt sophomore Arch Manning is officially preparing to return to the Forty Acres for his fourth season and second year as the full-time starting QB of the Texas Longhorns.
The most notable source to confirm all of this was Arch’s dad, Cooper. He sent a text to ESPN’s Dave Wilson on Monday night that was quite direct.
"Arch is playing football at Texas next year," Cooper wrote to Wilson.
Manning got better as the year went on, and Texas won six of their last seven games, but early losses to Ohio State and Florida, the latter especially, precluded the Longhorns from making a third straight trip to the CFP. The early growing pains, however, showed that a declaration for the draft would likely be premature and unwise – not to mention a deviation from the path the Manning family has stayed true to with Arch’s development.
He will keep trying to grow this season, as Manning is expected to play in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan, despite a few of his teammates planning to opt out for the transfer portal or in preparation for the NFL draft.