The conversation surrounding Arch Manning and his future at Texas is getting louder by the minute.
Manning entered this season as one of the most intriguing prospects in college football, especially after he finished 2025 with 3,163 passing yards, 399 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns. While he hasn’t been awful by any means, NFL fans are expecting a bit more from the Texas quarterback.
In four games this year, Manning has completed 63.5% of his passes for 862 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Texas, meanwhile, is ranked No. 1 in the country thanks to wins over Ohio State and Tennessee.
During an episode of “The Herd” this week, former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III urged Manning to return to Texas for the 2027 season.
“I believe he should come back for another year,” Griffin said. “When guys are ready to go to the NFL, playing college football looks easy for them. For myself when I came out, when Andrew Luck came out, it looked easy in our last years. It doesn’t look easy for Arch yet.”
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Manning’s uncle, New York Giants legend Eli Manning, was asked about that take during an interview with Colin Cowherd.
Eli stressed the importance of taking full advantage of your college eligibility. Perhaps that’s his way of saying Arch will stay at Texas for one more year.
“Every year it’s an opportunity to play more games, get more prepared for the NFL, to win an SEC championship, to be a captain of the team,” Manning said. “It’s not just about getting to the NFL and going the next step. It’s about enjoying your experience, enjoying your teammates and building something special with the guys that have been there together. I’m proud of Arch and how he’s handling this.”
Another year wouldn’t hurt.
Todd McShay pointed out in the summer that Peyton and Eli Manning stayed in college for all four years. If Arch isn’t on their level yet, it makes sense for him to stay in Austin.
“I don’t even know that the Mannings are looking at this as the swan song at Texas,” said McShay. “There’s a long history of Manning sticking around that extra year that people didn’t think they were going to stick around until they’re right and they feel like they’re ready. I won’t be surprised at all if he’s in the 2028 draft.”
Manning has plenty of time to figure out if he wants to go pro or not. For now, he’s focused on winning games for the Longhorns.
