Arch Manning remains hooked.
The Texas quarterback will return to the Lornhorns in 2026, according to his father, ending speculation about the rising junior’s future.
“Arch is playing football at Texas next year,” Cooper Manning told ESPN on Monday, with Texas officials saying the expectation was that he would return for another season.
Arch, the nephew of NFL icons Peyton and Eli Manning and the grandson of legendary QB Archie, was said to be mulling entering the 2026 NFL Draft — something Texas coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t believe he was ready for just yet.
“He’s a young man who’s gotten better as the season’s gone on, and not only physically, but mentally, maturity-wise,” Sarkisian said during his availability for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, per ESPN. “I would think he’s going to want another year of that growth to put himself in position for hopefully a long career in the NFL. And he’s got some unfinished business of what he came here to do and what he came here to accomplish.
“We had a really good football season. We left some meat on the bone with an opportunity to be SEC champs, national champs, and so ultimately for him, I think the competitor in him is going to say, ‘Man, I sure would like another crack at trying to do those things.’ ”
The heir to the Manning football throne entered the season with Heisman expectations swirling around him, but got off to a slow start. He picked things up in the second half, guiding the Longhorns to a 6-1 record down the stretch and garnering some College Football Playoff support.
In his redshirt sophomore season, he threw for 2,942 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Manning can add to those numbers in his final game of the season, the Citrus Bowl against Michigan on Dec. 31.
