The Big Lead

Arch Manning's 2026 NFL Draft status uncertain entering first season as Texas Longhorns starter

It might not be a guarantee that Manning heads to the NFL next year.

By Matt Reed

Arch Manning and Trey Owens during his first practice of the spring season on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Arch Manning and Trey Owens during his first practice of the spring season on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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In the new age of NIL and top college athletes transferring schools year to year, one of next season's biggest college football stars could be hanging around the sport for a little while longer instead of making the leap to the NFL.

RELATED: Grambling State coach offers proposal to help small schools losing NIL transfers

Arch Manning is set to lead the Texas Longhorns in 2025 after the team reached the College Football Playoff last season before falling to eventual champions Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

However, despite all the hype surrounding Manning and his family's NFL lineage, there is a chance that the promising collegiate star could stick around college football longer than expected.

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter brought up the fact that both Eli and Peyton Manning each stayed four years in college before making the move to the NFL and being selected early in their respective NFL Drafts.

Obviously those were different times in the state of college sports, but that might actually be a bigger signal that Manning stays at Texas beyond 2025.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Manning is the highest-valued NIL athlete at this moment, with a projected worth of over $6.6 million, according to On3. That's in spite of Manning only playing extended snaps in a handful of games last season, including his four-touchdown performance against the University of Texas-San Antonio.

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