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I’m currently on vacation, enjoying the final few days of peace and quiet before fully diving back into the grind of a new season. But I had to weigh in after reading Archie Manning’s comments about his grandson Arch in a Texas Monthly story published Thursday:
As the season approaches, many of the same people who have already awarded Arch the Heisman and the national championship are predicting that he will also be the number one NFL draft choice in 2026. Stories abound about how NFL teams could position themselves to get him, though there is no reason to believe he would leave Texas next year, with or without a championship ring. His grandfather says he hasn’t discussed it with Arch, but he knows his grandson: “Arch isn’t going to do that. He’ll be at Texas.”
Archie’s comments didn’t surprise me. Of course Arch is planning to return to Texas in 2026. He will fulfill his commitment to the Longhorns and develop properly as a quarterback, just as Archie, and Arch’s uncles Peyton and Eli, before him. To know the Manning family is to know the great level of respect that they have for the process, doing things the right way and focusing on what’s in front of them.
Archie’s a friend of mine. I’ve helped him with his list of quarterback attendees at his Manning Passing Academy for years and spent time with him at the camp in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in June. We text fairly regularly, but I have never considered asking him about Arch’s intentions for the NFL draft. It’s not how the Mannings operate, and people in their circle understand and respect that.
The Mannings understand the value of gaining meaningful experience as a college starter to prepare for an NFL career. Peyton and Eli each stayed four years in college. And the recent examples of highly drafted quarterbacks tells a clear story: Bo Nix (61 college starts) and Jayden Daniels (49 starts) have succeeded right away, while Anthony Richardson (13 starts) and Mitch Trubisky (13 starts) have struggled. So has Caleb Williams, the 2024 no. 1 pick, who started 36 games in college, which pales in comparison to Nix and Daniels from the same class.
But I say all of this while keeping an open mind that circumstances change and ultimately it’s Arch’s decision to make. There’s a conversation I had with someone recently who has both a unique vantage point and interest in the situation that I can’t get out of my mind. They wondered about Arch living under such intense scrutiny in Austin and whether he can maintain his privacy while having some sort of a college experience. By all accounts, he’s acclimated very well to college life, but the attention on him will only intensify. It goes with the territory, of course, but it’s hard for people outside of Austin to understand the kind of bubble Arch lives in: Feeling like you can’t grab a bottle of water from a convenience store or walk to class without it being recorded on social media.
That’s why it would not surprise me, despite Archie’s comments, if there’s a conversation after the season primarily between Arch and his parents—with some counsel from his uncles and grandfather—about whether it’s more conducive to continue his development in Austin or in an NFL city. That’s pure speculation on my part and obviously depends a lot on how well Arch performs this season. The Mannings aren’t considering such talk today or for the next five months. That much I’m absolutely certain of—so there’s no use in asking.