‘Wow’ – Football Fans React To Arch Manning’s NFL Draft Decision originally appeared on The Spun.
From Andrew Luck to Trevor Lawrence to Caleb Williams, there have been plenty of college football QBs that NFL teams have considered worthy enough to tank the season and try to land in the Draft. Many believe that Texas QB Arch Manning is the next tank-worthy player.
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Whether he meets, exceeds or underperforms expectations in 2025 though, one thing now appears clear: He will not be a 2026 NFL Draft prospect.
In a new interview with Texas Monthly, his grandfather and namesake Archie Manning was asked whether he would be declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. The former Pro Bowl quarterback and College Football Hall of Famer stated point-blank that it won’t be happening and that Arch will stay at Texas for another year after this one.
“Arch isn’t going to do that. He’ll be at Texas,” Manning said.
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Reaction
While a few users were stunned by the revelation, for the most part people have treated it like common knowledge:
“Wow,” one user wrote.
“It’s been widely expected that Arch Manning will follow in Eli and Peyton’s footsteps by staying in school longer, but if he has an elite junior season at Texas and the right team is picking at the top, it might be hard for him not to declare early,” wrote another.
“Told you…his family wants him to learn under Steve Sarkisian. This is only his first year starting. He will not leave for the 2026 Draft. He might not leave for the 2027 draft, but that is more likely if he shows enough improvement & Steve thinks he’s ready,” a third wrote.
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Others have lamented that their favorite team is about to tank the season for nothing:
“Now what are my Jets going to do? I’ve been miserable for the last 15 years,” one Jets fan cried.
“We don’t believe you. You need more people,” a Saints fan remarked.
“Translation: Texas is going to pay him a crapload of money, and there is no way we will allow him to go the #Browns.”
Jan 1, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Brett Davis-Imagn Images.
Highly-touted
Arch Manning is the most-hyped NFL prospect since Andrew Luck or Trevor Lawrence and not even because of anything he’s actually achieved on the field. It’s his pedigree that has fans (and presumably owners) salivating over his potential.
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Both of his uncles were multi-time Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks and rank among the best in NFL history. His grandfather was also a college football star and a Pro Bowler in the NFL. And while his own father’s football career ended in high school, Cooper Manning has been widely touted as the most athletic of the Manning siblings.
With quarterback drafting and development being such a crapshoot at times, Manning is seen as the closest thing to a can’t-miss prospect based in part on the history of his last name.
But Manning will have at least all of 2025 in order to prove that he’s an elite talent on his own merits. He’ll be doing so with a Texas team that is being widely tipped to win the national championship after coming closer than any other team to beating Ohio State in last year’s College Football Playoff.
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What lucky team will wind up drafting Arch Manning?
‘Wow’ – Football Fans React To Arch Manning’s NFL Draft Decision first appeared on The Spun on Aug 7, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.