The Texas Longhorns entered the college football season with more hype than anyone in the country, thanks in large part to the presence of Arch Manning on the roster. Manning had never served as a full-time starter at the college level entering the season, but showed flashes of his potential in spot starts for the injured Quinn Ewers last season.
ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper went as far as to rank Manning as the number one quarterback prospect in the 2026 class, even though Manning had given no indication that he was going to declare early.
“We put him at No. 1 because we have to. It’s Arch Manning. We saw glimpses last year of the greatness he could provide that Texas offense. Running the football, he’s got great legs. Cooper Manning, his father, was a wide receiver until he got injured. So he’s got speed – something Eli and Peyton didn’t have,” Kiper said.
Another ESPN employee, Paul Finebaum, didn’t hesitate to call Manning “the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006.”
Then the regular season arrived. Manning struggled immensely in the season opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes as the Longhorns lost their season opener, and looked shaky seemingly whenever Texas played Power 4 competition.
However, Manning turned things around in the second half of the season, putting together several strong showings and even managing to defeat the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies to get the Longhorns back in the playoff conversation.
A playoff appearance would put Manning on the sport’s biggest stage, and performing at a high level versus the top competition the sport has to offer would set him up nicely to go in the first round of the NFL draft should he decide to declare early.
Unfortunately, the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday night, and just about confirmed that the Longhorns would not be getting into the Playoff, putting a cap on Manning’s ability to elevate his draft stock anymore this season.
BREAKING: College Football Playoff Rankings🚨https://t.co/SNzFXRlW69 pic.twitter.com/DIgfqsjvd2
— On3 (@On3sports) December 3, 2025
Now, it’s more likely than ever that Arch makes a return for his senior season.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.