Archie Manning predicts grandson Arch will not declare for 2026 NFL Draft: 'He'll be at Texas'

Ahead of Arch Manning’s first season as Texas’ starting quarterback, one of the biggest questions is what he will decide after the year. Now in his third year of college football, he will be eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft.

However, his grandfather doesn’t think he’ll wind up declaring. Archie Manning predicted Arch will be back at Texas next year.

Speaking with Texas Monthly, Manning said he has not had conversations with Arch about his future beyond 2025. However, knowing his grandson, he has an idea of what the former top recruit will do regardless of what happens this year.

“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Manning said of whether Arch would declare for the draft after this season. “He’ll be at Texas.”

Arch Manning spent two years in a backup role at Texas after arriving as the top recruit from the 2023 cycle. All told, he has played in 12 games, including 10 appearances last year while serving as Quinn Ewers’ primary backup. Manning has 969 career passing yards and nine touchdowns to go with 115 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Despite his limited playing time, Manning is still generating buzz as a potential Heisman Trophy contender. He is the betting favorite to win the award at +600, according to BetMGM. There’s also the question of whether he will declare for the draft, and ESPN gave him a 10% chance of going No. 1 overall should he opt to do so.

Speaking at SEC Media Days last month, Manning received a question about his future plans. He said his focus is simply on the task at hand – which, at the time, was speaking with a huge crowd of reporters – before worrying about his professional future.

“I’m really just worried about getting through this interview and then getting through the run tomorrow,” Manning said. “I’m just focused on this year and getting better each day.”

In fact, there’s a sense in the NFL that there’s a strong chance Manning returns to Texas in 2026. Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said as much last week when asked about the Longhorns quarterback. That question came amid speculation from FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd the franchise could be considering a plan to select him and hire Nick Saban as coach.

“I think, if you know the Manning family, I would bet that – and I don’t know Arch at all. I’d bet he stays in college two years,” Haslam said. “I don’t even think that’s worth discussing.”