Colin Cowherd pushes back on Archie Manning's NFL Draft prediction for grandson Arch: 'He's got to go pro'

Arch Manning has yet to be formally named Texas’ new starting quarterback, though that’s more so because the Longhorns have yet to release an official depth chart. Still, with so much hype around the former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, it’s a matter of when, not if.

But amid all the talk about the latest Manning scion’s future in Austin is the inevitable discussion about his professional prospects at the next level, with NFL franchises like the Cleveland Browns even forced to discuss the potential of securing the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft in order to select the nephew of Peyton and Eli.

Earlier this week, the Manning patriarch — NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Archie Manning, for whom Arch is named after — declared his grandson won’t be entering the NFL anytime soon. The news went viral.

“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Archie Manning told Texas Monthly about Arch Manning’s prospects of declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. “He’ll be at Texas (next season too).”

Of course, not everyone is taking Archie Manning’s declaration to heart. FS1’s Colin Cowherd dismissed the New Orleans Saints legend’s words to lead off Thursday’s The Herd by suggesting Arch Manning has “got to go pro” after this upcoming season, if for no other reason than the money he’d potentially be passing on by delaying his NFL career by a year.

“That’s what you have to say. But if he beats Ohio State in Columbus, wins the Heisman or doesn’t, and gets into the national championship game, it’d be really bad business to stay in college. And I know almost every Manning pretty well — they’re good at business, and they say the right thing when they have to,” Cowherd said Thursday. “… Arch Manning made $6.5 million last year at Texas in NIL, reportedly. Cam Ward made $48.7 million guaranteed (as the) No. 1 pick (in the 2025 NFL Draft). Arch, can I interest you in a $42 million loan? Hook what? Yeah.

“This is the classic Mannings saying the right thing. … The Manning family is American football royalty. So this is exactly what you say. … Arch Manning, if he’s as good as I think he is, he’s got to go pro.”

Arch Manning, who spent the past two seasons as Quinn Ewers‘ backup, enters the 2025 season with arguably more hype than anybody since Florida‘s Tim Tebow. That includes BetMGM oddsmakers projecting the new Texas QB1 as the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite with +600 odds. LSU senior QB Garrett Nussmeier, the SEC’s top returning passer, has BetMGM’s second-best preseason Heisman odds at +850.