Arch Manning

Arch Manning is the quarterback of the Texas Longhorns and the third generation of the most famous family in American football — grandson of Archie, nephew of Peyton and Eli, son of Cooper. Rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, he waited two seasons behind Quinn Ewers before taking the job for himself in 2025. The combination of bloodline, pedigree and patience has made him one of the most-searched names in college football long before he has thrown an NFL pass.

Vitals
Born	April 27, 2004, New Orleans, Louisiana
Height / Weight	6’4”, 222 lb
Position	Quarterback
Teams	Texas (2023–present)
Draft	Not yet drafted; first projected to the 2027 NFL Draft
Contract status (Oct. 15, 2026)	College player on NIL deals; On3 valuation of $5.4M ranked No. 1 in the sport entering the 2026 season
Number	16

Family

The dynasty. Arch Manning was born into the closest thing American football has to royalty. His grandfather, Archie Manning, was the No. 2 overall pick of the 1971 NFL Draft and a two-time Pro Bowler. His uncles, Peyton and Eli, won four Super Bowls between them and are both likely Hall of Famers.

The naming. His father, Cooper Manning, was a wide receiver recruit whose playing career ended with a spinal-canal diagnosis before he could suit up at Ole Miss. Arch — formally Archibald Charles Manning — carries his grandfather’s name, which is why he is “Arch,” not a second Archie. The family’s reluctance to turn a teenager into a brand shaped how his recruitment and early career were managed, with far less public access than his surname would otherwise invite.

Isidore Newman and the No. 1 recruit

The prospect. Manning starred at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, the same private school his father and uncles attended. By the end of his high school career he was rated the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class across the major services, a five-star consensus and the headline name of his cycle.

The commitment. After visits to a long list of programs — among them Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and LSU — Manning committed to Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian on June 23, 2022. The pledge was treated as a program-altering event for a Longhorns team then preparing to join the Southeastern Conference, and it reset recruiting expectations in Austin.

Texas: the redshirt and the audition (2023–24)

The redshirt. Manning sat for essentially all of 2023, appearing in only two games behind Ewers and Maalik Murphy while preserving a redshirt. Per ESPN, he attempted five passes that season, completing two for 30 yards.

The 2024 audition. The following autumn gave the first real look. When Ewers strained an abdominal muscle against UTSA on Sept. 14, 2024, Manning entered and accounted for five touchdowns in a rout, then made two starts in Ewers’ absence. He went 15-of-29 for 258 yards against Louisiana-Monroe and 26-of-31 for 324 yards against Mississippi State. Across 10 appearances in 2024 he completed 61 of 90 passes (67.8%) for 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 108 rushing yards and four scores. He then returned the job to a healthy Ewers — a deference that became part of his story.

Texas: the first full season (2025)

The handoff. With Ewers off to the NFL, 2025 was Manning’s team from the opening snap. It was the first full season of his career, and the numbers were those of a high-volume SEC starter rather than a cameo.

The production. Over 13 games Manning completed 248 of 404 passes (61.4%) for 3,163 yards with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he was a genuine second threat on the ground with 399 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. The dual-threat profile — nearly as many rushing scores as some starting backs — defined the season as much as the passing line.

The finish. Texas closed the year 10–3 and beat Michigan 41–27 in the 2025 Citrus Bowl, where Manning was named Most Valuable Player after throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns and running for 155 yards and two more, capped by a 60-yard scoring run.

Texas: the junior year (2026)

The step up in schedule. Manning returned for 2026 as an established starter facing a brutal slate. Texas opened 4–1 through Oct. 10, 2026, with wins over Ohio State, UTSA and Tennessee and a 27–24 loss to Oklahoma in the Red River rivalry.

The line. Through those five games Manning had completed 92 of 146 passes (63.0%) for 1,122 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. The interception rate, higher than in 2025, became the central talking point of an otherwise productive start.

The draft question

The timeline. As a member of the high-school class of 2023, Manning reached NFL Draft eligibility after the 2025 season. He chose instead to return to Texas for 2026, which points him toward the 2027 NFL Draft.

The projections. Early 2027 boards have ranked Manning among the top quarterback prospects, and at least one published mock draft placed him first overall. Those projections are forecasts, not results; Manning’s draft stock as of Oct. 15, 2026, rested on a single full season as a starter plus a partial one, a body of work smaller than most first-round quarterbacks bring to the evaluation.

By the numbers

Season	GP	Cmp–Att	Pct	Yds	TD	INT	Rush Yds	Rush TD
2023	2	2–5	40.0%	30	0	0	7	0
2024	10	61–90	67.8%	939	9	2	108	4
2025	13	248–404	61.4%	3,163	26	7	399	10
2026*	5	92–146	63.0%	1,122	10	5	102	0
Career	30	403–645	62.5%	5,254	45	14	616	14

Per Sports Reference and ESPN. *2026 totals through Oct. 10, 2026.

Career totals

Ranks

• 1st Overall prospect, 2023 recruiting class (consensus five-star)
• 1st On3 NIL valuation entering the 2026 season ($5.4M)
• 19th On3 NIL valuation under the deal-based model (September 2026)

Per recruiting services and On3's NIL valuation, through Oct. 15, 2026.

Honors

• 2025 Citrus Bowl Most Valuable Player
• No. 1 overall recruit, 2023 class
• 2024 SEC Freshman of the Week
• Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week

Per Wikipedia and ESPN, through Oct. 15, 2026.

The arguments

Hype versus résumé. The loudest debate around Manning concerns whether attention has outrun accomplishment. Supporters point to the family’s track record, the five-touchdown flashes and a Citrus Bowl MVP as evidence of a star in development. Skeptics note that through Oct. 15, 2026, his body of work amounted to one full season and change, and that the On3 valuation which had him No. 1 in the sport entering 2026 was driven heavily by name recognition — a point underscored when On3’s shift to a deal-based model in July 2026 dropped him to 19th.

Patience versus opportunity cost. A second argument centers on the two years spent behind Ewers. One side frames the wait as the kind of development that produced his uncles’ long careers, and as rare selflessness from the most coveted recruit of his class. The other side asks whether a generational prospect should have sat as long as he did, and whether the delayed start explains an evaluation record thinner than his fame.

The surname effect. Analysts disagree on how much the Manning name should factor into projections at all. Some argue the pedigree is a genuine signal of preparation and football IQ; others contend it inflates draft forecasts beyond what the tape alone would support.

Why it matters

Arch Manning matters because he sits at the intersection of two forces reshaping college football — the sport’s most durable dynasty and its new economy of name, image and likeness — while the on-field case for him is still being written. Whether he becomes the third Manning to anchor an NFL franchise or a cautionary tale about hype, his seasons at Texas are already one of the most closely watched quarterback developments of the decade, and the record above is the version a reader can trust in an argument.