There aren’t going to be many college football players, ever, who can compare with the hype and the pressure headed Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s way this fall.
Thankfully, he’ll finally be healthy to deal with all of it.
Manning gave an update on his surgically-repaired foot on Wednesday as the Longhorns prepared to close out spring practice with an open practice on Saturday — no spring game this year — with Manning not being a full participant through the spring.
“I feel 100% right now,” Manning told ESPN’s Dave Wilson. “We’re kind of taking it slow, but if we had a game today, I’d be playing.”
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian repeated Manning’s “100% claim” and reiterated he expected his starting quarterback to be a full participant once summer workouts start back up in June, and added that he’d participated in several 7-on-7 sessions throughout the spring.
Longhorns Fell Flat in 1st Season as Starter
In his 1st season as a full-time starter in 2025 after 2 season as the backup to Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers, Manning and the Longhorns entered the season with a preseason No. 1 ranking but went 10-3 and narrowly missed the College Football Playoff.
While Manning did close the year on a high note by earning Citrus Bowl MVP honors with 376 yards of total offense and 4 touchdowns in a 41-27 win over Michigan, but even that came with an asterisk after the Wolverines were playing with an interim coach in Biff Poggi after head coach Sherrone Moore was fired in December.
Possible No. 1 Overall Pick in 2027 NFL Draft
While Manning decided to return for the Longhorns for a final season in 2026, there’s a good chance that, even with his struggles in his 1st season as a starter, there would have been a healthy debate over whether he or Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza would have been the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Now, headed into his redshirt junior season, Manning seems like a likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft — 1 that struggling NFL franchises are already angling to have a shot at a franchise quarterback.
The 2027 draft class could very well tie the 1983 and 2024 drafts for the most quarterbacks taken in the 1st round (6) as Oregon’s Dante Moore, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Indiana’s Josh Hoover, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, and Miami’s Darian Mensah all project as 1st rounders as well.
Manning would be the 3rd quarterback in his family to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, following his uncles Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.
Arch Manning’s grandfather and namesake, quarterback Archie Manning, was the No. 2 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 1971 NFL draft.
Not Everyone Sold on Manning as Future NFL Star
Not everyone is sold on Arch Manning’s draft prospects or NFL future.
“Candidly, I don’t think Manning has performed well enough to be a top-five pick right now,” The Royale’s Christian Williams wrote on April 1. “He has shoddy footwork and mechanics, and an NFL-average arm. But he’s a Manning, and I do believe in his ability to continue developing. He has a unique blend of powerful athleticism and the talent to make most throws on a football field, and another year of development could vault him into this range. I hope to see it.”
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