Arch Manning redshirted as a true freshman in 2023, so this fall he is a redshirt junior with a full year of eligibility still unused. He can enter the 2027 NFL Draft, or he can stay at Texas and play in 2027. The question is what the Manning family thinks that extra year is for.
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Archie Manning used his eligibility at Ole Miss and was the No. 2 pick in 1971. Peyton Manning played four seasons at Tennessee and was the No. 1 pick in 1998, and Eli Manning redshirted at Ole Miss, then started four seasons and was the No. 1 pick in 2004. Eli’s expectations were not a draft announcement but a family standard.
That matters because most of the talk around Arch right now is about NFL readiness and where he might land in 2027. The older Mannings treated college as part of the job, not a hallway on the way out. Arch still has the 2027 season available if he wants it.
“Yeah, that’s the whole point of college, to enjoy being in college, to get better every year. It’s opportunities to play more games, to get better, to get more prepared for the NFL. To try to win a national championship or an SEC championship, to be a captain of the team. Like, all those things were important to us,” Eli said on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, in the episode released October 1.
“It’s not just about, hey, this is all about getting through the NFL and going to the next step. No, it’s about enjoying your experience, enjoying your teammates, becoming a better player, becoming a better leader, building something special with the guys that have all been there together. So I’m proud of Arch and how he’s handled this and his mindset,” Eli added.
No Manning has won a national title. Peyton is the only one who won an SEC championship, doing it at Tennessee in 1997. Peyton had already graduated and was viewed as the likely No. 1 pick after 1996. He then came back, won that SEC title, and was the championship-game MVP in a 30-29 win over Auburn.
Arch’s 2026 season keeps that chase open. Through the September 26 win at Tennessee, Texas is 4-0. In four games, Arch is 73 of 115 for 862 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions, with a 63.5% completion rate and a 141.3 passer rating. A perfect record does not equal a title, which is why Eli’s championship line still hangs over the season.
2025 was Arch’s first full season as the Texas starter. He went 248 of 404 for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and added 399 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores.
Texas finished the regular season 9-3 and 6-2 in the SEC, then beat Michigan 41-27 in a bowl game, where Arch threw for 221 yards and two scores and ran for 155 yards and two more. He already has the development, but does not have the SEC title or the national title Eli named.
The family path behind Eli’s comment is simple. The previous two generations used the eligibility they had. Arch is already off that map in one way. He is the first Manning quarterback who did not go to Ole Miss or Tennessee.
At Isidore Newman in New Orleans, he threw for 8,599 yards and 115 touchdowns, with 20 interceptions, and he was the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class. The attention arrived before he was a full-time starter.
Money changes the math the older Manning brothers never had to run. Reported NIL deals have put Arch’s college earnings in the multi-million range. A sum Peyton and Eli could not collect while they were still in school. Staying another year is not the same financial hit it once was.