Sports

Texas QB Arch Manning’s uncle shares telling family standard ahead of draft decision

Nairavoice · Oct 3, 2026 · 3 min read

Eli Manning took the Arch Manning question on The Colin Cowherd Podcast, in an episode released on Thursday, Oct. 1, with his nephew four games into his second season as Texas’ starting quarterback. Eli skipped the timeline and described what the Mannings have always expected to get out of college, a standard the family’s own history has already tested.

Arch redshirted as a freshman in 2023, so he is a redshirt junior this fall with the 2027 season still available. He can declare for the 2027 NFL Draft after this season or play one more year in Austin and enter the 2028 draft.

Peyton Manning faced a version of that choice after the 1996 season, when he was widely viewed as the likely No. 1 pick, and went back to Tennessee anyway. “I didn’t want to be 50 years old wondering what my senior year in college would have been like,” Peyton said. That December, he threw for 373 yards and four touchdowns as the Vols came back to beat Auburn 30-29 in the SEC Championship Game, and he went first overall in 1998.

Texas QB Arch Manning’s uncle shares

Eli redshirted at Ole Miss and still started four seasons before going first overall in 2004. Archie Manning played out his eligibility at Ole Miss before going second overall in 1971. In 2025, Archie said Arch would not enter the 2026 draft, which held up when Arch returned for this season. Asked about Arch now, Eli described the same approach.

“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.

“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.

Former New York Giants QB Eli Manning seemingly confirmed that his nephew and Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning is at least considering returning to college for one more season and declaring for the NFL Draft in 2028.

Arch is currently going through his second season as the… pic.twitter.com/IvhvC0M6Vb

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) October 3, 2026

The trophies Eli named are the ones Arch is still missing

Arch’s first full season as the starter in 2025 produced a 9-3 regular season and a 41-27 bowl win over Michigan, but no SEC title. No Manning has won a national championship, and Peyton remains the only one with an SEC crown. Texas was 4-0 after its Sept. 26 win at Tennessee, so the chase Eli described is open right now.

By the standard Eli laid out, a title run this fall would check the boxes he listed and take away the strongest family argument for staying in Austin. A season that ends short of one leaves Arch with the same case Peyton acted on in 1997, plus a year of eligibility to make it.

Texas QB Arch Manning’s uncle shares

Arch reportedly made $6.5 million in NIL money in 2024. His uncles played college football long before players could collect anything like it, so another year at Texas costs Arch far less than it would have cost them.

Eli never said which draft Arch will enter, and Arch has not announced anything. The decision waits on a season that is barely a month old.