Steve Sarkisian Hopes Arch Manning Has 'Really Hard Decision' For 2026 NFL Draft

Arch Manning's time as the Texas Longhorns' starter could be short-lived, but Steve Sarkisian hopes that's not the case.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian talks to quarterback Arch Manning during the first football practice of 2023. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Texas Longhorns are now fully Arch Manning's team as he takes over the starting quarterback job, but for how long remains to be seen.

The hype surrounding Manning at Texas is absolutely massive, but so is the hype surrounding him as an NFL Draft prospect. He's eligible to enter the draft as soon as next year, and if he has a strong season at Texas, it's very possible he could head to the NFL sooner rather than later.

Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns obviously want what's best for their star quarterback, but whatever the devision may be, they hope he puts a lot of thought into it.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian observes quarterback Arch Manning warming up. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

“Here’s what I hope,” Sarkisian said at the Houston Touchdown Club. “I hope he’s got a really hard decision to make on about January 21. That means we played for a long time. That means he probably had a really good season. And that means he’s probably trying to figure out do I want one more year in the burnt orange or is it time to go to the NFL? I hope it’s a really, really hard decision. I hope it’s not a no-brainer for him to come back to school.”

Even if he were to lead the Longhorns to the national championship game, he would still have less experience then many recent top quarterback prospects. He's only played 260 snaps of college football, whereas Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, played over 4,000 snaps of college football, and that's just one experience. Granted, Manning's hype is far greater than most other prospects, largely due to his last name, but it bears mentioning.

As a result, Sarkisian once again preached patience as Manning enters this new chapter of his career.

“Arch is a great player, but I hope for everybody here that we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” Sarkisian said. “Let’s let this guy go play this year. Let’s let him have fun in finally getting his opportunity as the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. It’s been a lifelong dream for this guy to do this... I know some of you have seen the videos of him as a kid wearing the Longhorn jersey and talking about playing for Texas; it's finally his time and I hope he can just have the opportunity to enjoy it and enjoy it the right way.”