Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning Named to Another Prestigious Watch List

There's no surprise surrounding the hype of Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning and how much more warranted it is in the 2026 season than in 2025.

Last year, a mountain of pressure was placed on the signal caller out of New Orleans to start the season, already being named a Heisman Trophy favorite and leading a preseason-ranked No. 1 Texas Longhorns team against the defending national champions in his first away game, and he didn't even do badly.

Now that he has truly proven himself one year later, the Heisman talks return, and the Longhorns will start the season in the top five of the AP Top 25, and for the second year in a row, there's another award that Manning has been associated with aside from the most notable one.

Manning Named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning throws a pass during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wednesday afternoon, Manning was named to the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, gifted annually to the nation's top upperclassman quarterback in college football.

Named after the legendary Baltimore Colts quarterback whose nickname was "The Golden Arm," the award has been given out annually since 1987, when Don McPherson of the Syracuse Orange received the inaugural award.

Should Manning live up to his hype in 2026 and win the award, he would become the first Texas quarterback to hold the honor since Colt McCoy in 2009, as well as the first Manning since his uncle Peyton, who was the award's recipient in 1997 while quarterbacking the Tennessee Volunteers.

In 15 starts and 25 career collegiate appearances, Arch has tallied 4,132 passing yards, 514 rushing yards, and 49 total touchdowns with only nine interceptions, resulting in a record of 12-3 as a starter.

The 2025 season as a whole was eye-opening to Manning's overall skill with both his arms and his legs.

Though it took him a second to fully get going, Arch found his footing later in the year, with the last two games of the season against the Texas A&M Aggies and Michigan Wolverines seeing Manning put up 208 of his 399 rushing yards on the year, which included touchdown runs of 35 and 60 yards against both teams, respectively, runs that sealed wins for the Horns in both instances.

And now that he has a tandem of elite running backs and one of the nation's best receivers at his arsenal, who knows the heights that No. 16 could fly in the 2026 season?

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