Former No. 1 overall college football prospect receives strong message from NFL scouts

Just under seven months lie between the beginning of February and the opening weekend of the 2026 college football season.

In the months between college football seasons, the media determines which players and teams deserve the most interest leading into the next college football season. For the second year in a row, quarterback Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns are gathering copious amounts of attention.

The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder was the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2023 when he committed to Steve Sarkisian and Texas. He was behind Quinn Ewers and Maalik Murphy in the quarterback room that season, limiting his appearances to just two games. Murphy transferred to Duke that offseason, allowing Manning to slide up in the quarterback room.

An injury Ewers suffered in the Longhorns' win over UTSA thrust Manning into starts against ULM and Mississippi State in 2024.

Ewers started every game from October onward, but the Longhorns turned to Manning for his legs on short-yardage plays. In total, Manning completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 108 yards and four more touchdowns.

Coming into the 2025 season, Manning and the Longhorns received much attention as a favorite to win both the SEC and national championship. However, early road losses to reigning national champion Ohio State (14-7) and an eventual 4-8 Florida team (29-21) quickly shut down the hype.

Despite the rough start, the Longhorns rebounded on the back half of the season to finish with a 10-3 overall record. Manning finished the year with 3,163 pass yards, 26 touchdowns, six interceptions, 399 rush yards and 10 more touchdowns.

Arch Manning before Texas' game against Vanderbilt in 2025. — Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Manning opted to stay with the Longhorns for the 2026 season instead of entering the NFL draft, a move that positions him as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2027 NFL draft. In the eyes of NFL talent evaluators, this decision was crucial for Manning if he wanted to have a career at the next level.

In a report that surfaced from Orangebloods.com, an NFL scout gave some honest critiques about Manning's development. The scout cited Manning's processing and mechanics for areas of his game that need improvement, mentioning that he was glad he went back to Texas because he was not as polished as Fernando Mendoza.

The Longhorns made efforts in the NCAA transfer portal to better equip Manning's weapons. Texas forced virtually all of its running back production to bring in a pair of proven rushers in Hollywood Smothers (NC State) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State).

Additionally, the Longhorns forced out a pair of wide receivers to bring in Cam Coleman (Auburn), one of the most prized prospects in the 2026 portal cycle.