Arch Manning finally took over the reins of the Texas football offense full-time last season after serving as Quinn Ewers’ backup for the first two seasons of his college football career.
It was an up-and-down season for the NFL legacy product.
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It started with a loss on the road to Ohio State, where he was held to 170 passing yards and a touchdown, and then trickled into a loss on the road at Florida in the first weekend of October. The loss to the Gators not only increased the scrutiny of Manning after he was the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but also served to be a loss that kept the Longhorns out of the College Football Playoff.
More: Arch Manning was miserable — until he decided: Screw it
“I think I could have had more fun. The first half of the season, I was (ticked off),” Manning recently told reporters. “I wasn’t playing well, and it wasn’t fun for me.”
Then came the fun for Manning in the backend of the season when the 6-foot-4 quarterback showed off his dual-threat abilities that make him a future top pick of the NFL draft. He led the Longhorns to a 7-1 record in their final eight games, a stretch that nearly saw them make a late-season push for the SEC Championship and the CFP.
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He ended his season with a convincing 41-27 win over Texas in the Citrus Bowl, where he completed 21-of-34 passes for 221 yards and scored a combined four touchdowns. So, when is he heading to the NFL draft?
Here’s what to know on need to know of Manning’s eligibility for the NFL Draft and more:
When is Arch Manning eligible for the NFL draft?
Manning is eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, but instead elected to return to Texas for another season instead of going pro after this past season.
His decision to return to the Longhorns followed in line with what his uncles and his grandfather did in college, as they all exhausted their eligibility before moving on to play in the NFL.
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Peyton and Eli Manning were both the No. 1 picks of their respective drafts in 1998 and 2004, while his grandfather, Archie Manning, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft.
Arch Manning’s father, Cooper Manning, confirmed his son’s decision to return to Texas for the 2026 season in a text message to ESPN’s Dave Wilson in December of 2025 ahead of the Longhorn’s Citrus Bowl vs. Michigan.
“Arch is playing football at Texas next year,” the text to ESPN read.
Added Texas coach Steve Sarkisian at a Citrus Bowl media availability: “He’s a young man who’s gotten better as the season’s gone on, and not only physically, but mentally, maturity-wise. I would think he’s going to want another year of that growth to put himself in position for hopefully a long career in the NFL. And he’s got some unfinished business of what he came here to do and what he came here to accomplish.”
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NFL draft eligibility rules
According to NFL Operations, to be eligible for the draft, a player must have been removed from high school for three years to be eligible.
“To be eligible for the draft, players must have been out of high school for at least three years and must have used up their college eligibility before the start of the next college football season. Underclassmen and players who have graduated before using all their college eligibility may request the league’s approval to enter the draft early.
“Players are draft-eligible only in the year after the end of their college eligibility.”
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Arch Manning stats
Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Manning’s stats at Texas:
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2023: 2-of-5 passes for 30 passing yards; three carries for seven rushing yards
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2024: 61-of-90 passes for 939 passing yards; 25 carries for 108 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns
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2025: 248-of-404 passes for 3,163 passing yards; 92 carries for 399 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns; one reception for four receiving yards and a receiving touchdown
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Arch Manning in 2026 NFL Draft? Texas QB opted to return to Longhorns
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