Overview

• Arch Manning steps into Texas’s starting quarterback role after two seasons and fewer than 100 pass attempts as Quinn Ewers’s backup
• Grandfather Archie Manning told Texas Monthly that Arch will forgo the 2026 NFL draft to continue his college career in Austin
• Manning enters the season as a preseason Heisman candidate and is widely projected as the No. 1 pick in 2026 mock drafts despite only two career starts
• He has leveraged new NCAA NIL rules to amass an estimated $6.8 million valuation, featuring deals with brands such as Vuori
• Texas opens its season against No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus on Aug. 30, serving as an early test of Manning’s readiness in the SEC