The kid with an immense talent and an elite last name has waited long enough for his turn to make a stride in the center. Manning will face the ultimate test on August 30th when his team will fight off the defending champion in a grueling season opener. The stat said Manning is poised enough to nail the job. But his age and inexperience as a starter keep instilling some doubts. The other pivotal reason to take his debut year in the burnt orange and white, with a little pinch of salt, is the uncanny nature of the fanbase. While the locker room will let go of a few of his rookie mistakes on the spot, the fans shouting their heart out from the gallery won’t. They will neat-pick every throw the Horns QB 1 missed. They will call him out brutally for every small indecision. So, Arch is on hyper vigilance. Success in the first year looks like a non-negotiable deal. But the crucial question it holds: what will be the success benchmark for the 21-year-old?
Just a few months back, Manning’s future as a starter looked slightly uncertain. Quinn Ewers was still juggling between a portal and an NFL decision after missing out on a series of games for the Longhorns. Manning knew his task and let the world see what he could do if he got a chance. His confident output in the UL Monroe and Mississippi State as a starter got the internet buzzing, limiting the timeline for Ewers. Despite constantly staying loyal to Ewers, Sarkisian was forced to make a call. Ewers read between the lines and took an overnight draft decision. Manning, with this, became the de facto guy next in the spotlight of the Texas offense.
But even before he could do anything in his power, scouts and analysts started to see him as an NFL hopeful. Starting from Fox Sports to CBS Sports, a handful of channels projected him as a round 1, pick 1 in the 2026 draft. But the decision to go pro will depend on how the season treats Manning and the Longhorns. ON3’s JD PicKell specified, “If he has a Heisman finalist caliber season and Texas makes the national title game, at that point we can all say ‘Hey man, you’re probably ready to go pro. You probably don’t need to come back for another year. You’ve probably beaten this level. You came to Texas. You did what you were supposed to do. Did what you said. You would do to bring Texas to the front of the national prominence,” said the journalist, setting the bar higher for the Texas QB.
Arch Manning’s unique package of arm strength, pocket presence, and a sharp IQ will be crucial for the Horns to take care of. He’s an asset, no doubt. Even if he doesn’t help the collective to reach a particular height in the season, his personal enigma and skill sets can impress the scouts and set his stock on fire. But guess what, it’s not about the individual stock. He needs to translate his skills into a massive Texas success. Only then can he think of an upgrade in his shoes. “I don’t think it’s about his draft stock to be real. I really don’t think it’s something you factor in. But if it’s between being the number one pick and being a top 15 pick if, he’s going to be a top 15 pick, ” JD continued, “But he feels like he’s more ready to succeed in the NFL, I think that’s when you would see him go pro.”
Arch is a boy next door in nature. Being a hard-core Texas fan, the transfer portal volatility had zero effect on him. Sarkisian mentioned how his QB1 doesn’t care about his last name or a massive paycheck. All he cares about is winning games for his team and honing his craft. But Texas, however, won’t take any risk of losing him for money.
Texas insider dismissed a massive NIL booster for the players
A recent report from Houston Chronicle columnist Kirk Bohls dropped a bombshell. He claimed the Longhorns are likely to spend between $35 and $40 million on their 2025 football roster. The news quickly turned heads, with Arch Manning being the focus. A bigger NIL budget means a bigger chunk of money is reserved for the QB1.
The number includes a whopping $20.5 million in revenue sharing, plus NIL payments from the Texas One Fund. Although Texas won’t disclose how many players will make how much. Quarterback Arch Manning will surely get the most out of it. But wait. Was the news really legit? Texas insiders have already started to counter the narrative in a massive twist.
According to Chip Brown of Horns247, a high-ranking insider with a solid link with the athletic department outright denied the rumor. “Whacked,” the source told Brown. “There may be a school or two at that level of spending, but we are not the top of the market, I can promise you that.” What would be mean for Arch, the kid with a $6.6 million valuation under his belt? Well, regardless of the amounts they have reserved as the NIL spending, Manning will be paid handsomely. No debate on that. All he needs to do is lead the team to a national game after a long drought.
The post Arch Manning Given Two Crucial Factors on Texas Future After Steve Sarkisian’s $40M Announcement Sees Unexpected Twist appeared first on EssentiallySports.
