"If the big dog said it, it's facts": Fans debate over Archie Manning's verdict on grandson Arch's 2026 NFL draft plans

Heading into the 2025 college football season, there is a lot of hype around Texas quarterback Arch Manning. He is heading into his first season as the starter for the Longhorns, and many believe he will enter the 2026 NFL draft if he has a successful season.

However, Arch's grandfather Archie Manning said he does not think his grandson is going to rush into the NFL draft. Archie said he expects Arch to be in Texas for the 2026 season.

College football fans reacted to Archie's comment.

"If the big dog said it, it’s facts," one fan wrote.

"The NIL sets up kids to get paid enough to where they don’t have to rush to the top level. Pros and cons," one fan commented.

"Browns flushed their season down the toilet for somebody who won’t even be in the draft," one fan added.

"There's no incentive to rush and go pro. Arch is making $5 million a year at Texas and he is the man on campus. You think he's leaving that for the Giants or Saints?" one fan wrote.

"Imagine all the teams who passed on 12 because they thought Arch was declaring next season," one fan commented.

"Perfect for giants. Gives us time to see if Dart is legit. If not, we reset again and hope third time's a charm with a new rookie QB," one fan added.

Arch Manning prepares for his first season as the Texas Longhorns' starting quarterback

While there are rumors that Arch Manning could enter the 2026 NFL draft after this season, he is focused on preparing for his first season as a starter. The Longhorns are one of the favorites to win the national championship this season, and as a result, there is a lot of pressure on Manning.

The season will start with arguably the team's biggest test of the year. The Longhorns will play the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes on Aug. 30. If Manning has a good performance against Ryan Day's squad, it will only add to the hype surrounding him.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Alexander O'Reilly