Pat McAfee makes feelings known on Arch Manning after Texas QB's viral cookout at St. Louis 

Arch Manning will be the starting quarterback at Texas next season. Ahead of his first year as a starter, the signal-caller spent some time at Ryan Wingo's local cookout on Greer Avenue in St. Louis, which caught the attention of fans on social media.

When Pat McAfee stumbled upon Manning spending time with his Texas teammate Wingo in his local neighborhood, the analyst praised the young QB.

“Arch Manning is awesome,” McAfee said on Tuesday’s episode of "The Pat McAfee Show". “Arch Manning is everything you want your starting quarterback to be… If he’s out and about with his teammates doing college, I love everything about it.

“Invited to the cookout! Wingo had a camp, and Arch obviously went… and the fact that Arch took time out of his life to be part of that camp, to be part of a community, to be part of a family—that’ll go a long way for the entire locker room.

“This is part of why football is so damn great. Arch obviously comes from a very good part of Louisiana, and now he gets the chance to experience his teammate’s home. And whenever you experience your teammate’s home, you learn more about them — you learn more about who they are and why they are the way they are. That builds a better team. Arch being a leader… it’s a beautiful thing," he added.

Manning will take over as Texas' QB1 since Quinn Ewers joined the NFL this year. Ewers was taken by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round.

In 2024, Manning appeared in 10 games as Ewers' backup. He started in two games and led the Longhorns to convincing wins in both.

Manning recorded 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for four TDs.

Arch Manning plans to play 2 years as a starter at college level before declaring for NFL draft

Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning - Source: Imagn

Arch Manning is reportedly in no rush to declare for the NFL draft. Although he will be eligible to go pro in 2026, reports suggest that the QB might play two seasons as a starter at the college level before entering the NFL.

According to reports, Manning plans to develop his game to the best of his ability at the college level. It's also because NFL teams do not want to spend time developing a QB at the pro level.

It will be interesting to see how the Heisman Trophy candidate fares in the 2025 season at Texas.