Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is widely expected to be one of the top passers in college football this season. But the nephew of Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli Manning isn’t ready for the NFL just yet, his grandfather said.
According to Archie Manning, who played several NFL seasons as a quarterback, the youngest member of the quarterbacking dynasty will not leave college after his first season as a full-time starter.
“Arch isn’t going to do that,” the Manning patriarch told Texas Monthly in an article published Thursday. “He’ll be at Texas.”
Archie Manning noted that he hasn’t discussed the plan with his grandson. Though Arch Manning will be eligible for the next NFL draft, many people close to the family expect him to play out his collegiate career.
“I think if you know the Manning family, I would bet that — and I don’t know Arch at all — I would bet he stays in college two years,” Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam said last month. “So, I don’t even really think that’s worth discussing.”
Arch Manning has been one of the most highly touted prospects since he was a teenager. His pedigree thrust him into the spotlight from a young age.
In limited action last season, the Longhorns signal-caller tossed nine touchdowns with just two interceptions and 932 yards. He added another four touchdowns as a runner.
But Archie Manning isn’t ready to consider his grandson as a Heisman Trophy contender.
“People are saying he’s a Heisman candidate,” he said. “You’re not a Heisman Trophy candidate when you haven’t played but three games. It’s crazy.”
Arch Manning and Texas open the season on Aug. 30 against the defending champions from Ohio State.