Ahead of Arch Manning’s first season as Texas’ full-time starting quarterback, speculation has swirled about whether the former No. 1 overall recruit could declare for the 2026 NFL Draft

Various way-too-early 2026 NFL mock drafts have included Texas quarterback Arch Manning in the first round, which means the first-year starter for the Longhorns would have to leave school a year early for that to come to fruition.

More than 50 years ago, Archie Manning, then a junior at Ole Miss, knocked the college football world sideways. On an October evening in 1969, Manning strode into Birmingham, Alabama, and proceeded to throw for 436 yards and two touchdowns and rush for three more against Bear Bryant and mighty Alabama.