Placing bets on Arch Manning and his draft prospects is pretty vain. Whether you like him or not, the star QB is going as a top pick in the draft. The question is, will that happen next year, or the next to next year? The Arch Manning era has just begun in college football and is too nascent to be put to rest within just two years. Is there a chance the much-touted QB hangs back for another year to build his legacy? Amid rumors of Manning going to one particular franchise spreading like wildfire, more experts are now opining that he will stay for the 2026 season.
After two patient years behind Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning will finally get to be the star he is in college football. Even Paul Finebaum, who usually likes to deliver beyond harsh truths, is confident that Manning is the best college football athlete to exist after Tim Tebow. We already have an idea about what’s going to come from Texas this season with the new QB1 in play. Manning is a big reason why preseason SEC polls say the Longhorns will lead the league. But what happens to Manning after college football is the next big thing people are interested in.
The Texas QB already has 969 yards in the bag with very minimal experience as a starter. But now that the crown is finally on his head, it’s difficult to fathom how high the ceiling gets for him. Experts will not be surprised if he declares for the 2026 draft. But there’s no beating around the bush, Texas fans must be selfish enough to want one more season from Manning, as QB1. Hayes Fawcett is vetting those wants, listing the star player for the 2027 draft. He even calls that class the ‘Best Draft Class Ever.’
“Scouts are already drooling over the 2027 NFL Draft class… it could rival some of the all-time greats if top prospects like Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith, and Ryan Williams stay on track,” Fawcett wrote. Manning, so far, has only 2 starts as QB, and will probably get 12 more if he stays healthy this season. But that’s a below-par number for QBs in drafts these days. Moreover, his predecessors, uncles Peyton and Eli Manning, also started for two more seasons before going pro. “I keep telling people he’s a 2027 guy,” ESPN’s Matt Miller said in a College GameDay appearance in April.
However, there is also another theory that indicates a master plan. Arch Manning may very well be a 2027 draftee. But the team that might be picking him off the board is strategizing to get the star QB over that year, with some help from Nick Saban.
If Nick Saban returns to coaching, Arch Manning could be at Cleveland in 2027
The chatter around Arch Manning being in Cleveland is catching a lot of fire. The Browns desperately need a good QB1. Jimmy Haslam, owner of the franchise, said at a July 29 presser, “If you know the Manning family, I would bet that— and I don’t know Arch at all, okay— I bet he stays in college two years.” This already indicates that Haslam is going to go all in for Manning when he does make the draft in 2027. Deshaun Watson is likely out for the season. That leaves the 4 QBs vying for the starting spot, including 2025 picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Colin Cowherd, however, thinks that the Browns are rooting for Manning in case 2025 is once again a nightmare. “Haslam, Jimmy, owner of the Browns, huge SEC Tennessee booster, leans heavily on the Manning family,” he said. Then he brings about the Nick Saban connection to this whole operation. “Saban is incredibly close to not only Jimmy Haslam, but Saban’s close to the Manning family as well,” he said. This chatter also coincides with the development of Nick Saban’s possible landing of a coaching job once again.
“If he could land a top quarterback, like Jim Harbaugh going to the Chargers for Justin Herbert, he would take a phone call for the NFL… Nick Saban has coached in Cleveland with the Browns under the [Bill] Belichick staff, and he coached at LSU,” Cowherd added. Kevin Stefanski is already on the hot seat this season. If that ship sails after a troubling 2025, there are rumors that Saban will be the man up for the job. And we know the kind of QBs that have developed under Nick Saban. Arch Manning being part of that school will be an interesting sight to see.
The Texas QB being in the Browns QB room, which already has stars like Gabriel and Sanders, will make it too much of a legend. (Provided the two don’t enter free agency after 2026.) But Texas fans sure will be happy if Arch Manning decides to come back for one more year. The more Arch Madness, the better, right?
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