Entering the 2025 college football season, many eyes will be fixated on Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. Being the nephew of NFL greats Peyton Manning and Eli Manning has brought a lot of hype to Manning and he's set to get his first chance as a college starting quarterback to prove that hype right.
At this point in time, many believe that Manning could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft should he choose to come out of college. He has eligibility to continue playing for Texas if he chooses to do so, but being the No. 1 overall pick would be hard to pass on if that is indeed where he's projected to go next offseason.
During the 2024 college season with the Longhorns, Manning received some valuable playing time. He completed 67.8 percent of his pass attempts for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions. In addition, he ran for 108 yards and four more scores.
Manning showed flashes of star potential. However, he'll need to do that on a weekly basis in 2025 for Texas to live up to the national championship hype it's receiving.
With that being said, a new NFL connection has been made for Manning. It's a relatively strange connection, but a connection nonetheless.
Nate Davis of USA Today has named Manning as one of the "biggest winners" from the retirement of New Orleans Saints veteran quarterback Derek Carr.
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"Just sayin’. Speculation had already been running amok as it pertained to NFL teams potentially jockeying for draft position to enlist the presumed University of Texas star, who’s still only thrown 63 passes for the Longhorns. But this is what happens to football royalty when you’re the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, who combined to win four Super Bowls during their illustrious NFL careers. However there’s an added layer of intrigue if the Saints absolutely crater in 2025, which seemed entirely possible before Carr’s announcement given the aftermath of a 5-12 season in 2024 when he started 10 games. Now, just imagine if they secure the No. 1 pick in 2026, Arch Manning has the type of season in Austin everyone seems to expect and has the option to go home to his native New Orleans and revive the team his grandfather, Archie Manning, played so bravely but futilely for in the 1970s."
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Saints did go out and draft Tyler Shough. However, if they played bad enough to land the No. 1 pick in 2026 and Manning came out of college, would they consider taking him?
Seeing Arch follow in the footsteps of his grandfather would be a cool storyline. But, it's way too early to begin talking about that.
Naming Manning as a "winner" from Carr's retirement is a bit out there. It's possible that he could end up in New Orleans at some point, but it's something to note at this point in time.