Arch Manning doesn’t have his eyes on the transfer portal.
With rumors swirling that Texas starting quarterback Quinn Ewers could pass on the NFL and stay at Texas for another season, Manning’s status has come into the spotlight.
For now, Manning plans to stay put.
“Based on everything we’ve heard, Arch is perfectly happy at Texas. I think the expectation is he will be back in 2024,” said 247Sports’ Chris Hummer. “The real question mark in the room is what happens with Quinn Ewers and what happens with Maalik Murphy. … A lot of us have been hearing similar things, about Quinn being likely to return to Texas in 2024.
“But you never know what happens during a College Football Playoff run. He just had the best game of his career, in the Big 12 Championship Game, and we’ll see how he plays during the stretch run for Texas. That could impact his decision.”
Manning’s status is a major storyline since top-ranked recruits like Manning usually do not attend schools to sit for several years.
It’s one thing to come and sit during a freshman season when a school has a player like Ewers, but it’s another to be a backup for two years – especially with the transfer portal in the NIL era.
If Manning entered the portal, he’d have every big school – and Ohio State and Oklahoma now have openings – attempting to lure him to its campus.
But all that noise may not matter if Ewers and his advisors decide he should declare for the draft.
NIL now makes it less financially burdensome for top recruits to stay in school for an extra year.
ESPN reported recently that the odds are increasing of Ewers returning to Austin.
“Sources told ESPN that the feeling in his camp is increasing that another year of development would best position him for long-term success in the NFL,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported.
Manning, the No. 5 recruit in the 2023 class per ESPN, has appeared in two games this season.
He completed 2-of-5 passes for 30 yards against Texas Tech on Nov. 24, and then entered the end of Texas’ win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game.
While Manning sits, Ewers will try to guide third-seeded Texas to a national title with a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against No. 2 Washington looming on Jan. 1.
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