Arch Manning’s courtside presence isn’t just casual viewing. He has effectively become the undisputed face of Texas athletics. When the campus’s biggest star shows up visibly invested, the atmosphere tends to shift. Unfortunately, Manning’s high-profile backing and the crowd’s electric energy could not will the Longhorns’ basketball team past their late-game defensive breakdowns.

Just like every other Longhorns fan, Arch Manning went down to Moody Center to support his team but ended up watching them take a major hit after a narrow 85-88 loss against their archrivals, Oklahoma. Even Chendall Weaver made an amazing alley-oop dunk that surprised the entire crowd, including Manning, and gained Texas a six-point lead.

Their major issue came on defense, as despite guard Jordan Pope’s 30-point score with three crucial free throws that sent them to overtime, the team couldn’t win the match. The same happened earlier this week against Texas A&M when the Longhorns fell to a 105-85 score against them.

The Red River Rivalry carries the same bitter weight on the hardwood as it does on the gridiron. For Manning and the packed Moody Center crowd, watching the Sooners outlast a favored Texas side in a gruelling overtime battle only deepened the sting of a sports season already marred by a high-profile heartbreak.

Arch Manning has a deep love for basketball, and since joining Texas, he has been supporting the basketball team, appearing in various games. His well-known passion for the game, highlighted by his request to join pickup games, made the narrow loss all the more visible on the star quarterback’s face.

Even Coach Miller couldn’t believe his enthusiasm for basketball as he described the entire scenario.

“I was walking across the street last week, and somebody yelled my name: ‘Coach Miller! Coach Miller!’ I turned around, and it was Arch Manning,” Miller said to Jeff Goodman. “He’s a huge basketball fan. We came together, and he said, “Welcome to Texas. I’m a big basketball fan.’ He was with a couple of his friends. He said, ‘Hey, do you mind if we sneak in and play pickup once in a while?’ That was his question for me, and I said, ‘Anytime, anytime.

Arch Manning’s interest in basketball is genuine, as last year, the quarterback even approached Sean Miller to ask if he could jump into campus pickup games, a passion rooted in his days winning a state title for Isidore Newman. Well, as a fan, he could not do anything about the heartbreak of the recent Longhorns basketball game. But as a player, Manning appears to have received a pretty significant update about the future of his football career.

Arch Manning is drawing interest from an NFL team

Despite two years of eligibility remaining, rumors have persisted since last year about Arch Manning joining the NFL. These gained momentum recently when one NFL team reportedly showed interest. Projected as the No. 1 overall pick for the 2027 NFL Draft if he goes pro, Manning is already seen by many analysts as destined for an excellent NFL career. Notably, the New York Jets are reportedly showing the most interest in acquiring him.

The Jets can get veteran quarterbacks like Geno Smith and Carson Wentz, but age and injury are factors that don’t make them long-term options. Whereas bringing in a rookie and developing him into a star can bring them long-term stability. New York sports writer Gary Myers fueled this discussion on X, suggesting this path to the Jets.

“If the Jets sign Geno Smith and Carson Wentz to get them through 2026, they might as well turn in their 2027 draft card right now for Arch Manning,” Myers said. “The draft will be in Washington, so it’s an easy trip for Jets fans. Anxious Jets fans need not worry about him refusing to play for the Jets. That won’t happen.”

With Justin Fields struggling with low passing production and inconsistent play, the Jets’ QB situation could benefit from Arch Manning as a reliable option with veteran talent supporting him. But whether he ultimately lands in New York or elsewhere, the early interest from NFL franchises confirms that his time as a spectator is limited, with the league’s biggest stage awaiting his arrival.