For a quarterback with over $6 million in NIL deals, the biggest question wasn’t if he could play, but for how long. That question just got a definitive answer. The uncertainty surrounding Arch Manning’s future in 2026 appears to be coming to a close. After weeks of draft conversations and Steve Sarkisian’s mixed signals, the Texas Longhorns faithful received clarity on the quarterback.

On Monday, Longhorns insider Chip Brown hopped onto X and shared the what could only be described as the biggest offseason win:

“BREAKING: Quarterback Arch Manning will return to #Texas for the 2026 season, a source close to the situation told @Horns247.”

This puts plenty of talk about him potentially jumping to the NFL early to bed. Head coach Steve Sarkisian recently addressed the situation jokingly, saying he’s yet to have a sit-down, man-to-man conversation.

“I haven’t asked him about his 2026 plans. I feel pretty good about it, but we’ll see,” said Sarkisian.

Now it’s pretty transparent that Sark and his QB1 will return to lead the Longhorns in their third year in the SEC after a rollercoaster Year 2. Arch’s 2025 season was one for the comeback books. He walked into a hurricane of hype, with some analysts like Paul Finebaum calling him the best QB ever to grace the college football realm before he had even taken a meaningful snap.

For a good minute, the naysayers looked right about Manning.

He looked jittery in the season-opening loss to Ohio State. The Texas offense struggled to find its identity as it transitioned away from the Quinn Ewers era. At one point, the Longhorns even dropped out of the rankings for weeks. The college football world rushed to label Arch Manning the “biggest flop” in history.

But luckily, the Manning genes started to kick in around mid-season. After a confidence-boosting win over rival Oklahoma, Arch began to settle in and play like the star everyone expected out of him.

He stopped playing “in a hurry” and started trusting his offensive line. The Longhorns ended their season winning six out of seven games. Their only loss came against Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs, which is understandable.

They regained their place in the top 10 rankings. However, the Longhorns didn’t make the playoffs. But they sure know precisely where they stand after taking the field and knocking the former No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies out of the SEC title game.

A look at Arch’s numbers from the second half of the season (his last five games) tells a story of a Heisman in the making.

Manning accounted for 15 total touchdowns, nearly 1,500 yards, and just two interceptions, while completing 61.0% of his passes. Looking ahead to 2026, Arch is already locked in as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, according to Yahoo.

The Manning family has traditionally favored a four-year development plan. Plus, with the massive NIL money he’s earning in Austin (over $6 million), there’s zero rush to go pro.

Arch may be looking at the Tim Tebow-Florida situation, where he chose to return to the University of Florida Gators for his senior season in 2009, after winning the Heisman Trophy and a national championship. But it sure is clear that Arch Manning has unfinished business.

For Texas fans, this is the best news possible: their franchise quarterback returns for “Step 4” of the plan, to lead them to their long-awaited national championship.

Needs and prerequisites for the Longhorns’ natty run

To set Arch Manning and the Longhorns up for a 2026 national title run, Steve Sarkisian needs to do two things this offseason.

1) Fix the offensive line

Texas has to spend some money up front. Arch took way too many shots in 2025. Getting sacked 23 times by SEC defenses is the college version of Joe Burrow getting beat up by AFC defenses. That cannot happen again if Texas is serious.

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Moreover, Sark is expected to aggressively pursue the transfer portal to find a couple of experienced interior linemen. They could bring in three to four players, such as Jake Renfro from Cincinnati. They can also even test the waters with Ben Murawski (the No. 1 offensive lineman per 247Sports) from UConn.

The goal is simple: give Arch more time in the pocket and open up better running lanes. A brick-wall offensive line is the core foundation of any national title contender.

2) Bring in weapons

Texas needs to add more firepower to the receiving corps. With Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley V returning, adding S-tier talent like Nick Marsh or Israel Polk would do wonders for the Longhorns.

If Texas can line up some studs up front and sprinkle in a few more game-breaking playmakers, the offense could become explosive.

Basically, protect Arch and load him up. Who knows? That might be the formula that wins Texas a national title and lands Arch Manning the Heisman.