Carrying the last names of Archie Manning, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning, you’d think the pass for a starting job comes just as easily as the spotlight. However, that isn’t the reality for Arch Manning. As the Texas Longhorns quarterback prepares for the 2026 season, Skip Bayless has expressed his doubt about his quality, even questioning his long-term NFL outlook.
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“What happened the first year when he was at Texas? Nothing,” Skip Bayless said on The Arena: Gridiron. “Quinn Ewers continued to start. What happened the second year? He started having little running packages, but Quinn Ewers started again. Quinn Ewers is beating out Arch Manning at Texas? Quinn Ewers was going to be a 7th round pick of the Miami Dolphins.”
Manning began his career as the third-string quarterback behind Quinn Ewers and Maliik Murphy in Texas. To Bayless, when you are truly ‘that guy’, you walk into campus, like Maryland’s Malik Washington, and mark your territory immediately. But it was nothing like that for Manning, who redshirted his freshman year after two brief appearances, where he completed 2-of-5 passes for 30 yards.
His second year was better with “little running packages’. He ended the season throwing for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and a 67.8 pass completion percentage. He showed his brilliance when he replaced an injured Ewers against UTSA, and threw for 223 yards, rushed for 67 yards, and scored five touchdowns. Regardless, it did not seem like the statement Bayless expected from a quarterback with so much hype.
Manning had to play behind Quinn Ewers in each of his first two seasons. Honestly, Ewers was no slouch either. He was not just a five-star recruit like Manning; he was also the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class, before reclassifying to 2021. Ewers took his high school exploits to college football, ending his career with 9,128 passing yards, 68 touchdowns, 24 interceptions, and a 64.8 pass completion percentage.
“That’s why I gave him the first year,” Bayless added. “The second year, he sits, really? It tells you you’re not that guy. If you are HIM, you just walk on campus and say, enough.”
“Then, he does start this year, he starts off really slowly. We’re going six games deep before he starts to get a hold of it. And then, he says, ‘I’m gonna come back next year’. You are Arch Manning. Would he have gone first this year if he was in the draft?”
After an inconsistent 2025 season, Manning could not have overtaken Fernando Mendoza. Though he eventually finished with 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 61.4 pass completion percentage, Manning was called out by fans due to his high-pressure struggles and inconsistent accuracy.
Skip Bayless shows faith in Arch Manning
Manning has received significant media attention despite his family members ‘ efforts to curb it. He has now been projected as the No. 1 draft pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. And even if he has hardly been in Bayless’ good books, Bayless seems to show some faith in Manning due to one factor.
“The one point I will agree on,” Bayless added. “The one point factor I will bet on is the bloodline factor, because you can’t get stronger bloodlines than this, because remember his father was a really good athlete. He got hurt in high school and wasn’t able to keep on keeping on.”
Bayless may have faith in Manning’s bloodline, but Manning has been said to have the character and mentality it takes to bounce back from mistakes. All he needs in the 2026 season is to work towards shaping his draft future to silence all criticism.