Updated Saturday, September 5, 2026.
The quick facts first, then the story. Arch Manning is Texas’ starting quarterback, in his second season as QB1 and his fourth year in Austin, and the most searched player in college football for reasons that have as much to do with his last name as his arm.
| Full name | Archibald Charles Manning |
| Born | April 27, 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana (age 21) |
| Height | 6 foot 4 (Texas lists 6 foot 4; On3 lists 6 foot 3.5) |
| Weight | About 220 pounds (219 to 220 depending on the listing) |
| High school | Isidore Newman School, New Orleans, the same school Peyton and Eli attended |
| Recruiting | No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 class; committed to Texas in June 2022 |
| Parents | Cooper and Ellen Manning |
| Head coach | Steve Sarkisian |
College Timeline
| 2023 | Enrolled early in January; redshirted behind Quinn Ewers |
| 2024 | Backup to Ewers; started while Ewers was injured and flashed in relief as Texas reached the College Football Playoff semifinals |
| 2025 | First season as the starter: 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 7 interceptions. Texas started slowly, went 7 and 1 down the stretch and missed the playoff |
| 2026 | Redshirt junior, second year as QB1, preseason No. 5 Texas, second choice in the Heisman odds |
The Short Version of the Story
Manning was the most famous high school football player in America before he took a college snap, the grandson of Archie and the nephew of Peyton and Eli, and he picked Texas over Alabama, Georgia and the family school, Ole Miss. He then did the least famous thing possible: sat for two years behind Quinn Ewers without transferring. His first year as the starter was uneven, good enough to keep him near the top of the Heisman board and inconsistent enough that one NFL scout called the performance “erratic” while still projecting him as a potential No. 1 pick.
Off the field he is the highest earning endorser in college football, with Red Bull, Uber, Topps and Google Gemini among his deals, and he took a smaller share of Texas’ revenue sharing pool for 2026 so the program could spend on the roster. The details are on Arch Manning NIL.
Related
The Manning family tree · Arch Manning Heisman odds · Arch Manning NFL draft · Texas football schedule · What time does Texas play
The Bottom Line
Arch Manning is 6 foot 4, about 220 pounds and 21 years old, a redshirt junior from New Orleans in his second season as Texas’ starting quarterback. He was the No. 1 recruit in the country, waited two years for the job, threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns in his first season as the starter, and enters 2026 as a Heisman contender and a possible top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.