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Arch Manning Declined Major College Football Honor

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ryan Harris | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 2:48 PM ET

The 2025-26 college football season is officially underway with the conclusion of an eventful 2025 NFL Draft. Many crazy storylines surfaced in Texas Longhorns news, including the slides of quarterback Quinn Ewers and wide receiver Isaiah Bond.

Now the Longhorns enter the Arch Manning era, and fans are ecstatic as they look forward to see Manning take the helm for the entire season.

With the season coming up, EA Sports held their College Football 26 photo shoot at the Rose Bowl, where they take multiple pictures for their video game cover pictures.

College football's brightest superstars took the stage, with Alabama's Ryan Williams, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Florida's DJ Lagway, and much more.

However, Texas' head coach Steve Sarkisian, along with Manning, opted out of appearing and were not in attendance in Pasadena.

There has been no update or statement as to why the two did not attend EA Sports' photo shoot, but it is no surprise. Sarkisian and Manning have been putting in work on this upcoming season to try and cement them as a top team in the country.

Manning and company have a lot of expectations heading into 2025, being ranked by On3's Andy Staples as the No. 1 team in the country, and rightfully so.

The Longhorns' success will feed off Manning and how he performs, and it is good that he has his full focus on just that, even with all of the outside noise he is currently receiving.

Manning and the Longhorns kick off their season on August 30 with a tough road battle against the Ohio State Buckeyes, a rematch of the Cotton Bowl this past season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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