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Former SEC Football Star 'Not Sold' On Arch Manning

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated May 20, 2025 11:43 PM ET

There's already chatter about Texas quarterback Arch Manning being the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Is that conversation a bit premature? At least one former college football star thinks so.

Manning wasn't the full-time starter for the Longhorns in 2024, but he still received plenty of snaps due to an oblique injury to Quinn Ewers. The former five-star recruit had 939 passing yards, 108 rushing yards, 13 total touchdowns and two interceptions in Steve Sarkisian's offense.

With a full offseason of first-team reps, Manning should be even better this fall for Texas. That being said, former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray doesn't want to get his hopes up.

Murray, the SEC's passing touchdown leader, revealed on SiriusXM Radio that he's "not sold" on Manning.

"I am not sold, like so many of the other people are, that this guy is going to be the number one pick in NFL draft, that he’s going to just be unbelievable, that he’s going to be the next coming of Peyton and Eli, but that’s mobile," Murray said. "And I said this last year during the season, too, because I was a big fan of Quinn Ewers heading into the season."

The main reason Murray isn't a big believer in Manning is because he didn't beat out Ewers for the job in 2024.

"Quinn Ewers had a disappointing season, and it reflected in his draft stock. If you are so good and everyone has you projected number one pick in the NFL Draft, come 2026, why in the [expletive] are you not playing above a seventh-round quarterback? If Steve Sarkisian knows what he’s doing and he knows how good their roster is, which I’ve talked to a lot of coaches and a lot of different teams, and I asked them, like, what are the top rosters? Ohio, State, Texas, and probably Georgia. What was holding them back? Quinn Ewers. Why was Arch not playing? It’s like that rubs me the wrong way a little bit."

Texas was essentially committed to Ewers as its starter last season. Luckily for Manning, he'll have the entire 2025 season to show what he can do.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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