Arch Manning’s 2026 season gave everyone a big question. Is he actually a future top NFL pick or are people still projecting? His first full season as Texas’ starter didn’t really justify all the hype the media threw on him. 3000+ yards, 36 TDs, and a Citrus Bowl win over Michigan. But inconsistency lingered. While some QBs would’ve succumbed under pressure, he stayed, took the criticism and hit. But as Steve Sarkisian admitted, that may be what the NFL noticed most. 

“This guy did not miss a rep of practice all year,” Steve Sarkisian told Chris Low. “He would not not practice if you asked, and a couple of the NFL guys who’ve through here brought it up to me, because one of the common themes at the NFL combine is they ask guys in their interviews who was the toughest guy on their team, and no one ever says themselves, and they told me everyone said Arch.”

It also explains why one NFL scout told On3 that Arch Manning would’ve “almost certainly” been a first-round pick had he declared. Not that it ever mattered as his father Cooper made clear that the draft was “never discussed in any way, shape or form.” But that toughness Arch Manning showed even with a foot that clearly wasn’t right is now taking center stage. 

Steve Sarkisian had seven of his guys participate at the 2026 NFL combine in Indianapolis. They include tough guys like Anthony Hill Jr. and Michael Taaffe, who still pointed to their QB as the toughest Longhorn. That’s a solid endorsement for someone who isn’t even entering the draft this year. 


Players don’t throw that description around easily, especially those who are trying to build their future in the gritty NFL. But we’re talking about a QB refusing to sit out practice reps for an entire season despite dealing with a lingering injury. And maybe that’s more to do with wiring than just toughness. If you look at what Arch Manning did and said this spring, that quality of him that the league covets shows up even more. 

Arch Manning is back after three months from offseason foot surgery. He’s not fully unleashed yet as Steve Sarkisian is keeping him in 7-on-7 work and out of 11-on-11. But for an athlete who’s always active, he says it’s a challenge to stay still. 

“Obviously when you’re not out there, you’re kind of antsy and it was hard the first few weeks just not being able to do anything,” he said. “It was different. It was kind of hard on me because I’m used to playing football. If you’re not in football, you’re in basketball, you’re in baseball. Just always being active and not being able to run or do anything was a little bit challenging, but I think it was good rest for my body.”

At the same time, Arch Manning also admitted it’s hard to watch teammates grind through practice without him. The same guy who managed pain and played all season despite the injury he suffered in November against Texas A&M. And his mindset says as much about toughness as his physical endurance. 

Arch Manning isn’t hiding from anything

Last year, Arch Manning was a first-time SEC starter learning on the go. It was an update and down season from committing mistakes to adjusting and redoing it. Of course, the media that built hype around him in the preseason became the ones to drop skepticism. Despite the outside noise, he’s at peace with himself. 

“I’m not going to shy away from anything,” he told On3. “People are allowed to say whatever they want. It doesn’t really affect me. I know where I’m going and I know no one’s going to stop me. So that’s where I am with all that.”

Moves are being made and rosters are being reshaped with some teams looking suspiciously like they’re preparing for a long season ahead. If Arch Manning hits the version of himself that Texas believes is coming, his toughness won’t be the only thing attracting NFL scouts. 

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