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Texas redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning is returning to the Longhorns in 2026, ending speculation the former five-star could be an entry in the NFL Draft, 247Sports reported Monday night. As a third-year player, Manning was eligible to enter the 2026 NFL Draft and may have been a first-round selection given the group of outgoing players at the position.

In Mike Renner's latest mock draft for CBS Sports, three signal-callers are projected to be Day 1 picks -- Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza at Indiana, Oregon's Dante Moore and Ty Simpson from Alabama -- but Manning wants more time in college, according to Horns247's Chip Brown.

"Arch Manning has sort of been the antithesis of the warp-speed, get me instant gratification approach to the quarterback position," Brown said Monday on CBS Sports HQ. "He wanted to go to a school where he'd sit and learn for a couple years in Steve Sarkisian's offense waiting for Quinn Ewers to finish his time as a Longhorn and he's comfortable getting experience over the four years.

"His uncles, Peyton and Eli, both four-year guys in college. He wants that full, second season as a starter so he can continue to hone his craft and sharpen his skills."

Brown said he spoke to Manning's father, Cooper Manning, before the season and he said expectations were "outrageous and completely ridiculous" given the Longhorns' stance as the preseason No. 1 and Manning installed as the Heisman favorite. Then came the humbling season opener at Ohio State, where Manning and the Texas offense never got going against the eventual No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff and Big Ten runner-up.

After battling through early growing pains as a first-year starter this season, Manning was one of the SEC's top passers by year's end after throwing 12 touchdown passes in his final five starts with three 300-yard games.

Manning finished the regular season 227 of 370 for 2,942 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions to go along with 244 yards rushing and eight scores. Texas (9-3) fell just outside of the College Football Playoff's at-large discussion despite going 5-1 over the second half of the campaign, highlighted by a win over then-unbeaten and third-ranked Texas A&M in the season finale.

With only 14 college starts to his credit, another year at Texas will provide Manning with more game experience and ample film for further evaluation with live rounds coming his way in the SEC.  

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday that his starter could use another year of development with the Longhorns.

"He's a young man who's gotten better as the season's gone on, and not only physically, but mentally, maturity-wise," Sarkisian said. "I would think he's going to want another year of that growth to put himself in position for hopefully a long career in the NFL. And he's got some unfinished business of what he came here to do and what he came here to accomplish.

"We had a really good football season. We left some meat on the bone with an opportunity to be SEC champs, national champs, and so ultimately for him, I think the competitor in him is going to say, 'Man, I sure would like another crack at trying to do those things.'"

The turning point for Manning as a sophomore came during a fourth-quarter comeback at Mississippi State in October when he finished with 346 yards passing and three touchdowns, helping erase a 17-point deficit with 12:29 remaining. He threw for 331 yards and three scores the following week during a victory over nationally-ranked Vanderbilt and had 389 yards and four touchdowns against Arkansas later in November.

Manning's return means Texas has figured out its most important position ahead of the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2 as Sarkisian determines what his team will need within the 2026 two-deep. The Longhorns bring back a couple starters along the offensive front, wideout Ryan Wingo and edge Colin Simmons, who figures to be a contender for SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2026.

They're going to need high-end assistance at wideout, linebacker and in the secondary this offseason to bolster the lineup. Defensive playmakers and multi-year starters Michael Taaffe and Anthony Hill Jr. have already declared for the draft and opted out of the Citrus Bowl.

"I think we'll see that grow, he's completing 62% of his passes, I think you'll see that go up," Brown said of Manning. "He had some rough games and his receivers had some rough games. At Georgia, his receiver dropped four passes in the first quarter and it went down from there. Those numbers will go up. He's capable on the ground. I just think he's got more comfortably in the offense and connectivity with his receivers.

"One of those receivers, Emmett Mosley V, didn't really get going with the team until midseason because of an injury. I think you'll see him more comfortable going into the season and be more in charge. At the beginning of the year, he would come to the sideline and was trying to work things out in his head. By the end of the year, he's pumping up his teammates. They believe in him a lot more now. He's earned their trust by going through all the ups and downs he did and coming out with success down the stretch."

Manning's final performance entering the bowl game was the clutch effort against Texas A&M, his third win against a top-10 opponent. Texas scored 17 consecutive second-half points to snatch the lead from the Aggies after trailing 10-3 at intermission, which included several big-time throws from Manning.

He completed six of his final seven passes for 128 yards and made a defender miss on a win-clinching touchdown run during one of the matchup's defining moments.