With ongoing speculation of a possible entry into the NFL Draft next spring, it looks like Texas quarterback Arch Manning has made the decision to stick around college football and play with the Longhorns during the 2026 season. His father, Cooper Manning, confirmed the news to ESPN on Monday night.
Manning returning to college football in 2026 always seemed like the most likely option, but it now appears to be confirmed. Manning threw for 2,942 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions during the 2025 season while leading Texas to a 9-3 record. The Longhorns will return to action in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Michigan on New Year’s Eve.
Arch Manning’s decision greatly impacts Tennessee’s 2026 schedule. The Vols are set to host the Longhorns in their SEC opener in Knoxville on Sept. 26, and it looks like Manning will be leading his team into Neyland Stadium. It’ll be just the fourth all-time meeting between Texas and Tennessee and the first matchup since a Cotton Bowl contest in 1969. The Longhorns currently lead the series 2-1.
It’ll also be the first time that someone from the Manning bloodline will play between the lines in Neyland Stadium since Peyton Manning last played with the Volunteers. Peyton Manning has always been very respectful and quick to praise his nephew, who just finished his first full season starting in college football. He even went to Athens earlier in the fall to watch Arch lead the Longhorns in a losing effort against Georgia.
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“Look, Eli and I are his uncles; we try to be there as a resource for him,” Manning said on the Pat McAfee Show over the summer. “But, you know, Cooper has done a great job with Arch and they’ve handled all the different things that have come their way in the right way. I’m excited to watch Arch play. He’s been very patient. I thought he threw the ball really well at the camp.”
The Vols will host the Longhorns for the first time ever in Week 4 of the college football season. Tennessee will begin the year with three straight non-conference games, including a matchup at Georgia Tech, before opening up a nine-game SEC slate against Texas on Sept. 26. The time for that game is unknown, but could very well depend on the results of Tennessee’s early game against GT and the Longhorns’ early-season game against Ohio State.
Manning’s season-high yardage came against Arkansas in the penultimate week of the regular season with 389 yards, but his best game of the year (against Power 4 competition) was in a three-point win over Vanderbilt that saw him throw for 328 yards and three touchdowns on 75.8% passing.
As confirmed to ESPN on Monday, it looks like Arch Manning will be leading the Texas Longhorns into Neyland Stadium for an early-season matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers next September. It wouldn’t be a surprise to possibly even see College GameDay in town.
Here’s a look at Tennessee’s full 2026 SEC Schedule next season:
Sept. 26 – Texas at Tennessee
Oct. 3 – Auburn at Tennessee
Oct. 10 – Tennessee at Arkansas
Oct. 17 – Alabama at Tennessee
Oct. 24 – Tennessee at South Carolina
Oct. 31 – OPEN
Nov. 7 – Kentucky at Tennessee
Nov. 14 – Tennessee at Texas A&M
Nov. 21 – LSU at Tennessee
Nov. 28 – Tennessee at Vanderbilt
