Texas quarterback Arch Manning is currently in his second full season as the team’s starter.
Manning improved as the 2025 season progressed before deciding to return to school. He’s off to a good start this year, throwing for 862 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He led a 20-point comeback against Ohio State on Sept. 12 and has helped the program start 4-0.
MORE: College football top 25 rankings 2026: AP Top 25 poll entering Week 5
Manning is widely viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft. But Robert Griffin III, the former Heisman Trophy winner for Baylor, thinks Manning should return to Texas for the 2027 season.
“I think that Arch still is feeling that pressure of having to go out and throw for 350 yards and five touchdowns every single game to justify the attention that he gets because of the name on the back of his jersey. I believe he should come back for another year,” Griffin III told Colin Cowherd. “When guys are ready to go to the NFL, playing college football looks easy for them. For myself, when I came out, when Andrew Luck came out, it looked easy for us when we were playing in our last year. It looked easy for C.J. Stroud when he was playing in his last year. It doesn’t look easy for Arch yet.”
Can Arch Manning prove Robert Griffin III wrong?
Manning will have to show what he can do in some bigger games this season. While he led the comeback against Ohio State, he now needs to play well against the likes of Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and LSU later on in the season.
All of those opponents feature great defenses that figure to really test Manning’s ability and decision-making. It’ll be fascinating to see how he plays.
— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —