Todd McShay Urges Arch Manning to Return to College for Another Season

Arch Manning continues to be at the center of headlines in college football as Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns look to make the College Football Playoff amid an intense race. Sarkisian’s side started the season with four wins in a row but lost its way after two back-to-back defeats against SEC rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators. Manning had his back against the wall as he looked to revive Texas’ season, and that’s exactly what he did.

Manning led the Longhorns to consecutive wins against the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs to keep the program in contention in the playoff race. The Texas quarterback has completed 140 of 216 passes for 1,727 yards, including 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions through the 2026 season.

While the numbers seem decent on paper, it still feels like Sarkisian hasn’t been able to extract Manning’s potential, week in and week out. There have been instances when Manning’s execution has been questionable, but there have also been enough instances of questionable play-calling from Sarkisian.

Texas’ struggles have led to transfer rumors surrounding Manning. One of the teams that has been most talked about is Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. While speaking with Bleacher Report, David Pollack said, “I had one person, a coach, a head coach in the SEC, tell me he’d be shocked if he didn’t end up at Georgia.”

Should Manning leave for another college football program if Texas fails to win the National Championship? Todd McShay firmly believes he should return to college for another season. Appearing on The Triple Option podcast, McShay said, “Arch isn’t ready. Arch should come back to college for another year.”

Should Arch Manning leave Texas and stay another year in college? pic.twitter.com/6Eb92nsUkh

— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) November 4, 2026

“I would love to see him with, and I’ve said this before, but with Will Stein in Kentucky. You know, everyone’s saying, well, maybe it’s Georgia, maybe it’s Ole Miss. We’ll see what happens.”

Manning has difficult decisions to make about his future, but if he needs his stock to stay up, he needs to make sure he makes the most of the remaining opportunities with Texas during the 2026 season.

Related: Steve Sarkisian Receives Arch Manning Request Before Missouri Game

This story was originally published by Athlon on Nov 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.