Arch Manning hasn’t even had one full season as a starter in college football, and he’s already being considered as a potential long-term investment by NFL franchises. The hype surrounding the Texas Longhorns quarterback is unlike anything we’ve seen recently for a player with no experience as a starter.
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: The #Rams reportedly have Arch Manning as the clear QB1 compared to the other guys coming out and covet him as a succession plan post-Matthew Stafford, according to @CharlesRobinson
A high ranking Rams source even told him they’d still pursue manning if Stafford… pic.twitter.com/cmRQdBDwa5
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) July 24, 2025
Not only is he somehow considered the favorite to win this year’s Heisman Trophy, but new reports by Yahoo Sports seem to indicate that the Los Angeles Rams are already considering drafting him in next year’s NFL Draft. Along with being a top target, he’s also considered a potential first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft by several franchises.
The $7.6B worth Rams (as per Forbes) could be considered prime contenders to get Manning’s services due to their starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford, being an aging veteran who has been in the league for over 15 years. But speaking to Yahoo Sports, Rams coach Sean McVay didn’t seem to worry about the situation too much:
“This isn’t anything new,” McVay told Yahoo Sports. “It’s just one of those things that at the early parts of camp we were going to monitor and restrict his workload anyway — really for the mental and physical aspects of it. That made it easy to say, ‘F—k that, the first five-day acclimation period we’re not even in pads, it’s not even real football right now.’ It’s the right thing to do for him, No. 1, and for our team.”
Due to Arch Manning being a good friend of Rams general manager Les Snead’s son, the franchise is rumored to be gunning for the Texas quarterback, particularly with potential long-term plans for Matthew Stafford’s successor.
Colin Cowherd thinks Arch Manning could end up with Cleveland Browns alongside Nick Saban
On Wednesday, Colin Cowherd shared the mother of all rumors on his show. According to him, the Cleveland Browns might be interested in getting Arch Manning and legendary head coach Nick Saban for 2026. He believes there’s a cabal of southern football personalities willing to make this happen.
“So this is not a conspiracy theory, OK? The circle of trust for Jimmy Haslam is the Manning family and Jimmy Sexton. Sabans, Manning, Haslam, South. That’s what I’ve said,” Cowherd stated, before later reiterating: “this story is a poorly kept secret.”
“This is not a conspiracy theory… this story is a poorly kept secret. The Mannings, Haslem, Jimmy Sexton, Nick Saban” – Colin Cowherd on the Cleveland Browns chasing Arch Manning and Nick Saban pic.twitter.com/BzIBfBeyRM
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 23, 2025
A few weeks back, a rumor surfaced that Nick Saban might be interested in returning to coaching. When Saban wasn’t included in the SEC Network’s crew for covering the SEC media days, the speculation went on to take a life of its own.
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