Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning entered the 2026 season already carrying the weight of enormous expectations, and the program added another layer to that spotlight on Monday.
The fourth-year passer was named to the Davey O’Brien Award preseason watch list, the honor given annually to the nation’s top college quarterback.
The announcement arrived just as Texas prepares for another demanding campaign in the SEC after falling short of the College Football Playoff a year ago.
Manning, now 22, has spent the offseason collecting similar recognition. He already appears on the Maxwell Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch lists, underscoring how widely he is viewed as one of the leading candidates to take the next step this fall.
For a Longhorns roster assembled by head coach Steve Sarkisian and loaded with talent, the quarterback’s individual honors only intensify the belief that this group can deliver the postseason run that eluded them last season.
The journey to this point was not immediate. Manning spent two years behind Quinn Ewers before assuming the starting role in 2025. His first start as the full-time quarterback came on the road against Ohio State, a 14-7 loss in which the Texas offense never found a rhythm.
That sluggish beginning lingered through the early weeks, yet Manning steadily improved and closed the year with a productive body of work. He completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
What separated him from the pocket-passing tradition of his uncles Peyton and Eli was his ability to create with his legs. Manning rushed 92 times for 399 yards and 10 scores, giving Texas a dual-threat dimension that opposing defenses had to account for throughout the season.
Those late-year flashes, even if they arrived too late to salvage a playoff berth, offered a glimpse of the ceiling that now fuels so much of the preseason conversation.
The Davey O’Brien recognition does not guarantee anything on the field, but it does formalize the narrative surrounding Manning and the Longhorns.
Texas will open the season with the same high stakes that followed the program after last year’s disappointment. How quickly the quarterback and the offense find consistency will go a long way toward determining whether those expectations are met.
For now, the watch-list honor simply confirms what many around college football already suspected: Arch Manning is one of the players to watch as the new season begins.
