Oklahoma Legend Urges Texas QB Arch Manning to Skip 2027 NFL Draft

Arch Manning’s draft stock has slipped, and one Oklahoma great wants him to hold off for a year.

Gerald McCoy, a Sooners standout turned NFL All-Pro defensive tackle, said on “First Take” that the Texas Longhorns quarterback should return to Austin for another season.

McCoy, a father of three sons, tied his view to the burden of a famous last name.

“You cannot put expectations on the kid because of how great the father, or the uncles, were. That’s what we did to Arch,” McCoy said.

He had a warning about the league, too.

“The NFL will break you. The NFL is a man’s, man’s game. It will break you and humble you,” McCoy said. “He needs to go to the NFL when he believes ‘I can handle everything that comes with the NFL.’"

The timing stings. Texas dropped a 27-24 decision to unranked Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, its first loss of 2026.

Manning threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns, but one of his two fourth-quarter interceptions came with the game tied and 19 seconds left, setting up Tate Sandell’s winning field goal.

Through the loss, Manning has 1,122 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions on 63% completion. His 65.6 QBR ranks eighth in the SEC, and he’s been sacked eight times over the last two games.

Cam Newton pushed back on the criticism during the “4th and 1” podcast.

“I think people are unfairly analyzing Arch or judging Arch, not because of his gameplay. It’s because of the expectations that everybody had for him,” Newton said.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has made a similar case, pointing to Manning’s wins over four top-10 opponents across 13 starts, including a 24-23 result against then-No. 1 Ohio State earlier in 2026.

The path doesn’t get softer. After hosting Florida, Texas faces No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 13 Missouri, and No. 22 LSU.