Before ever announcing his college decision, Arch Manning had an inside track to acquiring top-tier NIL deals that could’ve quickly made him one of the top earners in college sports. But, as Texas coach Steve Sarkisian revealed Wednesday, the highly touted freshman quarterback has, in reality, earned far less than he could’ve at the request of his famous family.
With Manning, one of the top recruits in the class of 2023, currently set to back up Quinn Ewers, Sarkisian addressed the chatter surrounding how much Manning has earned in NIL money thus far. As it turns out, Manning has netted exactly “zero” NIL deals to this point, per Sarkisian, due to his grandfather, Archie, wanting the 17-year-old to wait until he becomes a starter.
“The beauty of it for us, his NIL value—whatever it is—his grandpa won’t let him take any NIL money,” Sarkisian said Wednesday, via The Athletic. “He said, ‘You can take money when you become a player and you start.’”
With that in mind, Sarkisian took time to clear the air regarding rumors suggesting Manning chose Texas because of any current or potential NIL deals. According to On3.com, Manning boasts an estimated NIL valuation of $3.2 million, the top figure in college football.
“Everybody is under this assumption that this was an NIL deal for him to come to the University of Texas. It was absolutely not,” Sarkisian added.
Given the fact that Manning boasts a last name that precedes him in terms of football legacy, he likely won’t have any shortage of suitors when it comes time for him to make NIL decisions.
In the meantime, Manning still will garner plenty of attention as he continues to prepare for his first collegiate season. And, from the looks of it, the hype already appears to be in full swing among Longhorns fans on the heels of Manning’s debut in the Orange-White spring game earlier this month.
