Arch Manning is still standing in the pocket, letting the play develop in front of him.

That’s not the trend among elite college football quarterback recruits these days. Manning’s blue chip peers tend to check their first read, then bolt from the school where they began their careers to scramble right into the transfer portal.

Among the top five quarterback prospects in the 2023 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports’ composite rankings, Manning is the only one still rostered at the institution he signed with out of high school.

Nico Iamaleava departed Tennessee for UCLA this spring after a public dispute played out over his NIL compensation.

Dante Moore left UCLA for Oregon following the 2024 season. Jackson Arnold fled Oklahoma for Auburn this winter on the heels of an ugly redshirt freshman campaign with the Sooners. And Malachi Nelson is currently at UTEP — his third collegiate stop after USC and Boise State.

From 2020-23, 17 quarterbacks received five-star prospect status from the 247Sports composite. Eleven of them have transferred.

Why has Manning stayed put?

“I think Arch is a patient kid and looks at the big picture,” his dad, Cooper Manning, told the American-Statesman on Friday.

“He’s a happy college student at the University of Texas. So, I think that’s — when he was looking at where to go to school, it was ‘Where am I going to be happy? Where am I going to make great friends? Where am I going to enjoy being when football is not necessarily everything?’ I think that’s had a big impact on his patience level.”

Arch Manning is forging new friendships at Texas

Manning’s interview sessions tend to skip the Xs and Os. Instead, they sometimes develop into discussions of the relationships Cooper encouraged his son to value when choosing where to spend his college years.

Meeting the press for roughly 20 minutes at the Manning Passing Academy over the weekend, Manning highlighted his friendship with UT wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who invited Manning to one of his camps back home in St. Louis this summer.

“I knew he would do the same for me,” Manning said.

Then came a question about Trevor Goosby, the favorite to protect Manning’s blind side at left tackle in 2025, replacing first-round NFL draft choice Kelvin Banks Jr.

Manning and Goosby played basketball together this offseason, the quarterback revealed. Goosby also is doing some recruiting legwork for new Texas men’s basketball coach Sean Miller. Goosby’s younger brother, Austin, is one of the top 40 players in the Class of 2026 and holds an offer from the Longhorns.

“We’re trying to get him to Texas,” Manning said.

Arch Manning preparing to lead Texas football offense

In 233 snaps last season, Manning flashed the tools that make him the betting favorite to hear his name called first overall in next spring’s draft.

In his time in front of the microphone this offseason, Manning has shown glimpses of charisma and a feel that could help him win over a Texas locker room that is now his to command.

He acknowledged in April that it was likely “pretty annoying” for Quinn Ewers to have to cope with having Manning — and the media circus that accompanies him — as a backup. Last week, he drew laughs with a few light jabs at his grandfather, Archie, and his age.

He spun a tale of his venture to Walmart with LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and admitted that the Raising Cane’s, McDonald’s and crab legs he chowed down on while visiting Louisiana haven’t been great for his diet.

There might not be a more famous college football player in the country. Still, Manning doesn’t mind sharing a bit of himself with the public.

“That’s an adjustment, knowing that a lot of eyes are on you, and he knows that he’s representing his university and his teammates and his family, and so that’s always been pretty easy for him,” Cooper said.

“Keep trying to be a good guy, that comes naturally for him. It’s an adjustment anytime people want to take pictures with you all the time. It’s just part of the deal. So you just do the best you can to surround yourself with good folks who keep you grounded and good friends that you know are there for you no matter what.”

But, even off the field, Manning is still learning.

This spring, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian challenged him to assert himself more as a leader.

“He doesn’t have to wait,” Sarkisian said.

Between the white lines, too, Manning receives reminders that help him stave off any sense of satisfaction that he’s arrived.

“Whenever I think I got a handle on something, the next day I throw three picks,” Manning said, laughing. “I like to kind of stay right in the middle.”