Texas quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of Tennessee Vols legend Peyton Manning and the grandson of Ole Miss Rebels legend Archie Manning, has yet to start a college football game. 

But he may have already made a permanent impact on the NFL draft. 

It was revealed this week that Manning, who is wrapping up his true freshman season at Texas, earned $3.2 million in NIL money this season. 

Manning was the Longhorns' third-string quarterback this year and he attempted just five passes. 

In 2024, Manning is expected to be the primary backup to Quinn Ewers (if Ewers returns, which is expected to be the case). 

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, an MVP candidate, is earning just $870,000 this season thanks to his status as a seventh round draft selection (that doesn't take into account any of his off-the-field earnings which are unreported). 

Arch Manning made over $3.2 Million in NIL money this year as the Texas Longhorns backup QB

Brock Purdy, the QB of the No.1 seed #FTTB & the #NFL’s odds on MVP favorite made $870,000 for the 2023 season

— Chris Law (@ChrisLaw) December 20, 2023

Manning is a unique case because of his famous last name (that's not to take away from his talent — he was a consensus five-star recruit coming out of New Orleans). But the money he's receiving isn't uncommon for a college quarterback (though it's a bit uncommon for a third-string true freshman). 

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is reportedly going to earn around $4 million to return to Athens in 2024 instead of entering the NFL Draft. If Beck would've entered the draft, he likely would've been a mid round selection, which means he could've expected a four-year deal worth around $5 million or $6 million (which is in the range of what former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker received as a third round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft). It's clearly a better financial decision for Beck to return to Georgia — something that wasn't the case just a few years ago before NIL deals became legal. 

Manning's NIL earnings will only serve to increase the price for college quarterbacks moving forward. It's kind of like free agency in pro sports where the market is reset each offseason. If Manning is earning that kind of cash as a third string true freshman, who knows what kind of money he'll earn as a redshirt sophomore or a redshirt junior. 

What we're seeing — and this will only increase with deals like Manning's — are quarterbacks who aren't surefire first round picks electing to stay in college instead of jumping to the NFL for a quick payday. They're earning significantly more money to play in college, which will make the quality of football at the college level better. 

But it will take away some of the quarterback options for NFL teams. A player like Will Levis, for example, probably could've transferred from Kentucky after the 2022 season and earned more than he is in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans this season (Levis had one more year of eligibility remaining). If he had known he was going to fall to the second round, maybe he makes a different decision (Levis signed a four year deal worth just over $9 million…..which pretty much puts him on the line of where the difficult choice has to be made). 

With the news of Manning's NIL earnings becoming public this week, I think we're going to start to see an increase in what other more established quarterbacks are asking for on the open market (as transfers). And it's going to keep more NFL talent in the collegiate ranks for an extended period of time. Of course, those players will eventually reach the NFL, but they'll be older and evaluated differently by NFL teams. 

The NFL draft as we know it is changing. And this is just the beginning of it. This won't end with quarterbacks, it'll eventually extend to every position on the field. 

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