BREAKING: Arch Manning Transfers to NDSU for the 2026 Season

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If you thought the transfer portal news in college football was done, you were wrong. Texas starting quarterback Arch Manning got a waiver from the NCAA to enter the transfer portal, and his waiver was signed on Thursday night.

The national buzz around where Manning would end up was Ole Miss and Tennessee because of his relatives going there. The national media was dead wrong.

On Sunday night, Arch Manning announced his commitment to North Dakota State University live on ESPN. “The legacy of the quarterback position at NDSU speaks for itself,” said Manning. “I want to come to a place where I can not only improve my draft stock, but also learn from some of the best coaches in the country.”

NDSU coach Tim Polasek told the media that they jumped into the recruiting process as soon as Friday morning with a simple text asking if Manning was interested.

Now, what does this mean for the currently assumed 2026 starting quarterback, Nathan Hayes? Hayes was down the depth chart from 2022 through 2024 as the third string behind Cam Miller and Cole Payton before backing up Payton in 2025.

“I’m looking forward to competing with Arch for that starting position and learning from one of the best talents in all of college football,” said Hayes. “This is nothing new. I’ve been working all my career to get the starting job, and here it is for me.”

Polasek didn’t excuse Hayes for still being the starter. “It’s an open competition. We brought Arch in here to improve the depth and the competition in the quarterback room. We were open and honest with Arch, telling him he needs to earn this role,” said Polasek.

One can assume Manning will win the job, but don’t count out Nathan Hayes in this competition. He has arguably just as strong an arm as Manning, but the speed could be the difference in this competition.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked over the weekend about this move from Manning and his decision to go to a G6 school from one of the top powers in the SEC. “I’m disappointed, but I understand the thought process from him. NDSU has sent five quarterbacks to the NFL draft for a reason. I think Arch might be the best they’ve ever sent,” said Sarkisian.

The recent move to the Mountain West was presumed to be a big factor in this move from Manning, but he turned this idea down. “I still would’ve made this move if they were playing FCS. I wanted to come to a school where sending kids to the NFL was a big priority. Being FBS doesn’t change that,” said Manning.

The Bison will open up the season on August 29 inside the Fargodome against Jacksonville State for their first game as an FBS program. As if there wasn’t enough buzz behind this game, now there is even more with Manning arriving on campus.