Austin, Texas - Is Arch Manning worth as much as college football fans think?

Arch Manning, the nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, can take advantage of all that being a quarterback at the University of Texas has to offer. That is, except one thing.

According to Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian, Arch's grandfather and NFL legend Archie Manning won’t let his grandson accept NIL money until he becomes a starter for the team.

"His grandpa [Archie] won’t let him take NIL money," Sarkisian said at the Touchdown Club of Houston on Wednesday. "He told him, ‘You can take money when you become a player – when you start.’ I thought that was a pretty good message from Archie."

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Many college football fans were understandably stunned after hearing Sarkisian's recent comments on Arch's NIL status.

The hotshot freshman that has yet to throw a pass in an actual CFB game or even score a touchdown has reportedly been leading all college football players in terms of NIL value.

Per On3, Manning's NIL value is a whopping $3.7 million – half a million dollars higher than reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams who is listed in the No. 2 spot behind Manning.

When Sarkisian was asked how much Arch cost the Texas Longhorns football program on Wednesday, the head coach shocked reporters with his response: "Zero."

"Everybody is under this assumption that this was an NIL deal for him to come to the University of Texas," Sarkisian said about Manning's commitment to the program. "It was absolutely not. I wish I had my phone. I would read you the text I got from Cooper Manning after Arch called me out of the blue at about nine o’clock in the morning to say he was coming to the University of Texas."

Sarkisian added: "It had come down to us, Alabama, and Georgia, and in the end his dad texted me and said if there’s a message to tell any of the young recruits you’re recruiting, it’s that Arch Manning is coming to Texas because he loves the University of Texas, he loves the coaches, and he loves the program. This is not about NIL. He’s taken zero money from NIL while he’s at Texas."

Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns will open the 2023-24 college football season with a home game against Rice University on September 2.