In March, a number of images of college football players and coaches from CFB26 leaked, but Manning and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian were not among them. On Monday, Sarkisian revealed he and Manning opted not to attend the photo shoot at the Rose Bowl for the game.

McElroy isn't ready to tab Manning as a top-10 quarterback in college football. He labeled the talented, dual-threat passer as an honorable mention when revealing his list ahead of the 2025 season.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters on Monday that both he and starting quarterback Arch Manning opted out of the photo shoot for the cover of College Football 26 during the Rose Bowl.