Texas Quarterback Arch Manning Calls Oklahoma’s John Mateer ‘Really Good Player’

ATLANTA — This year’s Red River Rivalry has all the makings of a classic quarterback battle.

Leading Oklahoma will be John Mateer, who transferred to OU in December from Washington State.

Behind center for Texas will be Arch Manning. He is the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning.

Those two had the chance to get to know each other at the Manning Passing Academy — a clinic led by Archie, Peyton, Eli and Cooper Manning (Arch’s father) — in June. Both of them served as counselors at the camp, alongside other prolific college football quarterbacks.

While Manning and Mateer play for arch rivals, Texas’ quarterback admitted that Mateer is someone he greatly respects.

“I think he’s a really good player,” Manning said. “I haven’t seen much of him, just being in different conferences. But being around him, he’s a really good player and a really good guy. I really respect his game and his personality. It was fun catching up with him over those couple of days.”

Manning, ranked the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2023, initially chose Texas over Georgia, Alabama and LSU.

He redshirted in 2023, appearing in just two games. Manning’s role increased as a redshirt freshman, as he played in 10 games and started two, finishing the year with 939 passing yards, 108 rushing yards, nine passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns.

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Though this will be Manning’s first year as the starting quarterback, his expectations couldn’t be higher.

Paul Finebaum called him the “best college football quarterback” since Tim Tebow on ESPN’s Get Up, despite only starting two games to this point. Manning is currently the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, per FanDuel, with plus-700 odds.

Pressure naturally arises from having the last name “Manning” — and junior linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. said he has handled it well.

“I feel like he does a really good job handling some of the hype around him,” Hill said. “He doesn't really have social media or do any of that stuff. I know he's going to be ready to play.”

Manning is doing his part to tune out the noise.

The quarterback admitted that he initially didn’t want to attend SEC Media Days because of the publicity and the distraction that comes from it. But ultimately, Manning opted to come because he said representing the University of Texas was special.

“It’s been fun,” Manning said. “It’s a cool thing for such a traditional and storied program.”

It’s not just Manning that comes into the season with high expectations — the Longhorns are supposed to be a top-tier team once again.

Texas reached its second-straight College Football Playoff a year ago, winning games against Clemson and Arizona State before falling to Ohio State in the semifinals. The Longhorns finished the year 13-3, falling to Georgia in both the regular season and the SEC Championship Game.

Manning noted Georgia as one of the games he’s most excited for in 2025, hoping to get revenge on the Bulldogs.

He also singled out the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma as one he has circled. Manning didn’t appear in last year’s game against the Sooners, when Texas won 34-3.

His preparation plan for that game? Talking to 2024 starter Quinn Ewers, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins.

“It seemed like, in big games, he played better,” Manning said. “I’m definitely going to text him leading up to that game and get all the advice I can get. That’s a fun one.”