Arch Manning Takes A Page From Tom Brady's Book

The Texas Longhorns have been fortunate to have the run of quarterbacks that they have had in recent years. A strong indication of a football program being consistent relies on having elite talent as the team's signal-caller.

For head coach Steve Sarkisian, he found that first in quarterback Quinn Ewers, but all people could talk about was the man behind him, the prodigy, Arch Manning. Typically, with high expectations and a high talent level comes a high ego, but not for Manning; in fact, quite the opposite.

The humble but fierce competitor is often compared to his uncles, Peyton and Eli. Yet, maybe he is like another quarterback, one rivaled within the family name, and arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.

Has Manning Adapted the Brady Mentality?

Texas Longhorns Quarterback Arch Manning — Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) and defensive back Michael Taaffe (16) react after a touchdown during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

When you compare the college film between Brady and the Longhorns quarterback, there aren't a lot of comparisons that can be made. Manning is a weapon with his feet; Brady was a pure pocket passer. Brady was viewed as a late-round depth piece in the draft; Manning is often called "generational," with teams tanking for his rights.

However, their mentality, often viewed as the most important pieces of a quarterback's arsenal and what made Brady so great over his storied career, is eerily similar. For the Longhorns, the pricetag to recruit Manning and bring him to the Forty Acres was thought to be astronomical but worthy of an investment.

Sarkisian, on the other hand, says the Longhorns didn't pay Manning to commit; he knew his name and play would bring him money through NIL deals with other companies. While on the surface, that seems like a normal thought process, it freed up money in the Longhorns' war chest and allowed them to build around him, rather than through him. That landed Cam Coleman, Rasheem Biles, Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers, and countless others, giving them a loaded roster ahead of 2026.

“Arch could have dragged us over the coals for six million, seven million, whatever he wanted, Sarkisian said in an interview with On3. "That’s an extra five million that I can go get a Cam Coleman, go get a Hollywood Smothers and go get a Rasheem Biles.”

NEW: Steve Sarkisian tells @Clowfb Texas signed Arch Manning ‘for free’ out of high school.

Manning is believed to be making $2M currently from the Longhorns.

“Arch could have dragged us over the coals for six million, seven million, whatever he wanted. That’s an extra five… https://t.co/i0ZcvticqJ pic.twitter.com/nrN8ejScUi
— On3 (@On3) April 16, 2026

That same thought process was often used by Brady during his time with the New England Patriots, and separates a quarterback who will do whatever it takes to win from one who wants to hold the record for the signal-caller who fetched the most money that cycle.

Manning seems to have adapted to that, showing his fierce competitiveness, as documented, and using it to help bring a national championship back to Austin for the first time in over 20 years.

Manning and Brady don't share a name, nor did they share the same round in the NFL Draft, but they share the same mentality and the knowledge of the sacrifices it takes to win. Because of that, they could share more than just that and potentially achieve the same success at the next level, because the hardest part of adapting is already there.

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