How Jeremy Piven, Entourage Helped Arch Manning Play Better Football

Arch Manning revealed how Jeremy Piven helped him play at his best during the 2025 season at Texas.

Actor Jeremy Piven of \"The Performance\" poses for a photo on the red carpet for opening night of the Palm Springs International Film Festival at the Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School in Palm Springs, Calif., Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Arch Manning is not only a fan of Jeremy Piven and multiple Emmy Award-winning show Entourage, but the two have a friendship.

Manning shared his admiration for Piven and the character, Ari Gold, that Piven plays on the show, and the advice he received from the 61-year-old actor this offseason when he took a few Longhorns teammates to see Piven's live comedy show.

"I went to one of his comedy shows this offseason with some guys on the team and he was hilarious," Manning said during media availability on Monday. "Got to talk to him before and we've kept up on the phone. He's hilarious. He's probably my favorite character in all of television, Ari Gold. Being able to pick his brain and being able to laugh is refreshing. He's a really nice guy."

Manning even revealed that his watching Entourage coincided with a hot streak for Texas during the 2025 season.

"I told him, last year I wasn't playing very well and I started watching Entourage and we got on a hot streak. He loved that," Manning said.

Manning revealed he was a fan of the whole Entourage crew, shouting out Turtle (played by Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny "Drama" (Kevin Dillon) in particular, as well as the movie Napoleon Dynamite, which starred Jon Heder.

The Texas Longhorns Need Arch Manning to Re-Watch Entourage

Oct 24, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) scores on a rushing touchdown during the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After the Longhorns' 34-27 win over Ole Miss on Saturday, Piven was Ari Gold-esque on the field with Manning.

"You're a drama queen ... I f***in' love it. I f***in' love it man," Piven said to Arch.

Piven had every right to be so harsh with his language after UT nearly gave the game away and ended its CFP hopes with nearly a third loss in a row.

Manning started the game off hot, helping Texas build a 21-point lead in the first half. Things quickly unraveled in the second half, though.

Manning was strip-sacked by Rebels defensive end Blake Purchase and had the fumble recovered by fellow Ole Miss defensive end Kam Franklin in the end zone. Arch then threw two interceptions.

The game came down to the very last drive, but luckily the Longhorns' defense prevented the Trinidad Chambliss-led comeback with an interception in the end zone on the final play of the game.

If history is any indication, after the month UT has had, it's time for Manning to re-watch Entourage again.

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