Texas Longhorns Gravitating Toward 'Unique' Arch Manning in Spring Practice

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning's last name carries a powerful tradition in the sport.

His grandfather Archie was a second overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft after three seasons under Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss. Archie played in the NFL for more than a decade, for the New Orleans Saints, the Houston Oilers and concluding his career with the Minnesota Vikings.

Archie's three sons also took a liking for football. His oldest, Cooper, played wide receiver and even committed to play at Mississippi before a medical diagnosis of spinal stenosis ended his career. The two biggest stars of the family were Cooper's brothers Peyton and Eli, who both played quarterback and won a pair of Super Bowl rings in historic tenures in the NFL.

Nov 12, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback recruit Arch Manning along with his father Cooper Manning on the sidelines before the game against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The next one down the line is Cooper's son Arch, now getting ready for his first season as starting quarterback at Texas. Head coach Steve Sarkisian sees Arch's grandfather in his game.

“I think there’s something that’s unique about Arch. You can watch him throw and you see when you get up on him in person, man, he’s a bigger guy than maybe people think,” Sarkisian told ESPN. “When you watch him throw, the arm talent and the deep ball is there. Then you watch him move and you’re like, wait, this guy’s a better athlete than I thought. Definitely got grandpa’s gene.

“It’s not the uncles, he got grandpa’s gene. There’s an infectious leadership that he has, that I don’t want to say is unintentional because he intentionally leads. You can feel that. But the unintentional leadership ability he has, players gravitate to him, they want to be around him.”

Arch is looking to establish his own legacy, despite the last name in the back of his jersey. A former No. 1 overall recruit out of the Isidore Newman School, Manning patiently waited behind former Longhorn Quinn Ewers for his chance to shine.

Last year, as Ewers suffered an injury, Manning took the starting role for a couple of games, getting valuable playing time in others. In 10 games played in 2024, he recorded four rushing and nine passing touchdowns.

“They like him for who he is, not for the name on the back of his jersey. And I think that’s something that he provides. He’s a fiery guy. He enjoys playing the game,” Sarkisian said. “Even in practice he’ll make a throw, and he’ll look over at me and wink at me almost like, ‘Did you like that?’ And so we have really good rapport, but I understand now because of my rapport with him, why the players have really good rapport with him. He just has a natural ability to engage with people.”