Ole Miss or Texas? Eli Manning Makes His Choice Crystal Clear

Eli Manning is an Ole Miss alum, but having his nephew Arch on the Longhorns made him think again about his loyalties.

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It’s a college football sin to root against your alma mater in just about any situation, but Eli Manning may have found the one exception to that rule.

Manning is ride-or-die Ole Miss all the way, but the former Rebels quarterback admits even he won’t bring himself to cheer for his school when his nephew, Arch, is on the other side of the field later this season.

Eli Can’t Root Against Arch

“You know what, this is the way I look at it. Ole Miss is going to play Texas in a few weeks. You root for your family,” Manning said on Pardon My Take.

Eli Manning will root for Arch even if they’re playing Ole Miss pic.twitter.com/RJsrkWd4sG

— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) October 7, 2026

He added: “I have basically maybe two years to root for my nephew in college. So for those two years, or maybe it’s the last year whatever happens, I’m going to root for my nephew to win every single game that he plays in. That’s just the way it is.”

Arch Manning already inspired one of his other uncles, Peyton, to cheer for him and Texas when they faced off against Tennessee, and the same will be true for Eli when his nephew lines up against Ole Miss later this season.

Arch Has Texas No. 1 in the Polls

Into Manning’s second season as the starting quarterback, the Longhorns own arguably college football’s two most consequential wins, taking down then-No. 1 Ohio State and at No. 14 Tennessee to secure the top position in the national rankings in October.

And in a couple weeks, Texas will face another critical test in SEC play when they host Ole Miss, currently the No. 9 team in the country, on Oct. 24.

Eli Will Switch to the Rebels Soon After

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“After that, with Texas, I won’t care about them that much. Ole Miss will be 100 percent. And I root for Ole Miss to win every other game probably besides a little bit that one [Texas],” Manning said of his rooting interest.

“This is a kid I’ve known since he was born. I’ve played football with him, I’ve done drills with him, I’ve taught him the game of football. 

“He’s my brother’s son. He’s family, and you root for family in these scenarios. It’s bigger than college. It’s bigger than where you went. It’s your blood and so I’m going to support him 100 percent on his football journey for the rest of his life.”