Although Texas quarterback Arch Manning has started only two games in his two-year college career, he enters the 2025 season as a highly recognized figure in college football. With that attention comes discussion of Heisman Trophy contention and NFL Draft potential.
Legendary former Texas head coach Mack Brown addressed concerns regarding the pressures Manning faces on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” Brown stated, “Yes, (but) you have less worries, because Archie Manning’s the granddad and Eli (Manning) and Peyton (Manning) are uncles, and Cooper (Manning)’s been through this whole ride with all of them, the dad, and this family handles it. They got class, they got charisma, they got confidence. They have done all of these things they need to do, and I’ve been around Arch enough.” He continued by saying, “He’s just — he’s smart, he’s self-deprecating, he’ll laugh, he’ll talk about people that have said critical things of him, and say, ‘Yeah, I understand that. Just I haven’t played a lot yet.’ So, I’m really excited to watch him play.” Both quotations are attributed to Mack Brown.
Brown’s perspective is based on his experience coaching high-profile quarterbacks such as College Football Hall of Famer Vince Young and two-time Walter Camp Award winner Colt McCoy. Both athletes had their numbers retired by Texas after leading the team to a 69-9 record and capturing a national championship between 2004 and 2009.
Arch Manning has publicly acknowledged the expectations placed on him. As quoted via On3 | Rivals’ Inside Texas on X: “I’m definitely honored that people think that (I’m a Heisman favorite),” (…) “But I haven’t done anything yet. It’s about winning games at this point.” This statement is attributed to Arch Manning.
In his college career so far, Manning has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 969 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions across 12 games. After spending two seasons behind Quinn Ewers at quarterback for Texas, Manning now steps into a prominent role as the Longhorns prepare for a season-opening game against No. 3 Ohio State on Aug. 30 at noon on FOX.
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