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Arch Manning is set to take over at the helm of Texas football in 2025, but he didn’t have to head to Austin. He could’ve taken his talents elsewhere, like his family of famous quarterbacks did.
Archie and Eli Manning starred at Ole Miss, and Arch’s father, Cooper, went to Ole Miss, too. Peyton Manning became a legend at Tennessee.
But Arch Manning wanted a different shade of orange than the one uncle Peyton chose. He wanted burnt orange, and what he really wanted to do is get Texas Longhorns football back to the proud stature it enjoyed for decades. He wanted to forge his own Manning legacy and at his own college destination, and he explained that this week in an interview with ESPN.
“I love my coaches, I love my teammates, I’m ready to get it rolling,” said Arch about the upcoming season after sitting behind Quinn Ewers the past 2 years.
Austin was Arch’s perfect choice because he feels like he could be a difference-maker.
“I like Coach Sark a lot,” said Manning about Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. “Most importantly, I wanted to go to a place where they haven’t been as good the past few years. Kind of on the rise. I wanted to bring Texas back.”
In 2025, he’ll finally get that chance.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
