The eyes of the college football world are locked on Columbus this Saturday as Arch Manning, the 21-year-old quarterback with a last name synonymous with gridiron greatness, steps onto the field to lead No. 1 Texas against defending national champion and No. 3-ranked Ohio State. The stakes? Nothing less than historic. Not only is this the highest-ranked Week 1 matchup in college football history, but it also marks the first time Texas has ever entered a season as the preseason No. 1, raising the pressure and the promise for Manning’s debut as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback.
Manning’s name has been a buzzword in football circles since his high school days in Louisiana, where he dominated competition and built a social media following that made him a Gen Z sports icon. But for all the hype, Manning’s path to this moment has been surprisingly traditional. Despite the modern era’s wild transfer portal, lucrative name-image-and-likeness (NIL) deals, and the constant churn of college rosters, Manning spent two patient years at Texas as a backup behind Quinn Ewers, waiting for his shot rather than chasing instant stardom elsewhere.
Now, with just two career starts and 95 passes thrown, Manning finds himself not only at the helm of college football’s top-ranked team but also at the center of a media storm that would test even the most seasoned pro. As ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum put it, Manning is "the greatest thing since Tim Tebow." That’s a lot to live up to, but with the Manning lineage—grandson of Archie, nephew of Peyton and Eli, son of Cooper—it almost feels like destiny.
“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Manning told reporters earlier this week. “I spent two years not playing (as a backup behind Quinn Ewers), so I might as well go have some fun.” It’s a refreshingly grounded approach for a player whose autographed likeness recently sold for six figures at a charity auction—more than NBA superstar Luka Doncic’s did. Fame, for Manning, is a family business, but it’s also a burden. His father Cooper recently described the "craziness" of the hype to The Dallas Morning News, and the family has tried, with limited success, to temper expectations.
Those expectations are sky-high. Manning is widely considered a preseason Heisman Trophy front-runner, an honor that would seem premature for almost anyone else with so little starting experience. But as his coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters, “We are not asking any superhuman efforts of you to do anything that is extraordinary.” Of course, as Sarkisian knows, the world expects nothing less than extraordinary from a Manning at Texas.
And why not? The Texas roster is loaded, even after losing 12 players to the NFL Draft. The offensive line is among the best in college football, and the Longhorns’ wide receiver corps is deep and talented. Manning also benefits from the program’s robust NIL resources, although, as a member of a generationally wealthy family with legitimate endorsement deals from Uber, Red Bull, and Raising Cane’s, he’s not exactly desperate for a payday. In fact, Manning was the only famous player to initially decline participation in the 2024 return of EA Sports’ college football video game, only to later secure a more lucrative deal to appear in it.
Unlike his grandfather Archie, who became a Southern icon at Ole Miss during a period of rebuilding, or his uncles Peyton and Eli, who both entered college without the weight of a No. 1 ranking, Arch faces the unique challenge of leading a team expected to win it all—now. “If this quarterback possessed any other surname, we’d all find it more than a tad ridiculous that the preseason Heisman Trophy front-runner has thrown all of 95 passes in his career,” noted USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer. But those seven letters on the back of his burnt orange jersey—Manning—change everything.
The family’s football legacy is unparalleled. Archie, Peyton, and Eli each won SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and navigated intense scrutiny during their college careers. Yet none started their first season with the kind of national championship-or-bust expectations Arch now faces. Peyton, for example, took over a Tennessee team that was 1-3 at the start of his first season as a starter, and Eli’s Ole Miss teams were unranked in the preseason. Arch, by contrast, inherits a program sitting on the precipice of greatness, with the nation watching to see if he can deliver Texas its first national title since 2005.
The Longhorns’ quarterback tradition is storied but not always star-studded. Names like Vince Young, Major Applewhite, and Colt McCoy loom large in Austin, but few Texas QBs have achieved NFL stardom. If Manning lives up to his pedigree, he could join or even surpass the legendary Bobby Layne, who led the Detroit Lions to three league titles and retired as the game’s leading passer.
Saturday’s showdown at Ohio State’s famed Horseshoe is a baptism by fire. The Buckeyes, defending national champions, are loaded with NFL-ready talent, and the atmosphere will be electric. For Manning, it’s a chance to prove that his skill set—described by some as reminiscent of his grandfather Archie, with the added ability to run—can translate against the highest level of college competition. As The Dallas Morning News observed, "He was fairly sensational against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State last year. Ohio State is more than a couple steps up in class."
While some wonder if Texas’ fortunes might have been different in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinals had Manning seen the field, there’s no turning back now. The wraps are off, and the world is eager to see what Arch can do. Short of a blowout, a loss to the defending champs on the road in Week 1 isn’t a season-ender, but a win—especially with Manning at the center—would crank the hype machine into overdrive.
Of course, with all the attention comes pressure. Manning can always turn to his famous relatives for advice, but even they never faced a situation quite like this. Still, as history suggests, betting against a Manning is risky business. “If were a betting man, I’d say the Mannings are about to go 4 for 4 on quarterbacks,” quipped The Dallas Morning News. If not, at least the family can stop worrying about fans stealing Arch’s picture at local Austin haunts.
As kickoff approaches, the anticipation is palpable. Will Arch Manning meet the impossible expectations, or will the weight of history prove too much? One thing’s for sure: the world will be watching, and the next chapter of the Manning football saga is about to unfold in spectacular fashion.
