Arch Manning was famous before he even stepped foot on campus at Austin. He’s the grandson of college football legend Archie Manning and the nephew of NFL legends Eli Manning and Peyton Manning.
His “celebrity status” was baked into the cake, but it was amplified even more by the fact that he was the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class.
Yet Arch Manning came to Texas as a backup to a quarterback who was also the top signal-caller in the nation, Quinn Ewers. Yet, he was the backup to Ewers for two seasons at Texas.
It must have been a long two years for Manning as he awaited his turn to take the lead at Texas, but recently speaking to the media, he suggested that it could have been a long stretch for Ewers as well.
Having a Manning as your backup quarterback isn’t exactly ideal, after all. Ewers never let it interfere in their relationship, though.
“He’s just been so good to me over the years, it’s probably pretty annoying having me as a backup, just with all the media stuff. But he handled it like a champ,” Manning said, according to On3.
Ewers is now headed to try his luck in the NFL, and Manning will be the de facto leader of Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns. He also has a shot to be a Heisman Trophy contender and even win the College Football Playoff.
In the meantime, though, it’s worth noting that Manning displayed incredible patience in two seasons at Texas. He did get some playing time last season when Ewers was injured, and he was especially useful as a runner last season. However, he could have easily transferred somewhere else and not been Ewers’ backup.
So why didn’t he?
“It was tough. I mean, it’s tough in this age,” Manning said (h/t On3). “But, I hope it pays off. Like I said, there’s nowhere else I want to be. I want to be at Texas. I got friends here. I love this place. I wanted to be the quarterback at the University of Texas. Sometimes it’s worth the wait.”
