Arch Manning

Archibald Charles Manning was born in New Orleans and grew up in a football family. His father is Cooper Manning, his grandfather is former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning, and his uncles are former NFL quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. His younger brother, Heid, also played football at Isidore Newman School, while his sister is named May.

The family maintained a strong emphasis on humor, humility, and personal balance. Arch was generally kept away from media attention during his early recruiting years, including through a private Instagram account. His high school coach Nelson Stewart described him as attentive to younger players, while head coach Steve Sarkisian once reached him on FaceTime while Arch was babysitting at an arcade.

Manning played quarterback at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and became the first freshman quarterback to start the school's season opener in at least 40 years. He finished his freshman season with 2,509 passing yards and 34 touchdowns and was named MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year. He was also selected to the MaxPreps Freshman All-American first team.

He continued to produce at a high level as a sophomore and junior. In 2021, he threw for 1,841 yards, 26 touchdowns, and four interceptions while adding six rushing touchdowns. During his senior season in 2022, he threw for 356 yards and seven touchdowns against Pearl River, breaking Newman career passing records previously held by Eli Manning and Peyton Manning.

Manning completed his high school career with school records for total yards, total touchdowns, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. He was selected for the 2022 U.S. Army Bowl and named the Bobby Dodd National Back of the Year. Recruiting services ranked him among the top prospects in the 2023 class, with 247Sports, On3, and Rivals rating him No. 1 nationally.

Manning visited several major programs during his college search, including SMU, Clemson, LSU, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, and Ole Miss. His family tried to limit the publicity surrounding the process and declined premature scholarship offers while he was still in high school.

He committed to the University of Texas on June 23, 2022, and signed a letter of intent that December. Cooper Manning said Arch wanted to choose a school where he would be happy even if football did not work out, and Arch selected Texas despite the program coming off a 5-7 season. He later spent two years as a backup rather than entering the transfer portal, remaining with the Longhorns while Quinn Ewers held the starting role.

Manning joined Texas in 2023 and was initially the third-string quarterback behind Quinn Ewers and Maalik Murphy. He made his collegiate debut against Texas Tech, completing two of five passes for 30 yards, and later took the final snaps of the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma State. He was redshirted after the season.

In 2024, Manning appeared in 10 games and made two starts. He entered against UTSA after Ewers was injured and produced five total touchdowns, including a 67-yard rushing touchdown and touchdown passes of 75 and 12 yards. He later made his first start against Louisiana-Monroe and earned his second start against Mississippi State, completing 26 of 31 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown. He was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week and received weekly recognition from the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and the Davey O'Brien Award.

Manning became Texas's starting quarterback for the 2025 season. He threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns against Mississippi State and 328 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors after the latter performance. Against Arkansas, he became the first Texas player in recorded program history to register a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game, finishing with six total touchdowns and 389 passing yards.

His time at Texas has also included a notable relationship with Ewers, who remained a friend and teammate despite Manning waiting behind him for two seasons. The two attended mutual friend Hayden Conner's wedding, and Manning hosted Ewers and other teammates at his family's home before the 2024 Sugar Bowl. Manning was named Citrus Bowl MVP after Texas's 2025 game against Michigan.