Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning doesn’t always enjoy the spotlight that comes with his famous family name.
In a Thursday interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith, Manning was asked what aspect of his last name people may not understand.
“I think a lot of undeserved attention, but hopefully, it gets more deserving in the next few months,” Manning said. “I don’t think I’ve done enough yet to be taking a lot of pictures at restaurants and signing autographs. But maybe that’ll come eventually.”
Manning’s last name also comes with massive expectations. His uncles, Peyton and Eli, are multi-time Super Bowl champions and combined for 18 Pro Bowl appearances in their careers. His grandfather, Archie, finished third in 1970 Heisman voting and was drafted No. 2 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 1971.
Arch Manning has played sparingly in his first two seasons with Texas but has shown he may follow in his family members’ footsteps.
This past season, Arch Manning started for two games after former Longhorns starting QB Quinn Ewers suffered an oblique injury against UTSA. He went 2-0, completing 68.3% of his passes for 583 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Now that Ewers has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, Arch Manning will assume the starting role. The Longhorns hope he can help them get over the hump. They’ve been eliminated in back-to-back College Football Playoff semifinal appearances.
As of Thursday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives the Longhorns the second-best national championship odds (+650) behind the Ohio State Buckeyes (+500). Texas faces Ohio State on the road in its season opener on Aug. 30.
If Arch Manning lives up to the hype, he’d better get used to the attention. He’ll receive even more of it.