Despite having only 90 pass attempts during the 2024 season, Texas Longhorns redshirt sophomore quarterback Arch Manning has emerged as the current favorite to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
There are a couple of reasons behind this buzz: first, his last name, which carries significant weight in the football world; and second, his ultra-impressive performance in limited action behind Quinn Ewers last season.
However, the journey hasn’t been all smooth for Manning since arriving in Austin.
In his redshirt year in 2023, he threw just five passes. Last season, despite a growing call for him to replace Ewers as the starting quarterback, Manning spent most of the year on the bench while the Longhorns advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinal for the second consecutive year.
Now, with Manning finally set to take over as the starting quarterback, challenges are expected.
His father, Cooper Manning, is well aware that the road ahead won’t be easy, and it seems he’s prepared to embrace the bumps along the way.
“You don’t want your kiddos to come home and be unhappy, but at the same time, sometimes going through some bumps in the road are good,” Cooper Manning said on The Dan Patrick Show.
“Arch is going to have plenty more of those. These are the real ones, when you get beat this year and have bad games. I mean you know how they do it in the media, they crown you way too early and then they jump on and kill you.
“So he’s getting way too much attention and way too much credit and he’s going to struggle. They’re going to say he’s not as good, he’s overrated, it’s coming, everybody know it.”
Cooper’s words hold weight, especially considering his own experience as the older brother of Peyton and Eli Manning, two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks who have had their share of struggles, despite their illustrious careers.
For Arch, the best-case scenario is a career comparable to his uncles, but even then, he’ll face inevitable highs and lows along the way.
In fact, those lows might come sooner rather than later, as he steps into the spotlight as Texas’ new starting quarterback.
Let’s face it: the Arch Manning hype is at an extreme high. Perhaps rightfully so.
After all, not only is he mature well beyond his years, but he’s looked damn good each and every time he’s stepped foot on the field.
However, will the inevitable “bumps in the road” that Cooper’s referring to prevent the Longhorns from winning the national title next season???
