New Texas Longhorns starting quarterback Arch Manning has been open about the potential downside of having his last name.
He is the grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning. He’s part of football royalty, especially because he’s a quarterback.
The former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, Manning recently admitted that the quarterback he was backing up at Texas for the past two seasons, Quinn Ewers, could very well have found his celebrity status annoying.
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Ewers was a great teammate, but Manning understands that his last name comes with challenges for those around him.
It comes with challenges for him, too.
He was already famous before he became the starting quarterback at Texas. Now, anywhere he goes, he’s recognizable.
“That’s been tough,” Manning admitted in a recent media availability (h/t On3). “I think I have good people to lean on for that type of stuff. But like I said, I can’t quit doing normal things. I’m gonna go eat dinner with my buddies and be a normal college kid.”
Being a “normal college kid” and one of the top quarterbacks in the country could be daunting. That’s not even mentioning the pressure he’ll be under at Texas. There’s the pressure of living up to his last name, but Texas is undoubtedly considered one of the favorites to win the College Football
Playoff next season.
Manning has a lot he needs to accomplish in order to be considered a success for the Longhorns.
College can be hard enough for the average student, but perhaps Manning has the same trait as the rest of the high-profile quarterbacks in his family.
Average is not part of the equation
