Archie Manning says grandson Arch was unfairly ‘crowned’ before he played

Arch Manning tore up the high school football scene and, coupled with his famous last name, had heightened expectations as he joined the Texas Longhorns’ program.

As college football analysts debate on what Manning could bring to the Longhorns in possibly his final year in college, his grandfather is lamenting some of the hype that’s been around the quarterback.

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“I was kind of disappointed in a lot of, just a lot of people,” Archie Manning told KXAN-TV of the expectations that his grandson had coming into college. “The whole thing. They kind of crowned Arch before he ever played. And I just didn’t think that was fair. Yeah, it was a little tough start, played a great team, and anyway.

“But I’ve never been more proud of anybody in my life with the way Arch battled through what he had to go through last year, and the way he played, you know, the last eight or nine games of the season.”

The buzz is going to grow again with a few months left before the start of the college football season. Arch Manning is going to be expected to bring the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff and set himself apart from the other potential NFL Draft quarterback prospects.

He had 3,163 passing yards and 26 touchdown passes in 2025.

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The Longhorns begin their 2026 journey against Texas State on Sept. 5. While it might be a cakewalk, their real test comes Sept. 12 against Ohio State at home.