Can Arch Manning continue his family's legacy?

Jake Wimberly

Ross Gaskin Contributing:

The Manning family has been a staple of both college and professional football for over five decades, and now the third generation of Manning (Arch Manning) has entered the spotlight. Archie, Peyton, and Eli have all had spectacular success in college and the NFL, also Cooper Manning (Arch’s father) was a great football player before spinal stenosis ended his career early. 

The question now is can Arch continue that Manning tradition and find spectacular success in both the collegiate and professional levels?

Arch Manning has had some of the most hype any college football player has ever gotten. I feel Arch’s potential success can be predicted based on his high school success, how previous QBs have performed under Head Coach Steve Sarkisian, and how he has looked in the small sample size so far. 

While high school football success is not indicative of future success at higher levels, it can be for some. Most NFL players, specifically QBs, who have had successful careers usually won a lot at an early age in the high school level. Arch Manning had great career stats in high school where he passed for 8,539 yards, 115 TDs, and only 19 INTs while earning 5-star recruit status.

However, Arch Manning, and his team, did not win very much in the playoff and when it mattered most. The high school shortcomings does not mean Arch will not find success in college, and the high school stats and rankings show that he is extremely talented with all of the potential in the world. 

A huge factor towards Arch’s success going into this season will be Steve Sarkisian and the success other QBs have had with coach Sark. From 2011-2013, Keith Price under Coach Sarkisian threw for 8,757 yards and 73 TDs. In 2020, with Steve Sarkisian as OC, Mac Jones threw for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs. From 2022-2024, Quinn Ewers under Coach Sarkisian threw for 9,083 yards and 68 TDS. 

QBs under the Sarkisian offense put up BIG numbers and have a ton of success. Plain and Simple. Texas also has a fantastic roster to support Arch Manning this season, so win or lose, Arch will have eye popping stats. On top of Arch’s talent, he has been with Coach Sark for over two years now, so knowing the scheme and how the offense runs will not be a problem. 

Arch Manning has also looked very good in the limited time we have seen him on the field. Arch redshirted his true freshman year, so we of course did not see him on the field. However, we did see him in 10 games this past season where he even started two games due to Quinn Ewers getting injured. 

In the 2024 season, Arch Manning threw for 939 yards and 9 TDs while also rushing for 108 yards and 4 more TDs. The most impressive part of Arch’s passing game is that he is extremely accurate as he completed 68% of his passes. The most worrisome part of Arch’s game is that he threw 2 INTs in his start against ULM, a much lesser opponent. Despite that, Arch Manning looked great in his limited time on the field.

I think Arch Manning is a great player, but people have to slow down on the hype and high expectations. I believe that he will have a great first season as the starter, but I do not think it will be as huge as people expect it to be. I don’t see him winning the Heisman, I don’t see him being absolutely dominant, and I don’t see him being a top draft pick.

I do see him leading Texas to a great season, I do see him having very solid stats, and I see him staying for another year or two, getting better year after year. Arch Manning is still very young, so let's not build up these high expectations to where it casts a huge shadow when he inevitably makes mistakes. We should just sit back and watch a young, talented QB finally get his shot.

Editors Note: All photos courtesy of 247sports.com