Archie Manning had a bit of an odd complaint about how his grandson Arch was treated ahead of his first season as Texas’ starter in 2025.
The elder manning said it was unfair that Arch Manning was given such high expectations before he ever started a game for the Longhorns. He added that he was “proud” of how his grandson handled it all, but he was “disappointed” in those expectations to begin with.
“I was kind of disappointed. A lot of people kind of crowned Arch before he ever played. I didn’t think that was fair,” Archie said of the Texas quarterback.
"They crowned Arch before he ever played," Archie Manning on the unfair expectations around his grandson last year.
— Noah Gross (@noah_gross27) June 26, 2026
High praise for the way Arch battled through the 2025 season.
"I've never been more proud of anybody in my life." pic.twitter.com/WgFR1jhaTb
On one hand, expectations for Manning were very high. He was being named as a potential Heisman winner and No. 1 NFL Draft pick before the season even started. That is a lot to ask of a quarterback who had not even been a college starter up to that point. Archie even said at the time that such expectations were “crazy.”
On the other hand, expectations are always going to be higher for someone carrying the Manning family name. That may not be fair, but it was always going to be something that he would have to cope with.
Manning threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns last season and seemed to settle into the role as the season went on. While expectations are not quite as high ahead of 2026, he is still being touted as a Heisman favorite, so the pressure is still on.
