Here’s what we learned about Arch Manning during his sit-down interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith

Manning has been Quinn Ewers’ backup the last two seasons since he arrived in Austin. He redshirted in 2023 and then played 2 1/2 games last September when Ewers was out with a strained abdominal injury.

“I think my first start against ULM, kind of forced some shots downfield and was a little bit greedy. But in the next week, against Mississippi State, settled in.”

Even though Manning flashed incredible potential — not to mention speed on a 67-yard touchdown run against UTSA — coach Steve Sarkisian made clear that Ewers was the starter. Manning’s time would come in 2025.

“The hardest part was you get a little taste of what it's like, and you love it, and then you go back to not playing,” Manning told Smith. “That was pretty tough.”

Smith then asked the question that Manning will get non-stop in the months ahead. How difficult is living up to the Manning family name?

“Yeah, I never really think about that,” Manning said. “I'm just here to play football. It's a game I love. Grew up playing. You're out there with your friends playing every Saturday. What could get better than that? I'm not here to take someone off the throne or I'm not worried about my legacy. I'm just worried about playing ball and winning games.”

Manning figures he’s more like his grandfather Archie than he is Peyton or Eli. Archie Manning was known as the most mobile quarterback of the football world’s most famous family.

Manning said he learned to be detail-oriented from his uncle Peyton. Eli is more direct.

“I reached out to him just about player-to-coach stuff and and how you always want to be coachable,” Manning said, “and sometimes it's good to get yelled at in front of everyone else to set the tone that you're not favorited or anything.”