Peyton Manning Reflects on Arch Manning's Reason for Choosing Texas Longhorns

Arch Manning was the nation's most sought-after recruit in the class of 2023, ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the class, and had a perfect score from 247Sports with a 100 rating.

His landing spot was one of the major talking points leading up to his commitment, with many wondering if he would choose his father's, Cooper Manning, alma mater, Ole Miss. Some believed he might even choose the Tennessee Volunteers, where Peyton showed he was one of the sport's best signal callers.

Arch ultimately chose the Forty Acres, but after sitting for a year behind Quinn Ewers, there were talks of people wondering if he would transfer out. He ultimately decided to stay, patiently waiting to lead Steve Sarkisian's offense.

"Most kids that are highly recruited, if they don't play in their first or second year, they usually transfer out," Peyton Manning said. "It's why I went to Tennessee, I wanted to go to school there. It's why Arch went to Texas, because he wanted to go to Texas, and play for Steve Sarkisian."

In an age when the transfer portal is an easy out for players looking to find immediate playing time, Arch opted to learn behind Quinn Ewers for two seasons and grow his abilities even sharper to be prepared for his moment.

"I'm real proud of him for staying and i'm looking forward to watching him," Manning said.

Learning To Enjoy Watching The Game

Peyton Manning is not only a Hall of Famer but also hosts the weekly Manning show, which can be viewed alongside Monday Night Football. He is still trying to learn how to distinguish between breaking down mistakes and just enjoying watching Arch Manning.

Peyton tried to learn from his time trying to coach Eli that it's just better to wait for them to need you, rather than giving your advice straight away.

"I try to take that same approach with Arch, he's my nephew, and he does call and reach out, but sometimes I think he regrets it," Peyton Manning said.

Arch will try to learn all he can from his family members who have done this before in hopes of leading the Longhorns to their first national championship in 20 years.

The Longhorns will kick off their 2025 season in Columbus, Ohio, against defending national champion Ohio State on Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. CT.