AUSTIN, TX — With arguably the biggest game of the 2025 college football season looming between the No.1 Texas Longhorns traveling north to face the defending national champion No.3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, and the most famous surname in football, the Arch Manning era officially begins down in Austin.
Manning, the son of former five-star wide receiver, Cooper Manning, nephew of Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Peyton and Eli, and the grandson of former 1972 second overall pick, Archie, who played for the New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings, carries more than just the Manning name, but also its future as the face of the ever-growing Manning media empire and dynasty.
Highly touted out of Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, the 6’4, 219-pound Arch was recruited heavily by SEC powers such as Alabama, Georgia, his grandfather’s, father’s and uncle Eli’s alma mater, Ole Miss. Other schools that Arch visited were SMU, Clemson, LSU before finally committing to Texas.
During his freshman year in Austin, Manning would see limited playing time, thanks to backing up former Ohio State transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers.
For the season, Manning completed 61-90 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns and two interceptions in two games as starter, after Ewers suffering an abdominal injury.
Unlike his more pocket-passing uncles, Peyton and Eli, and more like his dual-threat grandfather, Arch appears to have inherited Archie’s mobility, as Arch rushed for 108 yards and four touchdowns on 25 attempts.
Both attributes may come in handy up at what is expected to be a record crowd of 104,000-plus on hand and the defending champion Buckeyes waiting for then, in possibly one of the biggest college football owning games ever.
Manning has the name, legacy and talent to make his own path, and he will need it against Ohio State, as they will have a very vocal crowd, energy and momentum from their 28-14 Cotton Bowl CFP Playoff semifinal win over the Longhorns down in Arlington, and possibly the best defensive player in college football in safety Caleb Downs, likely spying him all game.
But for Arch, this isn’t just about Texas vs. Ohio State: The Rematch, it’s about writing and beginning the next chapter of not just the Manning dynasty, but his own legacy as well in Columbus.