Cooper Manning knows the glare of the media spotlight. He\u2019s not only the oldest of former New Orleans Saints star quarterback Archie Manning\u2019s three sons, but also the big brother of Eli Manning, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowls and was named MVP in both games, and to Peyton Manning, a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer who won five NFL MVPs and two Super Bowls.<\/p>\n
Cooper and his wife, Ellen, did their best to deflect as much attention as possible when their oldest son, Arch, emerged in high school as a gifted young athlete. The family tried to keep things as normal as possible as he went through the college recruiting process. A lot of pressure and attention come with being The Next Manning.<\/p>\n
Still, when Arch Manning took over as Texas\u2019 starting quarterback and the Longhorns \u2014 ranked No. 1 in the preseason 2025 AP poll \u2014 visited defending national champion Ohio State last August, Cooper admits he didn\u2019t really know how his son would respond to all that was about to come at him.<\/p>\n
That didn\u2019t just mean the Buckeyes.<\/p>\n
The Longhorns lost 14-7 in that season opener, and a month later they were upset by a 1-3 Florida team. Against the Gators, Arch, playing behind an offensive line that returned only one starter from the previous season, was sacked six times in a 29-21 loss, as Texas fell to 3-2. It shouldn\u2019t have been shocking that Manning got off to a shaky start. Most college quarterbacks, whether they\u2019re former five-star recruits or two-star players, do. Then again, most quarterbacks aren\u2019t a Manning.<\/p>\n
The criticism reached a level perhaps no college quarterback had ever faced before. A column in<\/a> The Athletic referred to Manning\u2019s start as \u201ca flop.\u201d The Ringer examined<\/a> the \u201cArch Manning experience vs. the Arch Manning industrial complex.\u201d Other outlets analyzed his weak moments in games.<\/p>\n Cooper said that was one of the moments when, as a father, he felt that it was best to log off.<\/p>\n \u201cI think being a parent of someone who\u2019s being critiqued on every little move is definitely a challenging spot,\u201d he said recently. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people in this sports world that have opinions, and there\u2019s only a small portion of them that are qualified to have them or that I would respect listening to, so you gotta pick your spots carefully. And that goes both ways when they\u2019re saying nice things, you know that can flip on a day or a dime.\u201d<\/p>\n Being ranked No. 1 in the preseason only escalated the expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they were the 20th-ranked team, which they probably should\u2019ve been, and they got beat by seven at Ohio State, it wouldn\u2019t be the end of the world,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cBut all the fluff and the nonsense that comes with it, and it adds to the useless banter that goes on. I\u2019ve learned to limit what I read and listen to. It\u2019s actually quite liberating.\u201d<\/p>\n The elder Manning knew that with quarterbacks, especially, there is a rush to write off players too soon, and that critics often don\u2019t possess a deep understanding of the position or the time and reps it takes to excel at it. There are multiple examples of quarterbacks who blossomed after being labeled busts earlier in their careers: Bo Nix, for example, looked a lot more like a five-star later in his college career at Oregon than he did earlier at Auburn.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople would try to downgrade the whole thing in one little week or two, it\u2019s kinda silly,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cIt\u2019ll start all over again, and then he\u2019ll be hyped up again this offseason \u2014 it\u2019s coming, and he\u2019ll have some bad games next year, and here it comes again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe coverage of sports is over the top, and there are too many people doing it. It\u2019s no different than when they were saying he was the greatest thing since sliced bread early in the season before he\u2019d ever played.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas finished 10-3, ending up No. 12 in the AP poll after the Longhorns won seven of their last eight games, including wins over four ranked teams. Arch settled in, finishing his debut season as starting QB with 26 passing touchdowns against seven interceptions, plus 10 rushing touchdowns. Injuries to running backs CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner earlier in the season added to Texas\u2019 offensive issues. The Longhorns looked a lot better later in the season than they did at the beginning.<\/p>\n \u201cTexas had a lot of guys, just like Arch, making their first starts (in 2025),\u201d Cooper said. \u201cThey had a lot of youth, had a lot of turnover on the offensive line. Some guys started Week 1 and didn\u2019t play very much the rest of the year. The receivers were brand new. Had a lot of new faces across the board. It didn\u2019t really surprise me that it kinda went that way.\u201d<\/p>\n In Texas\u2019 last five games, Manning threw 11 touchdowns and one pick. His numbers against ranked opponents were better than against unranked opponents. He ran for 7.4 yards per carry against Top 25 teams and ran for twice as many yards versus ranked opponents, despite playing one fewer game against them.<\/p>\n The Red River Rivalry felt like a turning point, Cooper said. Facing No. 6 Oklahoma, Arch went 21 of 27 with zero turnovers, and the offense went 10 for 17 on third downs against one of the nation\u2019s best defenses in a 23-6 win.<\/p>\n Cooper said that he was pleasantly surprised with how his son handled the season.<\/p>\n \u201cYou kind of expect everything, and we got a little bit of everything,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think just the way Arch handled the tough times. He didn\u2019t like it, certainly, but he was kind of grittier and tougher. \u2026 When it wasn\u2019t going great early, he was still confident. He was almost kinda confused about why it wasn\u2019t working. like, \u2018What\u2019s going on here? I know I\u2019m better than that.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAs parents, you just try to say, \u2018Hey, keep working hard. Keep your head down. It\u2019s all gonna work out.\u2019 And that\u2019s really all you can say because you\u2019re not at practice, you\u2019re not calling the plays. You\u2019re not really in the weeds. You\u2019re just a parent trying to be supportive. I was proud of the way he handled adversity, and he ended up getting better every week, which I really thought was something fun to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Manning said his son grew and learned more over the past season than he had at any point in his life. Not just how to win some close games, but \u201cwhat he can do, and if he does what the coaches say, and he does what he\u2019s been taught \u2014 and not try to overdo things or not try to overthink it \u2014 good things are gonna happen.\u201d<\/p>\n One factor Arch dealt with last season that neither his grandfather nor his famous uncles experienced as players was constantly being photographed or filmed in public. Heading into last season, it was still something he was trying to figure out how to manage. Now, Cooper said, his son has just gotten used to it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were in an airport the other day in Dallas \u2014 a layover with his brother \u2014 and we had people lined up,\u201d Cooper said in an interview with The Athletic as part of a Capital One Venture X media tour. \u201cAll the waiters from the restaurant were coming over. We had everyone just coming to sit next to him and take a picture. Sit next to him and take a picture. Ellen was just taking pictures. It\u2019s just part of the deal now. For anybody who starts to get known in a hurry, it\u2019s an adjustment. He tries to put his hoodie on and just try to be a regular guy, but I think those days are over.\u201d<\/p>\n