Arch Manning’s Heisman odds have already moved. After the Ohio State comeback, he was in the mix, but after the uneven UTSA game, he sits around +1200, behind Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss and Miami’s Darian Mensah. The talk around the Texas quarterback is no longer just about those numbers. It now includes the weight of his last name.
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“I want him to be him. I want him to be Arch Manning. I don’t want him to be Archie (Manning). I don’t want him to be Peyton (Manning). I don’t want him to be Eli (Manning). I don’t want him to be Vince Young or Colt McCoy,” Steve Sarkisian said on September 21, during Texas’ weekly media availability. “I want him to be Arch Manning, and Arch Manning is plenty good enough for us to put us in a position to win.”
Texas is 3-0 and ranked No. 1, yet the conversation around Manning has grown noisy. The Longhorns beat UTSA 30-6 on Saturday. Sarkisian still said Manning “fell in love with his legs” and called it “a long week” because of distractions.
Those distractions started after the Ohio State win. Sarkisian had an abrupt postgame exchange with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe. An AI-generated video of the moment spread, and Manning later laughed about it in a press conference. Both sides issued apologies, and Sarkisian pulled the focus back to Manning the player.
Archibald Charles Manning played at Isidore Newman, the same high school as Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. He is the grandson of Archie Manning. Every throw gets measured against that family. Texas fans and media also stack current quarterbacks against Vince Young and Colt McCoy. Analysts have made similar points for years.
“I know everybody wants to compare him to his uncles, but he’s probably more like his grandfather. He’s much bigger and stronger… That dude is put together. He’s not just tall and slippery; he’s quick. He is a powerful dude who can spin it,” Kirk Herbstreit said on the Pardon My Take podcast in December 2024.
Sarkisian is only asking fans to not ignore the achievements of his quarterback. Manning set Isidore Newman records with 8,539 career passing yards plus school marks in total yards and touchdowns. In 2025, he became the first Texas player and first SEC quarterback since Dak Prescott in 2014 with a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game against Arkansas.
He had a 67-yard rushing touchdown against UTSA in 2024, the longest by a Texas freshman quarterback. Arch Manning was the 2025 Citrus Bowl MVP with 221 passing yards, 155 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns against Michigan. He is 10-0 as a starter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the only Texas starting quarterback to beat three AP Top-10 teams at home.
Arch himself has made his stance clear on these comparison talks. “The comparisons, you have to take that with a grain of salt. Everyone is their own person. You try to take bits and pieces of their game, but you have to be you,” Manning said, speaking to reporters this week before the Tennessee game.
The next game is on September 26, at No. 15 Tennessee in Neyland Stadium. It is Manning’s first game there. Peyton Manning is expected to attend and will pull for his nephew.