Cooper Manning says media coverage of Arch has been ‘over the top’ originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Arch Manning enters his projected final season at Texas with a much clearer picture of who he is as a quarterback — and what the job actually demands.
The grandson of Archie Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli, Manning arrived in Austin carrying a level of expectation few college players have ever faced. That pressure intensified last fall when Arch Manning took over as the Longhorns’ starter and opened the season as the preseason No. 1 team in the country.
The transition was not easy. Texas lost its opener at Ohio State, then stumbled again a month later against Florida as Manning absorbed heavy criticism for early-season struggles.
Arch Manning played through adversity and came out stronger
Playing behind a retooled offensive line with new receivers and limited help from an injury-hit backfield, the sophomore quarterback looked like exactly what he was — inexperienced.
“People would try to downgrade the whole thing in one little week or two, it’s kinda silly,” Arch’s father Cooper Manning told The Athletic. “It’ll start all over again, and then he’ll be hyped up again this offseason — it’s coming, and he’ll have some bad games next year, and here it comes again.
“The coverage of sports is over the top, and there are too many people doing it. It’s no different than when they were saying he was the greatest thing since sliced bread early in the season before he’d ever played.”
However, what followed was steady growth. Manning settled into Steve Sarkisian’s offense, tightened his decision-making and became more comfortable using his legs as a weapon.
Texas finished 10-3 and ranked No. 12 in the final AP poll, winning seven of its final eight games. Manning closed the season with 26 touchdown passes, seven interceptions and 10 rushing scores, flashing efficiency and poise against ranked opponents.
When Arch Manning knew he “flipped a switch”
The turning point came in the Red River Rivalry, when Manning dissected Oklahoma with precision and patience, a performance that reinforced why Texas invested so heavily in his development.
Now, expectations have swung back in the opposite direction. Texas is again viewed as a national title contender, and Manning is already mentioned in early Heisman Trophy conversations. The hype hasn’t faded, but the quarterback has learned how to function within it.
“You kind of expect everything, and we got a little bit of everything,” Cooper said. “But I think just the way Arch handled the tough times. He didn’t like it, certainly, but he was kind of grittier and tougher. … When it wasn’t going great early, he was still confident. He was almost kinda confused about why it wasn’t working. like, ‘What’s going on here? I know I’m better than that.’
“As parents, you just try to say, ‘Hey, keep working hard. Keep your head down. It’s all gonna work out.’ And that’s really all you can say because you’re not at practice, you’re not calling the plays. You’re not really in the weeds. You’re 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.”
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After a season defined by scrutiny and adjustment, Manning heads into 2026 with something he didn’t fully have a year ago, which is perspective and the experience to match the hype.
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