INDIANAPOLIS — Not long ago, Arch Manning was a high school freshman starting out for his varsity team at Isidore Newman, New Orleans, where the scouts were already coming to see. And Arch, with a rocket arm and an eerie view of the field, was apparently golden.
Not long ago, his grandfather Archie Manning, father of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning, was at those games. And he made a comparison.
“He seems to be a little bit better than Peyton or Eli,” Archie told IndyStar in 2019.
The college football world and the NFL — which are sure to watch — will soon see just how well-bred the 6-4, 215-pound quarterback is from football royalty.
Arch, the university’s top-ranked quarterback, said Thursday that he has verbally committed himself to Texas. The announcement “ended one of the most watched and hotly contested hires in recent college football history.” Paul Meyerberg wrote in USA Today.
“Committed to the University of Texas,” Arch said in the first post on his Twitter account, where he doesn’t follow one person and 46,300 follow him.
The post received 184,000 likes and 34,800 retweets.
Arch’s uncles and his father, Cooper, starred in Isidore Newman; Cooper was a highly recruited wide receiver before a spinal cord injury ended his playing career.
The comparisons between Arch and his uncles and how he will measure up have been popular fodder in sports media throughout his high school career.
“He’s one of the most athletic kids we’ve had there,” said Nelson Stewart, Arch’s coach at Isidore Newman, told IndyStar in 2020“if not the most athletic.”
Comparing Arch to the guys who played for Stewart at Isidore for the past 15 years – that’s fair game on Stewart’s field.
What isn’t, Stewart said, is comparing Arch to those uncles of his, Peyton and Eli.
“He’s his own entity,” Stewart said. “We’re light-hearted in comparing Arch.”
But sometimes, in high school, Arch liked to compare himself. And he always said he loved his grandfather, Stewart said.
Archie said in 2019 that his grandson played with a solid mix of the skills of all Manning football legends.
But if he had to compare Arch to his uncles, “He was a little ahead of Peyton and Eli.”
Will Arch’s freshman season in Texas be the same?
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow† Reach her by email: [email protected]†
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts Peyton Manning’s Cousin Arch Manning Dedicates to Texas