"Don't think that's fair on anybody" - When Arch Manning's father Cooper got real about the pressure on the Texas star

Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been a constant discourse machine since he committed to the Longhorns as a part of the class of 2023 due to the family he hails from and his five-star ranking. Manning has had to settle as the backup to Quinn Ewers over the past two years, but his time as QB1 seems closer after Ewers declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.

During a 2022 segment of the "Dan Patrick Show," the quarterback's father, Cooper Manning once revealed the role he took in helping his son choose the right program and deal with the pressure that came with being hailed as the next big thing (0:30).

"I really kind of took the role of being a concierge like, 'Let's go take a look at these schools,' and he said, 'I don't wanna go, I wanna stay here with my buddies.'

"And I said, 'I know, that sounds great but we gotta go see them or else you won't be able to figure out what you like or don't like.' He was a bit more mature in what he liked and didn't like," Cooper Manning said.

"I don't think that's fair to anybody," Cooper Manning said. "I think anytime you start performing well, here comes the naysayers, here comes the pressure.

"It's just part of the deal, I think as long as we try to keep it pretty light, 'Hey, this is high school football you're playing. Enjoy it, enjoy your friends. No need to add extra pressure to it.' And I think that's why he said, 'Look, let's just hold off from a lot of the media stuff and all these scholarship offers.'"

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Arch Manning favored to win the Heisman Trophy

For a brief period after Quinn Ewers got injured for a few weeks during the 2024 college football season, Arch Manning performed admirably in his absence, and his Heisman chances surged. Although it didn't last, Manning is now the second favorite for the 2025 Heisman Trophy (+900) according to FanDuel.

During Saturday's segment of the On3 podcast, analyst Ari Wasserman hyped the popular Manning as the perfect Heisman candidate (1:00).

"The thing is that Arch Manning has brand equity which I think is really important when it comes to the Heisman race," Wasserman said. "I think that Travis Hunter had brand equity too in terms of what he stood for and what he did, who he played for and what they accomplished on the field. I think if you're a quarterback, you have to hit certain litmus marks.

"To me, Arch Manning is the perfect Heisman candidate because he's the Texas quarterback, they're probably gonna make the playoff next year and he has a name that everyone recognizes. People are gonna be locked in on him and he has a chance to put up big stats both as a runner and a passer. He's the perfect Heisman candidate in January."

Ahead of spring training, Arch Manning only trails LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (+800) in the 2025 Heisman Trophy rankings.