Arch Manning drops cheeky message for Texas prodigy Ryan Wingo on his special day

Taking over behind center for Texas, Arch Manning is going to need to have a good rapport with the weapons surrounding him in the Longhorns' offense. It seems he's already made some pretty effective relationships with the guys he's going to be dishing the ball to.

Manning extended a happy birthday wish to Ryan Wingo, who will be a true sophomore heading into next season.

"Happy Bday twin @wingo.4," Arch Manning said in an Instagram story with the words laid over a picture of the two.

Arch Manning's birthday wish to Ryan Wingo

Wingo played in 16 games for Texas as a true fresman this past season. He totaled 29 receptoins for 472 yards and two touchdowns. His biggest day as a collegian to this piont was a three-reception, 127-yard day against UTSA on Sept. 14. He also had a touchdown catch in that one.

Wingo arrived in Austin as an All-American on the prep level and a two-time state honoree at St. Louis University, a high school in St. Louis, Mo.

College football analyst believes fans need to temper expectations in case of Arch Manning

Even with exciting play-makers such as Wingo lining up beside him, Arch Manning might not be able to live up to the hype. Not because he's not good enough, but because the expectations that come with descending from football royalty are sky-high.

"Let's start with the first though — he's the greatest of all time, he's gonna be this, he's gonna be that," On3's J.D. PicKell said during his podcast earlier this month. "Like, I don't know. Nobody knows. I think he was worth his five-star rating. I think he's got all the tools to be one of the better quarterbacks in college football this year."

PicKell also defended Manning in another way, expressing that the weight being placed on the young passer's shoulders isn't deserved.

"Arch isn't asking for all the coverage that he's getting," PicKell said. "Now, he agreed to do the sit-down interview (with ESPN's Marty Smith), but in general, when it's Day 45 of us comparing Arch Manning to some ridiculous NFL quarterback — 'Is Arch Manning the next Tom Brady?' — Dude, I don't know."

Manning was also recently tabbed as ESPN BET's favorite to win next year's Heisman Trophy despite only playing sparingly for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns this past season. He made two starts — both wins, against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State — as Quinn Ewers sat with an injury.

Manning has shown flashes, especially with his dual-threat ability, that will help open up Texas' offense more than it was under Ewers. If he keeps building relationships with the guys he's throwing the ball to, expect for them to show up quite nicely on the football field come next fall.