Manning has had to deal with a lot of pressure already in his young career, but it's only going to get worse.
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning will enter the new college season with the chance to firmly establish himself among the elite in this year's draft class.
Having had a good season in 2025, in which Manning started slowly, he picked up the production late to lead the Longhorns to a Citrus Bowl win over Michigan.
Now, he's looking at having another good season before entering the NFL, but that in itself brings its own set of pressures.
Simply because of his last name, we all expect him to be elite, just like Peyton and, to a lesser extent, Eli, and Arch will have to carry that burden not just for his college career but once he sets foot in the NFL as well.
That can be a tough thing to navigate, along with all the other trials and tribulations that come with being a professional player.
But nothing Arch has done suggests he won't be able to handle it.
And for former college coach Urban Meyer, who was on The Triple Option podcast, he's delivered a hard truth to Arch about pressure.
““I think the common denominator of every great quarterback is a great group of players around him," Meyer said. "I remember talking to Sark about this, everybody’s all over Arch Manning and I get it, you’re a quarterback and you had that last name, get used to it, pal. That’s going to be the rest of your life.
"However, when players aren’t open, that’s not the quarterback’s fault. And the receivers against Ohio State really struggled. They’re very talented. They didn’t play great in that game. Every quarterback that has a great year, he is surrounded by dudes."
So, Arch will have to deal with all the pressure that comes from being a Manning, plus being a top quarterback prospect, which is a lot to deal with.
However, as Meyer stated, Arch had better get used to it, because having that last name, the pressure won't stop until he stops playing football, and that's a big burden.
Yes, Arch gets all the plaudits when things go well, and gets all the blame when they don't. That's just life.
And for Manning, if he was hoping to see the pressure eased a little in 2026 and maybe in the NFL, Meyer just delivered a truth bomb that, if anything, it will only increase as the years go on.
