There may be no more famous college football player than Arch Manning, despite the fact that he's yet to be an every-week starter at Texas. The reason is obvious, as Manning is the youngest quarterback from football's first family, with grandfather Archie and uncles Peyton and Eli all making their mark at both the college and NFL levels.
Arch's game is a far cry from that of either of his famous uncles, however. While he shares their strong stature, he brings an element with his legs that neither featured—one far more reminiscent of his grandfather. Manning ran for 108 yards and four touchdowns a year ago, while throwing for 939 with nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
His mobility may take some by surprise, but in an interview with The Athletic, his father Cooper Manning—older brother of Peyton and Eli and a former standout high school wide receiver—peeled back the curtain a bit on his son's upbringing as a football player. While it is easy to assume that Peyton and Eli were around constantly and helped develop Arch into the QB he is, both were busy with their NFL careers and off-field interests during Arch's childhood.
“As much as they are great influences, they weren’t around a ton,” Cooper told Bruce Feldman. “I don’t think Eli ever saw Arch play a high school or college football game. He is coming in this year. Peyton would come in for a game or two occasionally. Arch would see them at the Manning Passing Academy and may see ’em at Mardi Gras, but that’s like five nights in a year, so it’s hard to say whether he’s ‘like them or like someone else.'
“I do think you can pick up little pieces of people that you like. Arch is probably just as likely to pick up a habit of Patrick Mahomes as he is of Eli with things that you just like about people and the way they handle themselves. And fortunately, anybody who watches anything can get more exposure to players they like and want to mimic.”
While he assuredly saw plenty of New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos games over the year, it was former wide receiver Cooper, scrambler Archie and his mother Ellen, a former track star, that played a bigger part in his athletic development.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Arch Manning's Biggest Quarterback Influences Aren't Uncles Peyton, Eli.
