Arch Manning will follow Archie, Peyton, Eli’s legacies in first start

Peyton and Eli Manning’s nephew, Arch Manning, will start for the top-ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday when they take on the UL Monroe Warhawks.

Manning will step in as quarterback for Quinn Ewers, who is recovering from an oblique injury he suffered during the second quarter of Texas’ 56-7 win over the UTSA Roadrunners.

When Manning entered the game to replace the injured Ewers in Week 3, he was ready for the moment. The 19-year-old accounted for 223 passing yards, 53 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said the true freshman always prepares as if he’s a starter.

Arch comes from a family of football royalty. His grandfather, Archie, had his No. 18 jersey retired by Ole Miss and his uncles Peyton (Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos) and Eli (New York Giants) have won Super Bowls.

Here is how other members of the Manning family performed in their first college start.

Archie, Ole Miss

116 yards, 3 TD, 21-7 win over Memphis

Arch’s first college start holds extra significance because it will take place exactly 56 years after his grandfather’s, according to ESPN Research. In Archie’s first start, he completed 8 of 14 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown that led Ole Miss to a 21-7 win over the Memphis Tigers.

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Peyton, Tennessee

79 yards, 10-9 win over Washington State

Peyton began his college career as the third-string quarterback, where he waited for his chance to be the starter. Like Arch, Peyton’s first start came as a result of injuries to Jerry Colquitt and Todd Helton. In his first start against the Washington State Cougars as a true freshman, Peyton performed proficiently, making no costly mistakes. He led Tennessee to a 10-9 victory, completing 7 of 14 passes for 79 yards.

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Eli, Ole Miss

271 yards, 5 TDs, 49-14 win over Murray State

Though expectations were high for Eli to follow in his father’s footsteps at Ole Miss, he began his college career as the backup to Romaro Miller. Eli received playing time in five games his freshman season, throwing for 170 total yards.

Eli’s first start didn’t come until the season opener of his sophomore season. He completed 20 of 23 passes for 271 yards with five touchdowns against the Murray State Racers. His performance set a school record for the most consecutive completions, connecting on 18 straight passes between the first and third quarters. Matt Corral broke the record in 2020.