At his family’s passing camp, Arch Manning opens up about his most viral moments

Back in the New Orleans area this week, Manning reflected on a number of topics.

There aren’t many high-profile events in the football world in late June, but the annual Manning Passing Academy, which is closing in on its 30th year of existence, is one of the biggest.

And the biggest draw during the event this year is Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, able to fully take center stage entering his first season as the starter on the Forty Acres as the college football world fully turns its own attention to Manning.

The extent of that attention was a frequent topic of conversation on Friday as Manning met with the media, a rare public availability for Manning, who has only done a handful of interviews after vaulting into public consciousness as a high schooler in the midst of the most scrutinized recruitment of the modern era.

Despite the intensive focus on Manning, he’s been able to maintain perspective.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to remember that we’re just playing a sport. We all signed up for this. This is what we do to have fun. So just remembering that it’s a fun game, have fun with your teammates — you’re out there with your best friends,” Manning said.

In a reflection of Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte’s leadership style, Manning emphasized the importance of serving his teammates, an area he’s focused on this offseason.

“I think especially this offseason just leadership skills, getting the guys to rally around me and play for me and serve them, that’s what I’ve been working on this offseason,” Manning said.

That service included traveling to St. Louis with sophomore wide receiver Ryan Wingo to help with a camp that Wingo put on in the neighborhood that he grew up in.

In typical Manning fashion, something as simple as hanging out in his teammate’s neighborhood was enough to go viral.

“Wingo is a great guy. He asked me to go to the camp a few months back and I knew he would do the same for me, so I went. It was cool. He’s a legend down there — all those kids want to be like Wingo. They know his dance moves, touchdown celebration,” Manning said.

According to the Texas quarterback, he just took a back seat and Wingo stole the show.

Manning also reflected on other viral moments over this two years at Texas, including the infamous time that he lost his ID after enrolling early, a moment that went viral and also led a student to create a flag of it.

On Friday, Manning revealed some new information about the incident — the girl who picked up his ID used it to enter the football facility before going directly to head coach Steve Sarkisian’s office to return it, leading to a FaceTime call between the Texas head coach and his young quarterback to facilitate its return.

Manning was typically stoic when asked about the viral moment after his touchdown run against Texas A&M.

“It was cool. Once I get into the game, I’m just gonna do what I can to help our team win. And that was fun. I got to contribute a little bit in front of a great atmosphere,” Manning said.

Despite the on-field swag, Manning isn’t sure he can replicate Joe Burrow’s style despite emulating it in Thibodaux with some Burrow-esque shades.

“He’s got all the swag and stuff. I’m not sure I have as much as him,” Manning said.

The Texas quarterback is trying to be more like Burrow on the field, too — the Cincinnati Bengals stars is one of the professional quarterbacks that Manning is watching this season, along with 2025 NFL MVP Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, a player that Manning watched throw a football 75 yards when he attended the Manning Passing Academy while still in college at Wyoming.

Manning’s sense of humor flashed through when he was asked about how he moves through public with all the attention.

“How careful are you not to go out and do shots at the bar because everybody could spin it some way?”

“I’m 21, so I can do shots at a bar,” Manning replied with a smile.

“So it would have been worse a year ago?”

“That’s right. But we’re busy half the time, so a lot of the time I’m just kicking it with my friends at home and I’m focused on ball right now, so that’s what I love to do. All that other stuff is fun, but it’s not my ideal time,” Manning said.

That might explain why his brother Heid spends more time at Matt’s El Rancho than Manning does despite his love for the Tex Mex spots around Austin, places Manning is savvy enough not to mention in an effort to maintain whatever little anonymity exists for him.

Over the last two years, Manning maintained a low profile on the NIL scene because of his grandfather’s wishes — he didn’t sign any NIL deals until he became the starter. So this offseason, he’s had to balance that responsibility with football.

“I kind of go off my gut and see what other people have done and who’s done it the right way, wrong way. I’ve got a lot of support with my family and I go with my gut at the end of the day, try not to do too much,” Manning said.

One of the most remarkable aspects about Manning’s low-key personality? His ability to eliminate the cacophonous outside noises.

“I really don’t pay much attention to anyone and what they think besides my coaches, my parents, close friends who tell me the truth, but I’m not worried about what other people think — I’m go out there and have fun and play my game.”