The Manning family has a longstanding tradition of playing quarterback in the SEC.
Peyton Manning starred at Tennessee in the 1990s, while his father Archie and brother Eli were both legends at Ole Miss. Now, thanks to Texas’ move to its new conference, another Manning is joining the SEC ranks.
Arch Manning is expected to be the Longhorns’ backup quarterback this season, the program’s first in the SEC. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Thursday, Peyton described his outlook on his nephew’s career.
“I’m pulling hard for my nephew,” Manning said, via Athlon Sports. “I’m proud of him and how he’s handled himself at Texas. I’m looking forward to watching him throughout his career there.”
Arch arrived in Austin last year amid much fanfare as a five-star prospect and the top quarterback in the country. However, he only played in two games as Texas’ QB3, completing 2-of-5 passes for 30 yards and rushing for seven yards on three carries.
Despite the fact he’s slated to be Quinn Ewers’ backup this season, Arch said this month he hasn’t lost his determination to succeed at Texas.
“It’s tough because you want to be out there playing with your boys,” Manning told Larry Holder of TheAthletic.com. “But [it came down to] just realizing there’s nowhere else I want to be, and it was my dream to play at Texas. I’m going to stick it out and play there eventually.”
Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days this week he anticipates having to rely on both Ewers and Manning this fall.
Related: Nick Saban Made His Opinion On Arch Manning Extremely Clear Today