NEW ORLEANS — The Texas quarterback was surrounded by throngs of reporters at any given moment during Sugar Bowl media day on Saturday, answering questions ahead of the program’s first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
That in itself is not surprising, except that it was freshman backup Arch Manning, not starter Quinn Ewers, who attracted all the attention before the biggest game of the year against Washington on New Year’s Day.
Manning, of course, is not exactly new to the spotlight. He was the nation’s top recruit a year ago, and oh yeah, has famous uncles named Peyton and Eli and a grandfather named Archie. Normally, on media days like these, backups don’t garner much hoopla at all. Ewers, who sat a few feet away from Manning on a dais reserved for starters, didn’t draw a sliver of it.
“We were joking about it a little bit,” quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee told FOX Sports with a chuckle.
But Manning, who said himself that he hasn’t played any meaningful minutes in his college career yet, was confident, mature, approachable, and not cocky in the least, as he not only politely answered questions, but went into honest detail about his experience at Texas so far.
Asked if all the attention and hype like this is ever awkward, he said it is, but that he’s used to it. When he first arrived on campus nearly a year ago, students asked to take pictures with him while he walked to class. He joked that his teammates would probably give him a hard time for being the most popular player at media day.
But Manning takes those things in stride. He just wants to be a regular guy, though he said this while sitting on a bench directly across the field from his Hall of Fame grandfather’s banner hanging in the Caesars Superdome rafters.
“I’m not some superhero,” Manning said. “I’m just a normal 19-year-old guy just trying to work hard and play football. That’s really all it is.”
Entering the season, Ewers was projected to be a Heisman Trophy contender and a top 2024 NFL Draft pick. He didn’t quite live up to those expectations — it didn’t help that an injury sidelined him for two games. But he still finished the regular season with a 70.7% completion percentage (eighth-best nationally and better than Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s 65.9%) and has thrown 21 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He’s considering returning for another year, but said he hasn’t made a final decision yet.
How tough would it be for Manning if Ewers returns? This is the first time in his life that he’s been a backup, having started every year for his teams since he was in the sixth grade.
“I mean, it’s never fun being a backup and sitting,” Manning said. “But each person’s journey is different, and I’m gonna work hard and not blink an eye, and help Quinn be the best quarterback and try to get better along the way.”
