Cooper Manning believes Arch Manning benefited from time as Texas backup

Prior to stepping on campus with the Texas Longhorns, there were massive expectations on Arch Manning given his recruiting pedigree and the family he comes from. However, since then, he’s largely been the backup and has yet to have his moment in the spotlight.

Arch’s father, Cooper Manning, made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. There, he explained that the two seasons that Arch has been the backup at Texas have actually benefited him. That’s because they’ve presented him with adversity he’s needed to overcome.

“I think having your children struggle with some things is good,” Cooper Manning said. “Yeah, it’s frustrating not to play. Did he love it? No. Was it probably good for him in the long run? Yes.”

Arch Manning was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the top-ranked quarterback and the top-ranked recruit in that cycle. For a player with that pedigree, however, he has not seen a ton of playing time. For the most part, his playing time has come in blowouts or while replacing an injured Quinn Ewers. With that, he’s completed 63 passes on 95 attempts for 939 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 115 yards and four touchdowns.

“You don’t want your kiddos to come home and be unhappy,” Manning said. “But at the same time sometimes going through a little hardship and some bumps in the road are good. Arch is going to have plenty more of those. These are the real ones. When you get beat this year and [have] bad games. You know how they do it in the media. They crown you way too early, then they jump on and kill you. So, he’s getting way too much attention and way too much credit and he’s going to struggle, and they’re going to say, ‘He’s not as good. He’s overrated.’ It’s coming. Everybody knows it. So, it’s kind of easy to see the writing on the wall.”

Arch Manning is expected to take over as the starter at Texas in 2025, his third season with the program. There will likely be new challenges for him to go through, but having some experience dealing with adversity will go a long way.

“It’s no fun to go through it, but it’s gonna happen. It’s inevitable. No one has — football is hard and playing quarterback is really hard, especially when all eyes are on you. So, it’s just part of the deal,” Manning said. “It’s part of growing up and everybody likes the guy who gets beat down and comes back. You’ve got to keep coming.”

Texas and Arch Manning are looking ahead to spring practice now, which may or may not culminate in a spring game. With spring dates not yet announced, head coach Steve Sarkisian has concerns after the extended 2024 season.