Arch Manning describes how he feels about Ole Miss now that he plays for Texas

Arch Manning has a lot of Ole Miss in his family, especially on the football side of things. Grandfather Archie and uncle Eli were stars for the Rebels at quarterback, while Arch’s father, Cooper, was slated to play wide receiver there before he had to medically retire from the game.

These days, Arch Manning and Texas have to compete against Ole Miss in the SEC, so there are no more easy-going feelings when it comes to the Rebels. However, Texas does not play Ole Miss this season unless the two teams meet for the SEC Championship.

Funny enough, Manning expects another good season for Ole Miss, led by its intriguing QB Austin Simmons. So while the young Manning star grew up an Ole Miss fan, so to speak, those feelings were set aside.

“It’s a little bit different now, I guess I grew up going to games,” Manning said at SEC Media Days. “We had a place in Oxford. I’d spend a lot of the summer there and go to at least a game a year now, so I guess not as much (now). But they got a really good coach and a really good team. Spent some time with Austin (Simmons) a few weeks ago. He’s a really good guy. He’s got a hell of an arm, so they’re in for a good year.”

Arch Manning had Ole Miss in his blood, but no more

Grandfather Archie played for Ole Miss and was eventually inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. It seemed like every Manning was destined to play there until Peyton broke the mold and played for Tennessee.

Arch Manning was recruited by Ole Miss and Tennessee but ultimately, his original recruiting choice came down to Texas, Georgia and Alabama. In the end, it looks like the young buck’s Ole Miss fandom faded by the time he made his choice.

Now, it’s his time at Texas. While at SEC Media Days, Manning drew a ton of media attention, has already received rave reviews from figureheads such as Paul Finebaum, and knows the expectation is to compete and try and win a national title and Heisman Trophy.

But this is already Year 3 at Texas for Manning after sitting for two seasons behind Quinn Ewers. In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, Manning could’ve had the pick of the litter if he wanted to leave at any point.

“I think the main thing was I wanted to be at the University of Texas,” Arch Manning said. “There’s nowhere else I wanted to be, whether it was the school itself, Austin, my friends, the football program. So as long as I was continuing to get better at football and like where I was at, it was a no-brainer for me to stay.”