Before he even took a single snap in college, Texas football quarterback Arch Manning was thrust into the spotlight.
It's a glare he should be familiar with by now, due in large part to his status as a quarterback at a premier college football program — one seeking its first national championship in 20 years. That will only be heightened once the 6-foot-4 quarterback makes his much-anticipated debut for No. 1 Texas in Week 1 vs. No. 2 Ohio State .
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But Manning had lofty expectations even before he became the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, committed to Steve Sarkisian and served as the backup to another former No. 1 recruit in Quinn Ewers . That, of course, has to do with the fact he is the latest quarterback in the royal family of football: the Mannings.
As Arch Manning gets ready to make his debut as full-time starter at Texas , here's what you need to know about his family tree:
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Arch Manning family tree
Who is Arch Manning's grandfather?
Arch Manning is the grandson of former Ole Miss and NFL quarterback Archie Manning.
Archie Manning was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss by the New Orleans Saints , with whom he spent the first 11 years of his NFL career. He would later play for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings in his 13-year NFL career.
Archie Manning, who threw for nearly 24,000 career passing yards and 125 touchdowns, has been in the news recently with his grandson, as he told Texas Monthly at the start of August that Arch Manning would be playing for Texas in 2026 and not in the NFL. Arch Manning has since pushed back on his grandfather's comments by saying he isn't sure "where he got that from."
Who is Arch Manning's dad?
Arch Manning's father is Cooper Manning, the eldest son of Archie Manning and older brother to Arch Manning's uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning .
Cooper Manning — like his father — committed to Ole Miss to play college football. However, the former wide receiver's career with the Rebels never took off after he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis before he arrived at Ole Miss.
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Who are Arch Manning's uncles?
Arch Manning is the nephew of legendary college football and NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.
Peyton Manning broke from Manning family tradition, choosing to commit to Tennessee over Ole Miss. In his time on Rocky Top, Peyton Manning quickly became one of the all-time greatest players in Tennessee history, throwing for 11,201 passing yards and 89 touchdowns. He posted a record of 39-6 as a starter .
Eli Manning played college football at Ole Miss from 1999 to 2003, a career that saw him become one of the all-time great Rebels quarterbacks. He set the program's all-time passing records with 10,119 yards and 81 career touchdowns, marks which stood until Jaxson Dart surpassed them in 2024.
Both Peyton and Eli Manning exhausted their college eligibility before being selected No. 1 overall in the 1998 and 2004 NFL drafts, respectively.
Eli Manning spent all 16 seasons of his NFL career with the New York Giants , who traded for him on draft night in 1998 after he was selected by the San Diego Chargers. He went on to win two Super Bowls with the Giants.
Peyton Manning spent his illustrious 18-year career in the NFL with the Colts and the Denver Broncos . He won a Super Bowl title with each: in 2007, with the Colts, and in 2016, with the Broncos. The former Vols quarterback, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot inductee in 2021 , ranks third all-time in NFL career passing yards (71,940) and threw for 539 career touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arch Manning family tree: How Texas QB is tied to Peyton, Eli Manning
