Is it a blessing or a burden to come from football royalty? If anyone knows, it’s Arch Manning. The 19-year-old Texas’ new signal caller is entering the 2025 season with sky-high expectations from every CFB fan. But sometimes, the hype machine runs wild—like that one underclassmen mock draft. There’s only so much you can expect from a college freshman, even if his last name is Manning. 

On3 analyst J.D. Pickell is drawing the line between reality and fantasy. In his latest YouTube episode on February 5, he took aim at a certain mock draft that had Arch Manning as the No. 1 overall pick if all underclassmen were eligible for the draft. A disillusioned Pickell stated, “Don’t be stupid. Just don’t be an idiot… Let’s have some decency about us. Is he going to be good? I think so. Will he go No. 1 in this year’s draft? I don’t know dude, probably not. I don’t really think that’s a fair thing to levy on my guy when it comes to expectations.”

Arch Manning’s reps were limited this past season behind Quinn Ewers. He was able to log only 939 yards and nine scores plus four more on the ground. But when you carry a famous last name, the hype never really fades. As Pickell pointed out, “If it was truly about the last name, Arch is not the first player to have a famous dad and go play college sports but Arch Manning is, from this data, one of the only players to have a five-star rating.” He’s got a point. Sports royalty doesn’t always guarantee success.

Take former NFL QB Joe Montana, for instance. He’s a 4x SB champion and a 3x SB MVP. But his son Nick Montana was a 3-star recruit. Even the son of legendary NBA star LeBron James didn’t enjoy the same ratings as Arch Manning. Bronny James was a four-star recruit of the 2023 class out of Sierra Canyon High School in California. Another notable mention is 3-star Marcus Jordan, the son of basketball GOAT Michael Jordan. With this said, the family name doesn’t always influence a player’s performance. But even if it does, Arch Manning is the winner in that case. 

Arch Manning wants to earn respect, not just receive it

Just because Arch Manning’s the son of former Ole Miss WR Cooper Manning and the nephew of NFL greats Eli Manning and Peyton Manning doesn’t mean he’s already great. He had to prove himself, starting with his four high school seasons at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans. The 6’4, 220-pounder put up numbers that shattered both his uncles’ high school records—8,599 yards (Eli’s 7,268) and 115 TDs (Peyton’s 93). No wonder he was a coveted 5-star recruit of the 2023 class. 

Despite this success and hype, Arch Manning isn’t about fame and glory. His recent sit-down with Marty Smith showed that he’s just another player whose goal is to have fun with friends and win football games. The young Manning knows when attention is earned and for now, he said, “I have a lot of undeserved attention. Hopefully, it gets more deserving in the next few months… I just don’t think I’ve done enough yet.” That’s the kind of mentality that wins football games! 

This upcoming season, Texas is finally Arch Manning’s team. The question is—can he turn all the hype into something real?