When Arch Manning entered ninth grade at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, he did so carrying multiple SEC offers and enough hype to fill The Superdome.
His high school coaches worked hard to avoid any comparisons to his famous family, naturally trying to avoid adding more pressure onto Manning’s already sturdy 6-foot-3 shoulders. His grandfather, Archie — patriarch of America’s most famous and successful quarterbacking family — often erased that work any time a reporter brought up his grandson’s name. He liked to remind them that both Peyton and Eli Manning played JV ball as freshmen, while Arch went 24-of-35 for 234 yards and three touchdowns in his first varsity start as a ninth grader.
“He’s probably a little ahead of them as a freshman,” Archie told USA Today at the time.
As for Arch? Before starting that game as a child sensation with an iconic last name, he asked, in hopes of avoiding any special treatment, if he could ride the freshman bus to the game.
His name and tales of his talent have preceded him since grade school. And now, finally, the prodigal son (nephew and grandson) gets to work on the big stage everyone in football knew he was destined for. But just what, exactly, about Arch Manning’s game has made him arguably the biggest name in NFL Draft circles since his true freshman year at Texas? Is he really that good right now, or is there more work ahead — enough that it might push Manning into the 2027 draft class?
