Eli Manning had the best reaction to how Arch Manning's college debut compared to the rest of the family

09-23-2024
5 min read
(Getty Images/The Sporting News)

The next Manning quarterback is on the rise.

Already with NFL legends in his family, Texas freshman QB Arch Manning made his starting debut for the Longhorns in a 51-3 win over UL Monroe on Saturday night.

Manning's success continues his family's legacy of elite quarterback play in both college football and the NFL after his grandfather, Archie Manning, led the way as a player at Ole Miss and for multiple NFL teams.

Eli Manning, the legendary Giants quarterback who's also part of the football success of the Mannings, recently poked some fun at Arch's starting debut for Texas and how it stacks up against the rest of the family.

Here's what Eli Manning said about Arch Manning's performance for the Longhorns, plus all the information you need on the Manning family tree, Arch's numbers for Texas so far and how Eli Manning fared as a college quarterback.

MORE: The Sporting News Top 25 rankings for Week 5: Texas claims No. 1 spot

What did Eli Manning say about Arch Manning's debut?

The SEC Network recently posted a graphic showing Arch Manning's college starting debut stats next to Eli, Peyton and Archie's back in the day. 

The numbers showed that Archie Manning had 116 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Ole Miss, Peyton Manning had 79 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions for Tennessee, Eli Manning had 271 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions for Ole Miss and Arch finished Saturday with 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for Texas.

Eli, clearly with the best statistics of the group, had some fun with it on social media.

While every Manning who's pursued football has found some level of success, Eli's college starting debut took the title as the top performance in the family. 

MORE: What you may have missed from Arch Manning's starting debut

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Who is Arch Manning's dad?

With the NFL success of Peyton and Eli Manning and their continued presence in the media world, it's left some fans wondering which Manning brother is Arch's father.

The answer to that question is Cooper Manning, the oldest son of Archie.

Cooper Manning played wide receiver in high school and committed to Ole Miss, just like his father did and his brother Eli eventually would, but injuries in high school ended his football career early. 

Arch Manning is the middle child of Cooper's three children. He has an older sister, May, and a younger brother, Heid.

Arch's uncles, Peyton and Eli, combined for four Super Bowl titles in the NFL. Peyton has two children, Marshall and Mosley, while Eli has four, Ava, Lucy, Caroline and Charles.

The Manning family tree is full of established football talent, with Arch next in line as a star quarterback.

Arch Manning stats

In 2023, Manning had just one game appearance vs. Texas Tech, where he finished 2-for-5 with 30 passing yards.

He's seen more game action this season, though he's currently the backup to starter Quinn Ewers. However, with a recent injury to Ewers, Manning made his starting debut vs. UL Monroe.

Manning didn't appear in Texas' Week 2 ranked win over Michigan, but here's a look at his numbers in the Longhorns' other games this season:

Date Opponent Result Comp. % Pass Yards Pass TDs INTs QB Rating Rush TDs
Sept. 21 UL Monroe W, 51-3 51.7% 258 2 2 71.3 0
Sept. 14 UTSA W, 56-7 75.0% 223 4 0 99.9 1

Aug. 31

Colorado State W, 52-0  83.3% 95 1 0 92.8 1

Eli Manning college stats

With Eli Manning taking an opportunity to boast about his college starting debut compared to the rest of his family's, here's a look at his season-by-season college stats:

Year Class Games Comp. % Pass Yards Pass TDs INTs QB Rating Rush TDs
2000 Freshman 6 48.5% 170 0 1 85.7 0
2001 Sophomore 11 63.5% 2,948 31 9 144.8 0
2002 Junior 13 58.0% 3,401 21 15 125.6 2
2003 Senior 13 62.4% 3,600 29 10 148.1 3

Manning spent all four years at Ole Miss and was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. His starting debut came in 2001.