Until this week, Arch Manning—the newly christened Longhorns starter, who has attempted fewer than one hundred passes in his college career—was the betting favorite to be the first pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Given his short résumé (two starts since he matriculated at the University of Texas at Austin), this speaks more to the incredible pressure the young scion of the NFL’s most famous quarterbacking family faces than it does to what he’s exhibited on the football field. Although America is full of promising young quarterbacks who’ve excelled as professionals despite a limited history of success, it is not stacked with those who can call Uncle Peyton or Uncle Eli to review their decisions after each game.

That pressure defines the young Manning’s entire football-playing career, fro

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