Beyond the Name: High School Coaches explain why Arch Manning is college football's next big thing

Arch Manning is entering the 2025 season with a lot of expectations from a national standpoint.

The redshirt sophomore will be the starting quarterback for Texas after being an understudy to Quinn Ewers the past two years.

Manning has played in 12 games and went 2-0 when starting last year, when Ewers was injured.

Now, the Longhorns offense is under the direction of the former Isidore Newman (New Orleans) standout.

SEC Networks Paul Finebaum compares him to Tim Tebow and said he could be a dark horse to be the Heisman Trophy winner.

Jordan Reid, with ESPN, lists Manning as one of 14 players who could be the No.

1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft .

Manning was picked on the third team in the preseason All-SEC team, one of 13 Longhorns on the list.

Manning was a four-time all-state pick in Louisiana and was also an All-American.

He was 34-9 overall and threw for 8,599 yards and 115 touchdowns.

Looking ahead to his first season as the Longhorns starting quarterback, High School on SI talked to his former high school coach, Nelson Stewart and an opposing coach, Wayne Stein , head football coach at St.

Charles Catholic.

Steins squad posted a 3-1 record against Manning in high school.

Wayne Stein, St.

Charles Catholic head coach Q: When did you realize how good Arch was going to be? A: I don't know how many people really know, but he hit a growth spurt after his freshman year.

In his freshman year, he was not quite as tall as he is now.

He was extremely athletic, extremely accurate and he kind of had an older team around him.

He really facilitated that year and was very sharp.

And then the next year was COVID, which was crazy, yeah.

They actually did beat us that year.

We tried to just mix different looks up and do different things to them, but it was evident to me.

I thought the public always wanted to nitpick every little thing.

I mean, he played at a smaller school.

Not everybody around him was a 5-star (recruit).

He got a lot out of everybody around him.

It never surprised me when I saw him break long runs in college.

I thought he was the most underrated athlete.

His athleticism was something that not a lot of people talked about, but from an early age, he could make every throw he could.

He could really run and I mean, when he got loose, he wasn't just somebody that was a slider.

I mean, he was, you know, 6 foot, 4, 200-pound man that you had to get on the ground.

So I was not surprised to see.

I'm not surprised at all to expect the success that I think he's going to have.

Q: Obviously, he played a lot last year for a team that made the semifinals.

What is the running aspect like with him? A: They were able to use some of that athleticism that I thought was underrated.

I mean, he did the whole quarterback thing, but he also added another dimension with his legs.

You know, no disrespect to any other Mannings.

Eli is close to my age and we played against each other in high school.

Arch has the combination of Peyton and Eli's arm and Mr.

Archies athleticism.

He had a little bit of everything.

Q: You guys did pretty well scheming against him.

What are some things you kind of see that he's improved on since you played him? A: When you get to college, it's such a learning curve; learning the offense and learning what defenses do.

I mean for us, just because he was such an elite talent and he knew the game, we wanted to try for the look pre-snap to not be the same as the look post-snap.

And, you know, we tried to just keep everything in front of us.

And make Arch make all the throws, and that's the thing.

I mean, his throws as a high schooler, to be able to throw that out from one hash all the way to the other sidelines ...

there's not a lot of things that can defend that.

So we try to give some pressure looks and do different things just to try to make him get the ball out fast, or maybe make him see something that wasn't there.

And I saw that progression as he kind of understood even what we were trying to do to him as he got older.

We were a very good football team.

So a lot of our success had to do with our players and us having some advantages and some other positions.

He was obviously a fantastic quarterback, but we had some advantages in some of the other spots.

So he definitely made you pay.

I thought he could make all the throws, and he was always a great competitor, very respectful.

I was able to say I was happy to see him graduate.

We had some success, but I was happy to see him graduate.

Q: When you watch games of him on film, and I guess even when you played him, even if you didnt know his last name, did you think he was a D-I quarterback? A: Yeah, I thought that was a thing that I couldn't get over.

I really thought he got a lot of unfair criticism.

Because, I mean, if his last name were Smith, he still would have been a 4- or 5-star, whatever, top quarterback in the state.

I mean, the things you know, he didn't chase a bunch of camps.

He put every throw on the film, he really did, and the play after the play is really what scared us.

You know, if he started to scramble, he could throw it on a run, or he could take off and be a problem.

So the skill set was always there.

I don't care what anybody says.

I mean, I don't know anybody who watched more film of them than our staff of him in high school.

I mean, he put things on tape that if you were a college coach, it didn't matter what his name was, you would have been calling and offering.

So if anything, I thought he got scrutinized more because the last name was Manning.

But I always thought that he deserved everything he got.

You know, just watching him play, in the way he handled himself, he was a phenomenal high school player.

I really am not shocked that one, he had a great year last year and two, that is his name in discussion for bigger things to come.

Q: Like you said, if he had a different last name, he mightve been more talked about.

Its sometimes tough to live up to that name.

Its not automatic youll be good because of your last name, like Pete Rose Jr.

What has made Arch different? A: Its not fair, it's like we just expected it from him, like, it's automatic because of his last name.

Not only did he have the Manning name.

I mean, I think his name being Arch just added.

I'm saying because, yeah, Archie is somebody who was an icon in Louisiana.

Having that name, and, you know, it's just the world we live in.

People can't wait to write something negative or put something on social media to get a rise out of people.

It's all clickbait.

But the people who really defended Arch, like, played against him and had to try to stop him.

We were all aware of what type of player he was going to be at the next level.

Q: He has seemed to earn the accolades, not just because hes a Manning.

Do you agree? A: He was flawless against us as a freshman.

And I think, you say, it was almost like a coming-out party, because he had done some good things for some other opponents, but our name kind of carried some weight down here.

And he really was good that night.

He took whatever we gave him and was making back shoulder throws.

You just don't see 14- or 15-year-old kids doing that.

And then I think, he got a little older, the pressure just got insurmountable.

You know, where he had to look for bigger throws sometimes and things of that nature.

But all the talent, all the skillset, has been there from Day 1 and he worked on his body, and his body changed every year.

So, you know, he was in the weight room and working at it.

I mean, I even watched him play basketball in high school.

He was good at that, too.

So he was just a real good he was a real good player, a real good athlete.

He was a kid who played multiple sports.

Q: You mentioned you played against Eli.

How long ago was that? Where did you play him? A: I actually went to school with St Charles Catholic.

In 1998, I think they were in our district.

So we played in 97 and 98 and Eli was a great player.

They just didn't have social media, but I remember people trying to downplay how good he was, you know? And they did the same thing to Peyton.

It just there was no platform for you to say it, you know.

And both those guys are, I mean, were elite, you know? And again, same thing.

I mean, they weren't surrounded with talent.

It wasn't IMG (Academy), it was a good high school.

They weren't surrounded by a bunch of 5-star guys to throw a ball to.

They had some good players around them, but most of the receivers he's thrown to, their careers are over.

So I think, you know, a lot of people don't take that into consideration when they try to evaluate a kid from a school like that.

Q: Is Arch anywhere close to Eli? Were they kind of similar from what you remember? A: Ive always thought that Eli's arm talent is really special and it was back then.

Now, no disrespect to Eli or Peyton, none of them could run like Arch.

I mean, Arch is the complete package when it comes to that.

But, you know, he had good genes, obviously, you know, Cooper was a great athlete as well.

So he's got a great combination of all of those guys and a high IQ, too.

And I think you can tell that by him not rushing the process in his day and age, sticking with Texas and learning everything he can, like I'm excited to be able to sit back and see what he does, to be honest.

Q: Being in Louisiana, do you still follow Arch? A: Obviously, Im always going to check his stat line (after every game) because the family's good people.

Mr.

Archie spoke at our quarterback club before and things of that nature.

So Im always pulling for the family.

Q: From the Louisiana connection, you played against Eli and coached against Arch.

What is that like and is that something you can brag about at some point? A: I think it's just cool to just, you know, one glad that that the Manning families, you know, people try to get mad, you know, those LSU die hards to get mad that they haven't went to LSU, but it's cool that the Manning legacy still kind of lives in Louisiana.

To be able to see those guys go out and have All-Pro careers and Hall of Fame careers, and be able to say, hey, they played on this field a long time ago.

You know, I think that's pretty cool.

You know, whether you coached against them or you had a chance to play against them, I think that's something you could be proud of, if you can look past the fanatic nonsense.

Q: I guess from your players' perspective, you know, 5 or 6 years in the future, when Arch is a starting NFL quarterback, you probably have some kids to say, Hey, I beat the kid in high school, right? A: Theyre going to pull for him his whole career, theyre going to hope hes a Hall of Famer and say we went 3-1 against his guy in high school.

I think if you ask our fan base, they want to see him do well, if you ask our kids who played against them, they want to see him do well.

He surely was a great competitor when we went to when we went against them, and we had really good football teams in those years that we played as well.

I just think it's pretty cool for you to be a sit back and see those guys, you know, move on and mature.

One time, somebody called and wanted to do a story, said, y'all had success.

And I'm not talking about like we didn't shut down Arch, right? I mean, Arch is one player who had these players around him, and we had these players.

At the end of the day, Arch was a fine talent, and anybody who said anything otherwise didn't really know what they were looking at all or were jealous that he wasn't going to LSU.

Q: I mean, with 11 guys on the field, he can do a lot of things, but you still have 10 other guys to account for.

A: He threw it; he had a rocket, but you had to catch that rocket, right? I mean, he definitely had a great high school career.

I got a chance to watch a lot of it, not just against us, but because they were one of our district rivals.

Me and his high school coach were actually good friends.

I had a chance to really have a lens into just how good he was.

A lot of people just really had no idea.

They didn't get a chance to see him make all those throws or scramble throws or the runs that he made.

His skill set, I think, is really going to get put on display this year and everybody's gonna be impressed.

Q: As a coach, when you see a kid make a mistake or make a bad play, it says a lot more about how they respond.

From watching him, what did you see when he had a bad play? A: I think that he was really good about when he took care of the football, right? He could have easily been out there reckless, but he didn't turn the ball over very much at all.

I think that when he made mistakes, he owned it, at least, that's what it looked like from the sideline.

And I think the biggest thing is being gracious in victory and defeat.

I mean, they beat us.

He was professional, even as a sophomore.

And then when they lost us, he was complimentary.

I think that's something that's hard to teach.

It's almost like he went to a Manning school.

You know, learn how to handle yourself.

I think he's got not just all the athletic tools, but he's got all of us on behind-the-scenes things as well, taught to him by his dad and his uncles and obviously his grandfather.

I watch stories about how he acts, treats teammates, all of those things still hold true.

I don't know about how everybody in the state of Louisiana feels, but at St.

Charles County, we are definitely pulling for him to continue to have success.

Nelson Stewart, former Newman School head coach Q: Looking back at it now, like, was there anything like a play that he did that made you know that he was going to be pretty special? A: One thing you know, at Newman, you get kids pre-K all the way through.

And I think the biggest thing was his athletic ability.

His ability, even in flag football, he could make every throw on the run, throw across his body.

He could throw the deep routes, doing the things you can't teach.

You know, the Mannings, Peyton and Eli and are technicians and footwork and the work ethic, those things are all natural.

But yeah, just his God-given athletic ability, he always had a good wrist snap.

I could watch a silhouette of him in middle school and knew it was him.

I'd say in PE classes, you could see when he threw it, but especially in middle school, once he started, just the torque he could put on the ball.

He could throw it when you really shouldn't be able to.

It's the things you see a lot in the NFL now, the ability to throw on the run and make plays.

And, you know, even when the perfect calls were not there, he was able to get his way out of it.

So it was always there.

And I would say the biggest leap was between his 8th and 9th grade years.

You just grew so much physically that, you know, all of a sudden he came in and he's about 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3, and he worked on the weight room, and it just kind of all came together for him.

Q: Was there any any nerves for you to start him as a freshman quarterback? A: I think the biggest thing was I wanted it to happen naturally.

We had never at Newman, at least in a modern era, there had never been an opening day freshman starting quarterback.

It's something that we hadn't done.

But that spring game, I didn't start him and we had a good senior that worked very hard.

(Arch) moved in mid-drive and his first pass was a touchdown.

It was a check on a press route.

Just the way he carried himself; felt like he was ready for it.

He did all the 7 on 7.

So just again, a relaxed demeanor.

He didn't get too high, too low, and everybody liked him.

It wouldnt create any divisiveness.

So there were nerves, but I think we just worked as hard as we could in the summer, and also working with him in meetings and zooms to make sure he was ready.

And look, he put the work in.

He was the Freshman of the Year by MaxPreps.

I just think he was ready, and we worked hard to prepare him.

We tried to design the offense to cater to his abilities and not make him think too much.

And he's able to let it rip and let it go.

So there's anxiety, but I think when you have that, it's the job of the coach to really make sure you give them all the opportunities for success.

He embraced it.

So, yeah, there's some natural nerves.

I just tried to keep my head down and not listen to the noise, because there was a fair amount of that, obviously.

Q: Development-wise, he was in high school during COVID.

How much does that kind of help or hurt you guys? A: His freshman year, he had such a great year, and we were riding in his sophomore year; I couldn't wait for momentum.

But, you know, when COVID hit, and, like everyone, we're under tight protocols.

There was no 7 on 7, there was no spring (ball).

We were creative in that we zoomed every week, obviously, on his own, and we just started to stay in contact.

And it was, I think, whatever was 7 to 1, we can work out.

So I only saw him virtually.

And, you know, I just worked as hard as I could to keep the installs.

We reviewed every play from the previous year.

I think we laid a good groundwork that we could build on.

And I think it worked out.

By the time the season kicked off, we only had 2 weeks to start, but that was one of my favorite teams where you couldn't get in buses, so kids got dropped off at the stadium and Metraire, and he went out against a 5A opponent, and he threw five touchdowns.

But it was crazy, because you didn't have all those fancy installs and things like that.

He's able to do the things you cant teach.

You're not supposed to be able to throw 40 yards downfield from the opposite hash, but he could do it.

We had an undefeated regular season and got to the state semifinals.

Went against the No.

1 team in the state and drove it a little short.

But, I think because of his work ethic, he wanted to zoom, he wanted to learn and he was able to keep growing in that time.

And we just tried to learn, to be as creative as possible, in terms of kind of how we present information.

Q: Development-wise, obviously, could it have been better if you had a chance to play that spring? A: You know ....

worked hard.

I think he stayed in the weight room.

He stayed dialed in.

I mean, most kids, like during COVID here, they're off to it.

No, he wanted to zoom.

And, you know, we zoomed, we stayed in touch.

And I think he's trying to maximize what he can do.

But yeah, I think obviously you wonder.

We had an 8-game season his sophomore year because of COVID, then a hurricane hit the next year.

You always kind of wonder, if he had that full menu of 10 games, what it would have been, but I think numbers weren't as important to him.

Q: I talked to Coach Wayne Stein for the story.

He thinks if Arch with had a different last name, he would have still been highly recruited.

What do you think? A: Yeah, I think it can help you and it can hurt you.

I think every time I would always say, in the era of social media, he could never do enough.

He could never throw for enough yards.

If he was 10 for 11, they harp on the one incompletion.

And I think that all the media and all of the magnifying on him wasn't something he embraced or something you wanted.

He never got caught up in it.

I think that it was just a deal where sometimes it feels like there's no winning.

And ultimately, my job was, was to give him the most normal high school experience possible.

We just cut out the noise and we were trying to be careful, obviously facilitating the family with the interviews, and what we did.

He never got caught up in all that other stuff.

And I think that's why he's in the position he's in.

If you watched him throw and run around it when it was in its purest form, and he's playing quarterback on Friday night, I think nobody could throw it better.

And I think that you know everybody that saw him, when there's a nameless Power 5 college coach that came through, and I remember he showed up, and he said to me, I just want to see him.

And it was in June, I think, before his senior year, I couldn't remember.

He stood behind him to watch him throw and when Arch throws, you can hear a hiss.

This coach turned and looked at me, just said, Oh, my God ...

I didn't know.

But you had to see him.

So while the mythology and all the folklore were one thing, once he could physically see it.

So, yeah, I agree with Wayne.

We talked about that, when your name's Arch Manning, there's no getting around it.

But I think that, you know, we just didn't get too lost in it.

My job was to cultivate an environment where he could grow.

Cut out the noise, knowing that short of winning every game and throwing for a million yards, there were never enough yards, never enough wins for him, just trying for him to develop at a point where he could be successful.

And I think ultimately, that's why I'm so proud of him, is that he's shown that same resiliency, grit and toughness in his career at Texas.

In an era where you see so many people who are obsessed with star ratings and where they are on the chart, and theyre jumping in the portal.

Hes shown his character, I think he's waited his time while competing, and it showed that not only did he make the right choice for himself, but that, I think that Texas has developed him continually.

His character and work ethic have resonated just as they did in high school.

So, yeah, I'm just really proud of him, but those are all the same traits all throughout.

Q: I guess the same time, the last name is kind of hard to live up to.

I mean, there aren't very many people who can live up to that name.

A: I think the thing with the name is that when you have a last name like that, you go one of two ways.

You can embrace it and appreciate your family or have a sense of entitlement.

And he had no sense of entitlement.

And he wanted to wear his cap and go around and hang out with his friends.

When a freshman, he was in the back of the line; we actually used to have a freshman locker room, and he wanted to be in there.

I think that was the biggest secret to him and his success.

I think that sometimes when you put that magnitude, everybody wants something.

You have people who want to meet him and do something and gain something from it.

And people who wanted to coach him and work with him, Arch didn't want any of that.

I think Arch just wanted to have a good high school experience.

He wanted to earn everything.

He always said that he wanted to earn it.

He was a yes, sir or no, sir.

He's a worker.

He walked in the weight room and everybody liked him.

And I think that's sometimes what you say, is just be a good person.

He so he loves his family.

Obviously not speaking for him, whether it's his grandfather or uncles, but he never felt like that entitled him to anything.

He felt like he wanted to earn everything.

So that's part of, I think, the secret of his success again, and why he's in positions hes in.

Q: Is it hard to juggle that expectations with the name? A: I think the biggest thing is that we tried to do is who he's the most like, you know, I always said he's Arch.

He's his own entity, you know.

There's a certain intangible, but there's only one Peyton Manning, there's only one Eli Manning and he was only one Cooper Manning.

I think he always compared himself to his grandfather, the scrambler who could break down the pocket and throw it all over the place and do those things.

And he would say he learned those things to flag football.

And I think that the thing I've always said time and time again, he's Arch, and it's his first name, not his last.

I think the thing for me is, you know, seeing an 80-yard run, running through a sneak; his ability to run and play powerful football.

I think that obviously, that release, that drop, that classic passing, whether it's Eli or Peyton, the wrist snap and the things that you see as a high-level quarterback.

I think it developed his own skill set, and I think that's why Coach Sarkisian is so great for him, because he you know the quarterbacks hes developed whether it's you know Mark Sanchez or Tua (Tagovailoa) or you know Mac Jones, all the guys, you can see how he developed what they could do, even Quinn Ewers, around their skill set and their strengths.

And he just has a total mastery of offense.

I think he's a savant ...

he's brilliant.

So I think Arch is Arch.

Arch's skill set is unique in its own way.

I think, even his family would say the important thing is that he has his own journey.

Obviously has great genetics and obviously, he's got a great pedigree in terms of the respect for the game and the work ethic.

But I just tried to always avoid comparisons.

They're inevitable.

It's part of life.

But it's amazing that if you don't get lost in it, you don't get caught on social media, that you can really find success and that humility, that humbleness and that work ethic.

And I think he has that, obviously, I'm his biggest fan.

I'm just so proud of him and what he's done.

I would agree (the name) it certainly looms.

There's only one Manning.

They're the first family of football.

I think he's lived up to the billing.

Q: For you, are you excited to watch Texas this fall? A: I couldn't be more excited.

You know, the Manning-mania, the things as he went in there, I think, have subsided a little bit.

It's allowed him to be Arch Manning.

One of my best friends in the world is Barrett, and he actually married Coach (Mike) Campbell's granddaughter.

He was a longtime defense coordinator, so I had a little understanding of it.

Im excited.

You know, some of the things that you know, we had a lot of really good wide receivers.

They were in a 4.7, 4.8 (40-yard dash), I want to see Arch throw to kids that can run a 4.3.

I think his vertical ability is unmatched.

I love seeing him do that.

I think that the passion of that fan base, Texas, is its own entity.

And I think that he loves Austin.

I think that obviously, he's been able to establish himself there, so I couldn't be more excited.

I was so blessed that A.J.

Millwee, Kyle Flood and Coach Sark were able to open the door a little bit to kind of some of the things that they do and the complexity.

I just have so much respect for their program and what they're building.

Each and every year, they've got better they'll keep doing it.

I'll certainly be in the background.

I think I'm not one of those guys who need to be front row at those games, but I'm just a proud high school football coach.

Every time I do these interviews, I say that for all of his greatness and his abilities, hes an even better person, and I'm just proud of him.

I couldnt be more excited; when I saw him at Manning Camp and he was getting swarmed, we just kind of smiled and had the same relationship we've always had.

So all credit to him, but I think he's in for a big year and I just hope he enjoys the experience.

And there's obviously going to be ebbs and flows.

Nothing's ever perfect, but I think he's seasoned enough, mature enough to run the gauntlet, get through it and keep growing every day..

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