Arch Manning’s Bold Move That Surprised His Dad, Cooper Manning

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Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns has made bold choices.

Arch Manning doesn’t shy away from challenges. In fact, it was his boldness that led him to the University of Texas in the first place, his dad Cooper Manning recently revealed.

That decision surprised Cooper, but Arch Manning’s instincts proved to be right on.

The Longhorns Were 5-7 When Arch Manning Committed to Them Over Two Recent National Championship Teams

In an interview with Texas Monthly, Cooper reflected on his son’s instincts, and how some of his decisions even surprised him.

“People forget that he committed to a 5–7 team,” Cooper said about Arch’s decision to commit to the Longhorns. At the time, the Texas team didn’t have the same stellar reputation that it does today.

“I said at the time, ‘Arch, this is a ballsy move,’” Cooper recalled. “But he wanted to be part of something that was changing, growing, gaining steam and momentum.”

In the spring of 2022, Arch had narrowed his choices down to Alabama, Georgia or Texas, Texas Monthly reported. Alabama and Georgia were dominant in the SEC, both having recently won national championships. The Longhorns were struggling with a 5-7 season. So Arch’s decision to go with Texas was unprecedented in many ways.

But his grandfather, Archie Manning, told Texas Monthly that that Arch’s decision was also based on his dad’s own history. He needed to find a place where he would be happy if for some reason football didn’t work out.

Cooper had advised him, “Go to a place where you will be happy. To a place where if you didn’t play a down, you would still enjoy your college experience. Have a little bit of balance. Have friends who aren’t just on the team, friends who are in fraternities and clubs.”

Cooper Manning Had to Quit Football at 18

Cooper Manning knew from personal experience that you have to be prepared for the unexpected.

Cooper was 18 when he noticed numbness in his hands and fingers, People reported. He was already a celebrated high school football player and was accepted to play at Ole Miss. But during his August practice at the university, the numbness and pain continued, Tampa Bay reported.

The Mayo Clinic diagnosed him with spinal stenosis, which forced him to leave football, upending his plans for the future. But Cooper built a wonderful life of his own, even without football, and has celebrated his brothers’ successes.

It was this personal experience that likely also inspired him to urge his sons Heid and Arch to never let jealousy get between them.

Heid told 247 Sports that there’s never been jealousy between him and Arch, even though they’re just one grade apart. Cooper taught them to always support each other’s successes, warning that jealousy “can rip families apart.”