“Arch and I are living completely different lives,” reflected Heid Manning on his bond with Arch and what it’s like to live in the shadow of a future NFL hopeful in a recent conversation with Horns247’s Chip Brown. Despite their contrasting college experiences, Arch and Heid Manning maintain a close bond at the University of Texas. Arch, now the starting quarterback following Quinn Ewers’ departure to the NFL, dedicates his time to football, while Heid, a freshman, is immersed in fraternity life. Their paths occasionally cross, often in unexpected ways. Heid shared with Horns247’s Chip Brown, “When I meet new people, they get all excited and ask me about him like he’s some sort of superhero,” adding, “But to me, he’s just the same guy who still doesn’t know how to work a microwave.”

It underscores the brothers’ playful dynamic, but it also hints at something deeper: Heid’s ability to use humor as a way to handle the unavoidable comparisons that come with being a Manning — especially that Manning. “We definitely still get to hang out,” Heid told Horns247’s Chip Brown. “Sometimes it’s a meal, or I’ll catch him in the training room. Other times, he’ll show up at a frat party, and everyone’s like, ‘That’s the Arch Manning?’” Heid laughed at how some of his fraternity brothers have become “weirdly tight” with Arch. “I’m the one who introduced them, but they talk to him more than me.”

 “I literally saw Heid on a podcast for Texas football, and he’s cracking me up because they were asking him what was it like being your brother’s center in high school, like, ‘Did he ever really get on you or did he ever really yell at you in the huddle?’ He said, ‘Yeah, you know he would sometimes, but you know if he ever really did, I’ll just let the nose guard through.” And this left Dad Cooper in stitches. Heid is entering his first semester as an active fraternity member after surviving pledge season in the fall. Arch’s younger brother is a former center at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. But in no time, he followed big brother’s footsteps to Austin. 

However, Dad Cooper came up with another career option for his son. The proud father jokingly stated, “Heid is a very funny boy, and he is destined for to be behind a microphone. In some fashion in his life, I think sales or some sort of comedy probably around the corner.” With the NFL spotlight on Arch, it might sometimes get too much for the 21-year-old to handle the pressure. So, in that case, the two brothers will help in balancing the pressure for each other. “He can run point and distract and kind of get take away a lot of the attention that Arch gets and put it on him. And therefore, Arch can just kind of blend in. So they are great brothers.” While his brother is there, Arch still runs to his dad to have tough conversations.

How did Cooper Manning’s advice for Arch Manning pay off?

The Texas Longhorns star is carrying the flag of the Manning legacy. It started with Archie Manning, who was a first-team All-American and placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy race in 1969 at Ole Miss. He then had a big leap to the NFL, being picked by New Orleans as the No. 2 overall pick in the first round. The legacy was carried on by Arch’s uncles Eli and Peyton Manning. Peyton was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, and Eli was the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

However, Arch’s father, Cooper’s career, came to an unfortunate halt. He drew attention as a wide receiver in college, earning a scholarship at Ole Miss. But after this, things took an ugly turn as he got diagnosed with spinal stenosis. So, even before playing a single game for the Rebels, he had to take retirement from the sport, forever. But that did not stop Cooper from giving a piece of expert advice to his son, Arch.

As Cooper Manning recalled, one such conversation. “And then also Arch said the other day. He goes, ‘Dad, I think I’ve figured out this NIL stuff. If it doesn’t feel right in my gut, don’t do it.’ And I said, ‘Buddy, that’s the way it works for 99% of the world’…The gut is hard to fight.” Mind you, the father coach never had a conversation related to money before picking his college. Rather, Arch scouted based on the happiness index parameter. Did following his gut, as per dad Cooper’s advice, help the Texas quarterback? The 21-year-old sits strong at the top of the On3 list with a valuation of $6.6 million.