Arch Manning usually keeps things clean when a microphone is in front of him. He speaks with the calm, polished tone you expect from football royalty. But behind closed doors at Texas practice, his teammates say a totally different guy shows up. He is unserious, hilarious, and low-key annoying on the field.
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During a Texas press conference, Manning found himself defending his squeaky-clean image. Linebacker Justin Cryer and edge defender Colin Simmons had just spilled the tea on their quarterback’s sneaky habit. When reporters brought up the topic, the 22-year-old signal-caller could only laugh and try to save face.
“I’m really not that much of a trash talker. What’s going on?” Manning asked with a grin, acting completely innocent when asked about the locker room gossip.
His numbers give him every right to talk. Last season, Manning lit up defenses for 3,163 passing yards and 26 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. But according to his teammates, Manning does not just beat defenders with his arm. He gets under their skin with sneaky mental games.
Cryer explained how Manning picks his moments to strike when defenders least expect it. Because quarterbacks wear red non-contact jerseys in practice, Manning knows defensive players cannot hit him. He uses that safety shield to launch mini psychological attacks during reps.
“Y’all hear Arch like on the field, bro. He is kind of annoying,” the linebacker said, setting off everyone laughing. “He says like he’ll make it, don’t make a play or something. He’ll run behind you; he’ll say something that only you’ll hear. Obviously, you can’t do anything about it. You’re like, I don’t like how you did that.”
Edge rusher Colin Simmons chimed in to back up Cryer. Having shared the locker room with Manning since 2024, Simmons knows his quarterback’s humor better than most. He admitted that hearing trash talk come from someone as polite as Arch makes it even funnier.
“It’s funny,” he said. “It’s funny cuz he my quarterback and I’ve been teammates with him for the past two, three years.”
Simmons joined the Longhorns in 2024, a year after Manning did, and the two have been inseparable since. The edge has previously made jokes about their bond too, and that is just the kind of camaraderie they share.
When asked if Manning is good at trash talking, he said, “Yeah, he good, he good, but it’s just funny. It’s just funny hearing it from [him].” When asked whether his trash-talking extends to social media, Manning deflected.
“Really? Damn, I’m missing out. I don’t know. I’m really just a nice guy,” he reiterated.
While he denies being a menace on the field, Manning admitted his competitive fire comes straight from home. Growing up in football royalty, family games were serious business. His uncle, Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, built a legendary career on intense rivalry and tactical mind games against icons like Tom Brady. Arch simply adapted those family traits to Texas practice rules.
“They can’t hit me during practice, so I can kind of say whatever I want,” he joked.
Heading into the 2026 season with massive expectations on his shoulders, Manning is showing he can handle the pressure with humor. He might keep trying to deny his trash-talking reputation to the media, but his teammates already know the truth. On the field, Texas has a quiet leader who knows exactly how to make noise.