Ole Miss Legend Eli Manning Snubs Alma Mater In Favor Of Nephew Arch Manning
· Yahoo Sports
The much-anticipated Ole Miss-Texas battle is right around the corner. However, for one Ole Miss legend, his allegiance during this may not lie with his alma mater. Despite his deep ties to the Rebels, Eli Manning has made it clear that family will come before college loyalty.
“You know what? This is the way I look at it. Ole Miss is going to play Texas in a few weeks in the regular season. You root for your family,” Manning said when asked who he’d choose between Ole Miss and Texas.
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“I basically have maybe two years to root for my nephew in college. So for those two years, or maybe it’s the last year, whatever happens, I’m going to root for my nephew to win every single game that he plays in. And that’s the way it is. And then after that, Texas, well, I won’t care about them that much… I’ll root for Ole Miss to win every other game, probably besides a little bit of that one,” Eli Manning added during his appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast on October 7.
There has been a lot of noise regarding Arch Manning and whether he will leave Texas for the 2027 NFL draft, which gives his uncle, Eli, a small window to cheer for his nephew before he makes his way to the pros.
Pete Golding’s Ole Miss is set to travel to Austin to take on the Longhorns on October 24. And if they don’t meet in the playoffs, that will probably be the only time Eli Manning will be in this tough spot unless Arch Manning returns for another year.
Arch Manning is in his second year as a starter for the Longhorns. While many analysts have touted him to a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL draft, the Texas QB1 can do with another year in college. The Longhorns are currently No. 1, but the offense has yet to realize its full potential.
Morever, by returning, he’d be following the path taken by his uncles: Peyton and Eli Manning. Peyton played all four years for Tennessee and even turned down an opportunity to enter the 1997 NFL Draft early to return to Knoxville for his senior season.
And since Eli redshirted his true freshman season in 1999, he had the opportunity to return to Oxford for his fifth year. That 2003 season changed Eli’s draft stock as he led the Rebels to a 10-3 record and a Cotton Bowl win. He was picked with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Ole Miss has also shown immense love for its former QB. They retired Eli’s No. 10 jersey in 2021, making him just the third player in program history to receive such an honor. Interestingly, Archie Manning, Eli’s father, also has his No. 18 jersey retired at Oxford.
“I love Ole Miss and loved my time here,” Manning said, as reported by Ole Miss on SI in 2021. “I’m still a fan and watch and root for the team. I grew up an Ole Miss fan, coming to games and coming to the Grove, and to be here for five years and have my jersey retired up there next to my dad, and Chucky Mullins is going to be special.”
Eventually, the decision to support another team must have been hard, but it was emotional because, for Eli, family comes first.
“This is a kid I’ve known since he was born,” Eli Manning said on the Pardon My Take podcast. “I’ve played football with him, done drills with him, and taught him the game of football. He’s my brother’s son. He’s family. So you root for family in these scenarios. It’s bigger than your college, and it’s bigger than where you went. It’s your blood. And I’m going to support him 100% on his football journey for the rest of his life.”
Eli has been Arch’s anchor in navigating the psychological and media pressure that follows their surname. He watches all his games and is always his biggest cheerleader. We saw a glimpse of it in their last-minute win against the Buckeyes.
While everyone was enjoying the Texas–Ohio State clash, Eli was nervous and fell completely silent as Arch navigated the high-stakes battle. After they won that game, the uncle simply sent a congratulatory text to his nephew.
But the Ole Miss game is still two weeks away. Week 6 will give Eli a chance to root for Arch in the Red River Rivalry showdown against Oklahoma.
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