Eli Manning offers advice for Arch following Quinn Ewers’ return for 2024

Eli Manning does not expect Arch Manning to hit the transfer portal in the spring, and it’s certainly not the advice the 2-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback would give to his nephew.

This past week, Eli was a part of the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games and also made some media appearances in Las Vegas ahead of the Super Bowl. On Friday, Manning appeared on “The Zach Gelb Show” and was asked about Arch’s potential plans at Texas.

After redshirting as a true freshman, Manning’s path to playing time with the Longhorns remains blocked after Quinn Ewers opted to return for another season. Ewers’ return is a big reason Texas is a top 4 team in the early national championship odds for the 2024 season, but it could mean Manning does not see significant playing time until 2025. Fans can track the line movement throughout the offseason with SDS’s family of mobile sportsbook apps.

Still, Ewers’ presence has not deterred Eli from what he would advise Arch to do:

“He picked Texas because that’s where he wants to be, that’s where he wants to play football. He likes coach Sarkisian and his offense and what they’re doing,” said Eli. “He knew last year that he was going to go, he was going to redshirt, get some playing time.

“The plan was Ewers would maybe go into the NFL, but he’s there. It’s another year for Arch to mature, learn the offense and get bigger and stronger in the weight room and always be prepared to play.”

Eli went on to say he understands the current era allows players to transfer easily, but he does not believe players should always exercise that movement just because they aren’t playing early:

“The fact that you can transfer so easily now doesn’t mean you should do it just because you’re not playing right away. A lot of QBs when I was in college, that was always the gameplan. You redshirt, you sit a year, you have 3 years of eligibility,” Eli explained. “That’s what I did at Ole Miss, and I think it helped me. I know he wants to play, but being patient and continuing to learn can be very good as well.”

With Quinn Ewers starting for Texas in 2024, Eli Manning says he wouldn’t advise Arch Manning to hit the transfer portal in April. @CBSSportsRadio @EliManning @ArchManning #HookEm pic.twitter.com/HLp5RBAwac

— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) February 9, 2024

This past season, Ewers completed 69% of his passes for nearly 3,500 yards with 27 total touchdowns and 6 interceptions. While Manning did see brief action, he attempted just 5 passes during his first season on campus. Now, Manning is likely to spend most of the 2024 season backing up Ewers for another year before we get to 2025.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.