Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been anointed as the heir apparent in his family seemingly since birth—but even he appears to understand talent only takes one so far.
In that vein, Manning outlined to reporters at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, La., how he's been preparing for the 2025 season. Specifically, he pointed to two NFL quarterbacks whose tape he's been studying.
“I’m watching a lot of Josh Allen and Joe Burrow right now. Those are my guys," Manning said via On Texas Football. “They’re dogs. I’ve watched some of their college film. They’re just good players, elite competitors and fun to watch.”
It's a curious pair of choices. While both have become elite professional quarterbacks, only Burrow—an easy choice on any list of the greatest college signal-callers of all-time—found true NCAA success. Allen, on the other hand, posted shaky numbers for mediocre Wyoming teams—though his physical tools encouraged the Bills to defy public apprehension and take him No. 7 in the 2018 draft.
Manning pointed, however, to Allen's improvisational savvy as his reason for watching the NFL MVP.
“He’s just the ultimate football player. If something’s not there he’s going to make something happen and do whatever he can to make his team win,” the Longhorns' quarterback said.
Texas is scheduled to open its season on Aug. 30 at Ohio State, the defending national champion and the Longhorns' Cotton Bowl conqueror in January.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arch Manning Names the Two NFL Quarterbacks He's Studying Most.