'I think I've figured out this NIL stuff' – Texas QB Arch Manning has learned the most important secret in college football
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning isn't exactly the poster boy for the NIL era of college football. At a time when college football recruiting is often driven by lucrative NIL deals, Arch’s recruitment a couple of years ago felt like a throwback to an era when relationships and fit were all that mattered. But while […]
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning isn't exactly the poster boy for the NIL era of college football.
At a time when college football recruiting is often driven by lucrative NIL deals, Arch’s recruitment a couple of years ago felt like a throwback to an era when relationships and fit were all that mattered.
But while Arch isn't focused on making money while playing at Texas, he's still one of the biggest names in the sport. And NIL opportunities are obviously being presented to him on a weekly (if not daily) basis.
Arch, like any high profile athlete, is taking advantage of some of those opportunities — but only when they feel right (such as his deal with Red Bull).
Having the right gut feeling about a deal is key for Arch, which is something that his father, Cooper Manning, says the young quarterback recently discovered.
"We never talked money, ever, before he figured out where he wanted to go to college," said Cooper during an appearance on the Under the Numbers Podcast. "We never discussed it with the coaches or anybody that [NIL] was a factor. Make a decision on where you want to go to school [based on] where you're going to be happy. Where do you think you fit in, can make friends, will like the coaches, and are going to be happy? If the whole football thing doesn't work out, where would you want to go to school? And so he made those decisions on his own."
"Arch said the other day, 'Dad I think I've figured out this NIL stuff — if it doesn't feel right in my gut, don't do it,'" continued Cooper. "And I said, 'Buddy, that's the way it works for 99 percent of the world'. If you're dating a gal and you're like, I'm not sure this is working, you know, then it's probably not working. Or if you just get a bad feeling about something — the gut is hard to fight. And I think if you grew up around some things, and you kind of know the difference between right and wrong, the gut will lead you the right way. And I think he's had ample opportunities to do some things that just didn't quite make sense for what he's all about. And he just passed. I think he's really concentrating on the task at hand."
That may sound simple, but it's a lesson that not every athlete (or people in general) learns at the right time.
And the amazing thing about all of this is that Cooper, along with Arch's mom, Ellen, gave Arch the space to figure this out on his own (guided, of course, by the support they provided along the way).
The best lessons — the ones that truly stick — are the ones that are learned on your own.
Nico Iamaleava and Arch Manning suddenly have even more in common than we realized
That’s college football for you
