Much has been said about the possible future of Texas Longhorns backup quarterback Arch Manning.
Should he stay? Should he move? Will he be just a starter after Quinn Ewers leaves? Is he a future No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft?
The answer to all of these questions is truly unknown right now. Manning has yet to take a significant college football snap and has nothing to his name other than pedigree and an impressive spring game.
However, if he hopes to live up to his legacy, former NFL quarterback and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees offered him some advice and encouraged him to stay in Austin as long as possible.
“The best thing for Arch Manning is to spend five years at the University of Texas,” Brees told the Athletic. I’m going to pause and let everybody digest this for a moment. It’s easy for him to be in a system, be in a program, learn from one of the best QB developers, Steve Sarkisian, and the rest of the team they put together. He’s going to the SEC now, right?”
“He’s going to play against some of the best talent in college football. The best thing for him would be to just stay there, focus, learn, grow, develop, become an incredible leader for this team and compete for national championships. Then he’ll be best prepared when he goes to the NFL.”
This is obviously not the typical advice you hear for aspiring NFL quarterbacks.
However, Brees should know a lot about success, as he ended his career as one of the most decorated football players in American history.
Not only was he one of the elite quarterbacks at Westlake in Austin, where he threw for over 5,000 yards and led the Chapparals to a 28-0-1 record and a state title in two seasons, but he was also one of the nation’s best quarterbacks at Purdue, setting two NCAA records and 19 school records and holding the Big Ten records for passing yards, touchdowns and completions.
He spent four seasons with the Boilermakers, three of them as a starter, before moving to the NFL, where he started with the San Diego Chargers.
After his stint with San Diego, he signed with the Saints, where he became a true NFL legend. He won a Super Bowl, two NFL Offensive Player of the Year Awards, the Walter Payton Man of the Year, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and was named to five All-Pro teams and 13 Pro Bowls. He also led the NFL in passing seven times, completion percentage six times, and passing touchdowns four times.
By the time he hung up his boots, he had already scored over 80,000 yards and 571 touchdowns – making him the second-best player in NFL history in both categories.
So yes, maybe Brees knows a thing or two about what makes a successful quarterback.
And maybe Manning should listen.
