#Prodigy Arch Manning, nephew of Eli and Peyton, is growing into his legacy

Like many rising high school sophomores, 15-year-old Arch Manning had a growth spurt this summer. But Arch — a product of football royalty as Archie Manning’s grandson and namesake — isn’t like other high school kids.

The son of Archie’s eldest son, Cooper, and nephew of expected Hall of Fame quarterbacks Eli and Peyton, is the next rung of the Manning dynasty and is blooming right on schedule.

“Thanks to a growth spurt and some diligent work in the weight room, Newman QB Arch Manning has gone from 6-1, 165 pounds to almost 6-3 and 190 this summer, according to Cooper & Archie Manning,” Jeff Duncan of The Athletic tweeted on Monday. “He looks primed for a big sophomore season at Newman, assuming there is one in 2020.”

Peyton was listed at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds at the 1998 NFL Combine and Eli was listed at 6-foot-5, 221 pounds at the 2004 combine. Both were selected No. 1 overall in their respective drafts and enjoyed prolific careers in the NFL, but Arch could be destined for even more success.

“He’s probably a little ahead of [Peyton and Eli] as a freshman,” Archie told the Indianapolis Star last season of his grandson, who has garnered attention from LSU, the reigning CFP national champions, and received offers from both of his uncles’ alma maters, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Many top college programs started to court the prodigy during his freshman season at Isidore Newman School, a private college prep school in New Orleans attended by Cooper, Eli and Peyton. Both uncles played junior varsity as freshmen, but Arch earned a spot on the varsity squad and finished with 2,407 yards and 34 touchdown passes, the most of any quarterback in the New Orleans area.

This exercise is all too familiar for the 71-year-old patriarch of the Manning clan, who was a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.

“I mean, we did the Friday night thing for years and years. We did Saturday and we’ve done Sundays and it looked like we were about through with that and here we are on Friday nights again,” Archie said. “But it’s fun. There is no greater institution than high school football.”

Arch — whose hairstyle is strongly reminiscent of Giants legend Eli — may be on track to follow in his uncles’ footsteps, but Archie says he reminds him the most of Cooper, whom he says was the best athlete in the family.

“[Cooper] kind of got cheated out of that,” Archie said of his son, a star high school receiver who was headed to Ole Miss before being diagnosed with a rare spinal condition at age 18 that forced him to quit sports. “Had to have big-time surgery and had to give it up.”

Shouldering the Manning legacy can be overwhelming, which is why the family is trying to keep Arch grounded. For the Mannings, that means staying away from social media and press.

“He’s getting a lot of attention. Social media is out there now. That wasn’t around when Peyton and Eli and Cooper went through this,” Archie said. “So Cooper and the coach and the people at Newman are really doing a good job. Our theme is, ‘Let’s let Arch be a freshman.’ He’s really not doing interviews or talking to (college) coaches and those types of things, just trying to play ball.

“That’s the one thing I always told my kids and I’ll tell Arch the day before a game. ‘Go have fun.’”