“It doesn’t sell”: Arch Manning’s father Cooper warns son about pitfalls of taking up Texas leadership

Cooper Manning has opened up about what he wants his son, Arch Manning, to be wary of for the 2025 season. Arch is set to be the Texas Longhorns' starting quarterback after Quinn Ewers left the team and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

On Friday, Cooper appeared on the "Under the Number Podcast," advising his son before his sophomore year with the Longhorns. He warned the quarterback that he has to be genuine as Texas' new leader to gain respect from his teammates.

"Arch, now is at a place now where he's a leader of a team, and some of those, you know, you don't really get to be a leader when you're a backup," Cooper said (11:18).

"Quarterback sometimes is the leader of things and you have to lead in different ways. You know, you can be a yeller, you can be a worker, you can pick your spots carefully. So, but, I think it's got to be genuine, and if it looks forced and it doesn't feel right, it doesn't sell."

Cooper Manning shares what advice his father gave him about leadership

Cooper Manning also discussed the leadership advice his father, Archie Manning, gave him and his brothers, Eli and Peyton Manning. Cooper revealed that Archie taught them that their peers will respect them if they are hard workers.

"I think most of what he taught is, you know, if you're doing the work, then when you do step up and kind of have to get on somebody, then they'll respect it," Cooper said (10:51).

"If you're, you know, the first one in and the last one out and then you're dropping the hammer on somebody, he's going to at least say 'This guys, you know, he's paying his dues. He deserves to have that spot and be able to, you know, rip me one time."

The leadership advice Archie gave his three sons led to their successful careers in their respective fields.

Peyton and Eli became NFL legends and Super Bowl champions. Meanwhile, Cooper has a career as an entrepreneur and a contributor for Fox NFL Kickoff, conducting interviews and hosting "The Manning Hour."

Arch hopes to follow his father's advice and become a great quarterback like his uncles. He'll try to lead Texas to an appearance in the College Football Playoff and potentially a national championship game.