On Saturday, September 14, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers sustained an oblique injury during the second quarter of the week three matchup agonist UTSA. This led to Arch Manning being inserted into the game and doing surprisingly well. This has led to Manning starting for the Longhorns and possibly being considered for the Heisman trophy if he continues to go down the path he is going but he would be unlikely to win it. But let’s break down the reasons why Arch Manning could be in the running for the Heisman trophy.

Backup turned to Starter

One reason that Manning has a chance of winning the Heisman is now based upon the fact that he is now the starter for the number one team in the country which is the Longhorns. Now that Ewers is out for a bit due to injury Manning will have a higher chance to win since he will now be starting more games since the only person who was in front of him well is now injured. And because of this occurring Manning will get more playing time to show that he can be a Heisman finalist if he continues to play the caliber of football he is playing. Based on last week’s stats from the game against UTSA, Manning threw for 223 yards, four touchdowns, and completed 9 of 12 passes. Which if he continues to be at the starting quarterback position he could continue to increase these types of numbers which only time will tell for that to occur. Overall, the fact that Manning has been switched for, the role of backup to starter could lead to him being in the position of being in the running for the Heisman trophy.

Has a Chip on His Shoulder Cause of Who He is

Another reason Manning is in the running for the Heisman trophy is not solely on his talent on the field as a quarterback but is also due to his last name being Manning which has had a great legacy in the sport of football in both college and the NFL since his grandfather is Archie Manning as well as his uncles being Peyton and Eli Manning. Which in college Archie threw for 4,753 yards, 31 touchdowns, was named to the All-SEC team in both 1960 and 1970, as well as having his number 18 jersey retired by Ole Miss. While both his uncles Peyton and Eli respectively had great college careers at both Tennessee and Ole Miss, with Peyton having a career at Tennessee that had 39 wins and six loses as a starter, and currently stands as the SEC all-time career passing leader with 11,201 yards and 89 career touchdowns which lead him to be a first round draft pick for the NFL which ultimately lead to two Super Bowl wins and being enshrined into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2021. While Eli at Ole Miss had passed for 10,119 yards and 81 touchdowns in four seasons which led him to be a first round pick in 2004 to the New York Giants. This proves that Arch Manning has a lot to prove while being Texas starting quarterback and also being in the Heisman conversation because of the legacy his last name has cause of being a Manning means he has greater expectations on his shoulders which leads to a small chip that he has on his shoulder while playing for Texas.

The Odds Are In His Favor For Him

Since he had played so well this past Saturday it lead to Manning’s numbers skyrocketing to be in the Heisman conversation which have changed in recent weeks because of the situation he is now in with starting for Texas, which his numbers for being in the conversation for the Heisman are now 150-1. This could help leap him into conversation for the Heisman if he plays well during the UL Monroe game and having Ewers out due to injury could help Manning have the perfect opportunity for him to increase his stats as well as argue a better case for why he should be in the conversation for the Heisman.

Overall, there are a multitude of reasons that some believe that Arch Manning should be in the conversation for the Heisman at the end of the 2024 season and there are others who don’t think so but they can be the judge of that and have their own opinions about it. Only time will tell if Manning will do well in his young career at Texas during the course of the season, and hopefully be in the conversation for the Heisman trophy by the end of it all this season.