Peyton Manning sat down on The Pat McAfee Show and talked about watching Arch Manning at the Manning Passing Academy. What he said about his nephew turned a lot of heads.

Peyton is a five-time NFL MVP. He knows what arm talent looks like better than almost anyone. And when he watched his nephew, Arch, throw at camp, he was amazed.

"They make throws that I wouldn't even think about making," Peyton said on the show. "Arch made a throw the other day that I'd have to hit the cutoff man to get the ball to the actual receiver."

But the arm was not even the part that surprised Peyton most. It was the mobility. Archie Manning is fast, and as per Peyton, this trait skipped a generation.

"My dad's speed sort of skipped a generation, skipped me and Eli, and I think Arch has that," Peyton said. "Look, Arch has got to be his own person. And he can move."

That is not just talk. Arch clocked a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, confirmed by On3, and hit 21.7 mph on the field in 2025, the fastest recorded top speed by any quarterback that season. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who ran a 4.21 at the combine, said Arch could beat him in a 10-yard dash. That is genuinely fast for a quarterback.

An arm that makes throws Peyton would not attempt, plus the speed Peyton never had. That is a scary combination for every defense in the SEC.

Peyton also talked about the personality side. Arch carries himself with a confidence that Peyton traces straight back to his father Cooper Manning.

"I think that little swagger comes from his dad, and that's good to see," Peyton said.

It was not just the physical tools that impressed him. The whole package did.

What Arch Manning Has Already Shown on the Field at Texas

Arch only started 13 games in 2025, stepping in for the injured Quinn Ewers.  He made 248 passes for 3,163 yards, 26 TD, and 7 interceptions.

That mobility Peyton talked about showed up right away. Four rushing touchdowns in two starts is not a coincidence. It is exactly the kind of dual-threat ability that makes him so hard to game plan for.

Going into 2026 as Texas's full-time starter, Arch is already the Heisman favorite. ESPN's Paul Finebaum said he could become the best college quarterback since Tim Tebow, and Peyton clearly sees it too.

Do you think Arch Manning can live up to the massive expectations at Texas in 2026? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at the Michigan Football Community

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi