There’s a new era in Texas.
With Longhorns starting signal-caller Quinn Ewers headed to the NFL next season, the Arch Manning era in Austin is set to take over in 2025.
Manning is the nephew of legendary NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, and in the eyes of sponsors and big brands that lineage is a marketing open goal.
With that in mind, energy drink extraordinaires Red Bull have signed Manning to an extremely lucrative deal that has seen his NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) worth skyrocket.
Manning addressed his NIL deal with Red Bull in an interview.
“I really like this partnership. Everyone at Red Bull has been super nice to me and my family and I can’t wait to get it going,” Manning said. “Plus, I like a Red Bull in the morning… We got early meetings, need a little energy.”
Details of the deal have been kept under close wraps, but according to On3, the 19-year-old now has an NIL valuation of $6.6 million.
That stunning fortune means is the highest of any college or high school sports athlete in the United States, above Cooper Flagg and Livvy Dunne.
Flagg is a college basketball star for the Duke Blue Devils and is widely tipped to be the No.1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
He has an NIL valuation of $4.3 million, the second-highest in the country.
Miami Hurricanes QB Carson Beck is third on the list with an NIL valuation of $4.2 million, tied with LSU gymnast and social media star Dunne.
NIL has been a game-changer for student-athletes since the NIL policy change which came into effect in 2021.
The landmark legislation around NIL finally allowed student-athletes to make money from their associated brands for the first time in history.
Once the new policies came into effect, student-athletes like Manning could theoretically make millions of dollars through endorsements before turning pro — which is exactly what they have done.
After redshirting his freshman year in 2023, Manning spent the 2024 season as the primary backup to Longhorns quarterback Ewers.
He appeared in 10 games and made two starts, throwing for 939 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 67.8 percent of his passes.
He also added 108 rushing yards and four more scores, and Texas won both of the games he started.
However, there were murmurs of a possible transfer at the season’s end due to uncertainty surrounding Ewers’ future.
But he stayed put, and with Ewers now off to the NFL, Manning is set to be the face of college football for the 2025 season.
Manning will now have a full season ahead where he can establish himself as the Heisman favorite and clear No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.