Heisman Hopeful Arch Manning Wears #16 Because of Jaguars' Lawrence

Heisman hopeful and possible top overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, Texas quarterback Arch Manning, had no shortage of inspiration when deciding on what number he would wear. He could wear number 8 in honor of his grandfather, Archie Manning, an NFL legend and member of both the College Football and New Orleans Saints Halls of Fame.  How about 18? That is the number worn by his uncle, Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, who won two Super Bowls and is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game. 18 was also Archie's number at Ole Miss and the number Arch's father, Cooper, wore in high school before a spinal stenosis diagnosis ended his football career before he could ever play a game in college. Then there is number 10, worn by his other uncle, Eli Manning. Though he came up short in his first two years of eligibility, it is widely expected that Uncle Eli will one day join his brother in the Hall of Fame after a career that included leading his New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady's New England Patriots. Surely, the young Manning would choose a number that honors someone from his legendary football bloodline, right? Wrong. Instead, Arch takes the field for the Longhorns donning number 16. Why 16? Because that's the number Peyton Manning wore in his college days at Tennessee? Nope. It's in honor of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence Was A Counselor At Arch's Camp When Arch was in middle school, he attended a football camp. His counselor just happened to be Trevor Lawrence, who made quite an impression on the young quarterback. Manning spoke about the camp and how cool he thought it was having (then) college players take the time to coach the kids. "Seeing college players come back, and looking up to them, I think that's something that inspired me. Even seeing Trevor Lawrence, he's the reason I started wearing 16. Having him as our coach...was a blessing." It's very surprising that Arch Manning comes from such a revered football family yet decided to wear the number 16 because of Lawrence. Manning is expected to be one of the biggest stars in college football this season. The hype surrounding him last year and this year was reminiscent of the hype that Lawrence had during his time at Clemson. Lawrence was the most heralded QB prospect to enter the NFL since Andrew Luck in 2012. Now Manning is the hyped QB expected to win a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy, and become the first pick in the draft. That's a ton of pressure to put on any player, and another thing that Manning and Lawrence have in common. Final Thoughts It is pretty cool that Lawrence had such an impact on a young Arch Manning that it caused Manning to start wearing number 16. Manning and Lawrence appear to have taken the same path to reaching the NFL. Both have been the most-hyped player in college football, as well as the most-scrutinized. Lawrence finally started living up to the hype during his career year last season, which saw him lead the Jaguars to a 13-4 record and be named an MVP finalist. Now we'll see if Manning can live up to his hype and lead Texas to a National Championship like Lawrence did with Clemson.