Report: Texas QB Arch Manning Got Big Pay Day For Promoting College Football 25

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning will be featured in EA Sports’ College Football 25 video game.

Matt Galatzan | Jul 10, 2024

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) carries out the American flag prior to a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Texas Longhorns

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is officially “in the game" after it was announced Tuesday that the young signal-caller will be featured in the upcoming EA Sports College Football 25 video game.

Manning hadn’t yet opted into the game ahead of its highly-anticipated release on July 19, but fans were treated to a surprise when he dropped a video on his X (Twitter) account that featured an appearance from his legendary uncle, Eli Manning, in order to reveal the news.

According to reports from On3’s Pete Nakos, it took a pretty penny to get Manning to promote the game.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before the game against the BYU Cougars at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday October 28, 2023. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA

"NIL Whispers: EA Sports paid Texas QB Arch Manning between $50-60K to promote College Football 25, On3 has learned,” Nakos tweeted. "The former No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class will also receive $600 and a copy of the game for opting in.”

Considering this high price tag, EA Sports clearly expects that having Manning in the game will pay off in the long run. Even as the backup to Quinn Ewers, Manning is one of the most popular names in the world of college football, meaning fans might likely go out of their way to purchase the game in order to play as him.

This past season, Manning only played in two contests and didn’t appear in his first career college game until the regular-season finale against Texas Tech. He finished that 57-7 win going 2 of 5 passing for 30 yards while adding a 12-yard run. He then took the final snaps in Texas’ 49-21 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship.

In the spring game this past April, he finished 19 of 25 passing for 355 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

Published Jul 10, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.