Cooper Manning talks Arch, life as a football dad and much more | Always College Football

Cooper Manning joins Greg McElroy to discuss what it is like being a parent of an elite college football player, what people get wrong about raising athletes, how to convince young players to be humble and what it is like navigating today’s hyper-analysis of college football players as a parent. Plus, we hit the mailbag and answer questions about the “next Indiana”, the NCAA going nuclear, AD’s new dilemma and the potential of the Super League in the near future.

0:00 There is no offseason in college football
2:58 Cooper Manning joins the show
3:45 Growing up in the Manning household
5:25 The different personalities of the Manning brothers growing up
9:10 Why not focusing on one position or sport helped shape the family
11:00 How important it is to be relaxed around young athletes as a parent
12:45 What are we getting wrong about raising elite athletes
12:15 How to convince premier athletes (like Arch) to be humble and simple
14:50 Cooper talks about Arch’s recruitment
17:00 Picking the right university is a BIG process - how Arch ended up at Texas
20:10 What is was like “embracing” the weight of playing time
23:50 Cooper’s parenting philosophy was shaped throughout his life
25:50 How Cooper has dealt with criticism towards Arch from the media
28:15 Mailbag
28:40 Will any teams get punished by the NCAA portal penalties in 2026?
32:30 Who is the next “Indiana”?
38:50 If you were an AD would you go for a proven winner or “can’t miss” head coach?
43:50 Will big time programs end up leaving their conferences?
49:25 Will conferences really ever pool media rights together like the NFL?

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