EA Sports’ College Football 26 cover athlete reveal on Tuesday confirmed last month’s reports — Arch Manning isn’t included on the video game’s overlay. FOX Sports RJ Young explained why he believes the Texas quarterback chose not to be featured.
RJ Young Explores Why Arch Manning Didn’t Pose For Video Game Cover
The second release of the rebooted video game franchise presents several of the sport’s biggest stars on its cover. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Alabama’s Ryan Williams stand at the forefront, but it’s hard to think Manning wouldn’t have been given a prominent focus, as well.
Manning and Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian declined an invitation to the Rose Bowl to pose for the cover last month.
“I think, with Arch Manning, you’re dealing with, ‘I get to make the market.’ Which, my goodness, dude, I can count on one hand how many people actually get to say that and it actually means what it means,” Young said Tuesday on “Adapt & Respond with RJ Young.”
“If you get to set the price on who and what gets to purchase you, that’s the dream. Because you don’t need to chase money, you also don’t need to chase business, and you can do business with only the people you want to.”
Last season, Manning was paid between $50,000 and $60,000 to be included in the game. The majority of players received $600 and a copy of the game for their name, image, and likeness.
“The thing that was supposed to happen is we get to play this game again, and we get to see the players that we know by their names,” Young said. “Using their freaking names underneath the reticle, right? It’s one thing to see ‘Player 12.’ It’s another thing to see ‘Travis Hunter.’ Now that the game has gotten so much bigger, even than it was when this game was last made, we get to have so much more fun with this.
“I thought that everybody would jump at the opportunity to not just play this game, but be featured in it.”
Manning doesn’t seem to be driven by the same motivators as many of his peers, such as UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava, who transferred from Tennessee and is reportedly asking for higher pay.
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“The way he has built his image has been to push away all these things that are about monetary gain,” Young said. “That is not to say that he hasn’t partaken in any Name, Image, and Likeness endorsements…”
“But, he’s been very, very selective about who and what he wants to lend his Name, Image, and Likeness to, which is very smart. Not just because it’s smart business, but he is a Manning. He is a third-generation legacy of one of the first football families we have.”
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