The Arch Manning era for the Texas Longhorns may not take shape on the field right away, but that didn't stop a collector from spending six figures on the quarterback's first trading card.
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On Saturday, Manning's first card sold at auction on Panini America's website, breaking records.
The card, a Prizm Black autographed card, is a one-of-one produced by Panini and sold for $102,500. The old record was set by a one-of-one Luka Doncic National Treasures card that sold for $100,000.
Arch Manning's trading card is the highest-selling through Panini America's website, beating out a one-of-one Luka Doncic national treasures card that sold for $100K. pic.twitter.com/eaygKEHKuh
— ESPN (@espn) July 31, 2023
Proceeds of the massive sale are headed to a Central Texas nonprofit with some help from St. David's HealthCare and St. David's Foundation, according to ESPN's Twitter account.
As of this writing, the buyer is unknown, but they will be able to participate in a meet-and-greet with Manning, catch passes and present the check for the proceeds.
From here, Manning will continue collaborating with Panini under his NIL deal to develop more cards.
The Already-Growing Legend of Arch Manning
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
For Manning, who was the top-ranked recruit in the 2022 class, this sale was part of his first NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal with Texas. As the son of Cooper Manning and the nephew of superstars Peyton and Eli, expectations are sky-high for the young Longhorns quarterback. The young quarterback received interest from top-tier programs across the country, including the alma maters of his uncles in Ole Miss and Tennessee, but ultimately chose to play for Texas to try and establish his own college football legacy in Austin.
Heading into the 2023 college football season, Quinn Ewers is set to be the Longhorns' starting quarterback. Still, all signs point to an Arch Manning-led Texas squad in 2024 as the team heads off to the Southeastern Conference. The hot seat will be on Ewers immediately out of the gate, with Manning waiting in the wings if he struggles to perform in front of the Longhorns faithful.
The Longhorns' season begins on Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET at home against Rice.
