Barry Switzer reveals he is cheering for Texas, Arch Manning in text message to grandfather Archie

Arch Manning‘s hype crosses rivalry lines. On Thursday, former Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer posted a screenshot of a text message he’d sent to Manning’s grandfather, Archie, revealing he was rooting for the Sooners’ longtime arch-rival, Texas, in its Week 1 showdown against No. 3 Ohio State.

“Archie, I never thought there would be a day coming that l would be pulling for the University of
Texas!” Switzer wrote in the message.

Evidently, Switzer isn’t the only one who is crossing rivalry lines to root on the Longhorns’ QB1. In Archie Manning reply to Switzer, he revealed former Texas A&M head coach RC Slocum had also texted him, wishing Arch Manning the best of luck.

“R C texted me! So we got an Aggie and a Sooner pulling for Horns. I am honored to have
great friends,” Archie Manning wrote in the text.

While the former New Orleans Saint may be happy to receive well-wishes from his friends, the fanbases of Texas A&M and Oklahoma likely aren’t happy with the sentiment. After all, both schools have bitter rivalries with the Longhorns.

Switzer was the Sooners’ head coach from 1973-88. He won three national championships at Oklahoma and recorded a 9-5-2 record in the Red River Rivalry against the Longhorns.

Switzer was never shy about his disdain for Texas. In the two teams’ 1984 meeting that ended in a tie, Switzer notoriously wore a hat that read, “Beat Texas.” The game ended in a tie that year.

RC Slocum, who was Texas A&M’s head coach from 1989-2002, also has an extensive history with the Longhorns. Slocum went 7-7 against Texas during his tenure at the helm of the Aggies.

While he never discriminated quite as heavily against the Longhorns as Switzer did, he certainly understood the importance of the rivalry. Now, with Barry Switzer at 87 years old and RC Slocum at 80, the pair may have put their feud with Texas behind them for the sake of supporting an old friend.

This season will be Arch Manning’s first as Texas’ full-time starter. There’s rarely been as much hype for a single player in college football history.

In fairness, Manning looked spectacular during his two starts last season while Quinn Ewers was out with an injury. In the two contests, Manning completed 41-of-his-60 pass attempts for 583 yards and four touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. He also recorded 29 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Now, Manning will look to build on his momentum as Texas’ QB1. On Saturday, the Longhorns will square off against Ohio State at noon ET. The game will air live on FOX.