Arch Manning's crowd, Quinn Ewers loner? The story behind the Texas football viral photo
NEW ORLEANS — Everybody in the room, including American-Statesman photographer Aaron Martinez, knew all of the attention for Texas' Sugar Bowl media day on Saturday would be on backup quarterback Arch Manning.
For good reason, too. The media hadn't gotten access to the five-star freshman with the legendary last name since he stepped foot in Austin. Manning drew a crowd of 20 or more, distracting them from the quarterback who will actually start in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Monday against Washington: quarterback Quinn Ewers.
And that gave Martinez an opportunity for a viral moment.
"As soon as Manning sat down, he just got swarmed," Martinez said. "And like, you know, commotion going on, people trying to talk to him and then that's when Quinn turned around and looked at him. I was like, yeah, here's my photo I needed."
It's a striking picture that has since gone viral on social media, offering Internet fame to whoever crafts the best meme out of it. Some fans have taken the righteous route, shaking their heads and saying that their starting quarterback deserves better than to be one-upped by the freshman who was the third-string quarterback just a few weeks ago.
Though it portrays Ewers as a loner compared to his backup, the two players actually have a close friendship. During their time in New Orleans, Manning invited Ewers and some other teammates to his Louisiana home for a home-cooked meal and spoke glowingly of him in his media time.
More: Arch Manning's celebrity makes him the Taylor Swift of college football backups | Bohls
Nevertheless, was Ewers actually envious of the crowd surrounding Manning? Martinez believes that it was actually the opposite.
"He seemed more relaxed than usual because he didn't have the pressure of having to talk to 50 people at once," Martinez said.
Watch: Arch Manning on his first year with Texas
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Arch Manning's crowd, Quinn Ewers lonely? Explaining the viral photo
