DALLAS » There was a kind of hush the first time Archie Manning met Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

"He was very quiet," said Manning, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and father of NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning.

Mariota was participating in the Manning Passing Academy.

Manning recalled thinking that Mariota had the skills, but maybe not the vocal leadership needed to be an elite college quarterback.

Mariota, of course, went on to win the 2014 Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best football player. He also appeared twice more at the Manning camp, including as a counselor.

"He got his personality developed along the way," Manning said, "as did his play."

It was three springs ago when ESPN announcer Chris Fowler was invited to Oregon’s spring game.

"He was so quiet," Fowler recalled. Then-head coach Chip Kelley "brought this kid into the office. ‘He’s our backup, probably, but he’s tremendously talented and he’s going to have a good future.’ You couldn’t get four words out of him. But there was a presence about him. You say, ‘I can’t wait to see what this guy becomes.’ But he was not an alpha kind of leader at the quarterback position (at the time)."

Fowler was host of the Heisman Trophy ceremony in December when Mariota delivered a speech that created a statewide chicken-skin epidemic.

"I think the Heisman speech caught me by surprise," Fowler said. "It caught a lot of people by surprise for him to share his story and his soul that way, and break down. I was standing right there, watched his dad, who’s a hard, tough guy. A few tears came to his eyes. His mom was crying. I think people love that moment when you express how much it means to win the award for yourself and your team and your school and your state — and all those levels — and Marcus showing his emotion really won a lot of fans for him."

Fowler said the past Heisman winners in attendance could relate to Mariota’s gratitude.

"Marcus sort of arrived as a national personality — and not just a productive quarterback — that day," Fowler said. "I think it’s carried over."

Kirk Herbstreit, who will be the color analyst for ESPN’s telecast of Monday’s national championship game, said Mariota has "created a legacy" for himself, teammates and "the folks back in Hawaii."

"I know they’re proud of what he’s done," Herbstreit added. "How can you not be? I think he’s been such a great ambassador for this sport. Twenty years from now, when I think back on his season or the year he had or his career, the first thing I’m going to think about is, again, not just his ability to run through defenses for 50 or 60 yards, but the way he carried himself. And the way he’s always said the right things, and just been a great teammate. To me, I always look for that in a superstar. To me, he sets the bar in that area."

Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz described Mariota as "the best (college) quarterback, maybe, in the last few years."

Holtz added: "He reminds me an awful lot of Andrew Luck, except he’s more mobile. He’s very competitive. He’s very accurate. He’s definitely a leader, and he’s done it with class. There’s never been a scandal. There’s never been stories. When you start looking at the next level, you look at every established quarterback in the NFL — the Manning brothers, (Tom) Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco — none of them ever had bad things related to them in high school, college or the pros. You look at the other people who had talent but carried baggage with them, they hadn’t done very well. That’s why I think his future is excellent."

Fowler agreed with the widespread assessment Mariota will need to gain weight and adjust to the intricacies of NFL defenses.

"When he moves on and plays on Sundays, I won’t ever cover him again," Fowler said. "but I’ll be watching. And I’ll be a fan of whatever team he goes to."