Arch Manning entered his first full season as the Texas Longhorns’ starting quarterback with an unbelievable amount of hype despite having neve been the full-time starter at the collegiate level. Paul Finebaum, one of ESPN’s premier college football analysts, said Manning, “is the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006.”
Finebaum wasn’t the only one so high on Manning, either. ESPN’s draft expert Mel Kiper ranked him as the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 class.
“We put him at No. 1 because we have to. It’s Arch Manning. We saw glimpses last year of the greatness he could provide that Texas offense. Running the football, he’s got great legs. Cooper Manning, his father, was a wide receiver until he got injured. So he’s got speed – something Eli and Peyton didn’t have…” Kiper said.
With so much hype surrounding him, it’s hard to blame Manning for being confident in his own ability. Prior to the Longhorns’ season opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Manning made waves across the college football landscape with an impressive quote.
“The target’s not on our back. We have a red dot on everyone else,” he said.
Unfortunately, Manning struggled in the game against the Buckeyes. He didn’t finish with awful stats, throwing for 170 yards, one touchdown, and an interception, but the Longhorns’ offense looked completely out of its depth for the bulk of the contest.
Now, Manning is admitting that it was rough and that he’s looking to move on.
“I think it was a long 24 hours, but I think I got it all out of the way. Watched the tape with everyone this morning – the good, the bad, the ugly – and then now we’re full on to San Jose State – I guess after this media [session] and we stop talking about it,” he said, according to Texas reporter Anwar Richardson.
Fans reacted to the statement on social media.
“I’ve watched multiple highlights from Arch in HS. Why aren’t people pointing out the competition he played against in HS wasn’t good? There’s a video circulating with a player that probably runs a 6+ second 40 chasing Arch out the pocket,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Both teams are nowhere close to finished products. It’s one NCG get over it. As an Ohio State fan I’ve already moved on to Grambling St. My gosh yeah the young man looked a little rusty he also had some elite throws. Move on. Long season,” someone else added.
“Doesn’t hold a candle to Ewers timing and overall throwing, and he’s an injury waiting to happen when running the ball like that. So good to see this after the fan base wrote Ewers off immediately. That said, I hope Arch improves but he’s not gonna throw better,” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for Arch and the Longhorns.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.