By Chris Marler
America loves a comeback story. We also love a rags to riches story. And don’t forget how much we cheer for an “against all odds” story.
You know what America loves more than that though? Tearing down the hero after we built them up. For whatever reason, America loves a downfall. We love being front and center for a train wreck.
Arch Manning doesn’t fall into any of those aforementioned categories. That hasn’t changed people’s feelings whenever they hear his name though. He was the No. 1 Player in the country coming out of high school. He’s currently projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft. And in between now and then, he’s been labeled as the preseason Heisman favorite on a team favored to win the national title.
This is all despite starting two games in two years and just 90 pass attempts last season.
The SEC isn’t necessarily in a down year for quarterbacks. Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers both return and are legitimate top five returning quarterbacks and potential top ten overall draft picks. The SEC is, however, in a year with a ton of new faces and unproven talent. Whether it be the name on the front of his jersey or the last name on the back, the Arch Manning hype has reached levels we haven’t seen in years, maybe decades.
Paul Finebaum said he thinks he’ll be the best quarterback in college football since Tim Tebow. Whether that’s accurate or not, it’s very clear that the hype surrounding him is on par with the former Gator great. Is that deserved? Probably not. Is it going to stop? Absolutely not.
It feels slightly disrespectful to players in this league to dismiss years of experience, starts, and stats that other returning quarterbacks have put up in this league. It also makes sense what some of the pessimists like Steve Spurrier have suggested when they ask if Arch is so good, then how did he sit behind a seventh round draft pick for two straight years? There’s a point to be made for both.
However, the upside and ceiling for what Manning can do in this offense are astronomically high. We saw what Tua Tagovailoa was able to do under Steve Sarkisian in 2019 with similar weapons. Furthermore, Manning will be under the tutelage of a guy that turned Mac Jones into a Top 15 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Sure, there’s a ton of new faces for the weapons he’ll be throwing to and the offensive line that will be blocking for him. Texas isn’t exactly struggling in the recruiting department for either of those positions groups last time I checked.
The biggest question for Arch going into 2025 is how will failure be handled. Make no mistake about it, it’s coming. This will be his first full year as a starter in the toughest league in the country. To make things more difficult, he’ll also open the year with the defending national champions, Ohio State Buckeyes. To make things even more difficult, he’ll also have a giant addition on the back of his jersey just below his last name, a bright red target.
How will Manning handle the failure that comes? It seems almost a certainty that the arm chair quarterbacks and social media keyboard warriors are salivating for the first interception, first loss, or first blemish on what has been a picture perfect resumé so far. How Manning handles the outside noise off the field will be almost as important as how he handles the pre-snap reads on the field.
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