Is it too early to give up on Arch Manning?

Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Johntex, CC BY-SA 4.0)

After leading the Longhorns to a 23-6 upset victory against Oklahoma in their iconic Red River Rivalry, Arch Manning proved many critics wrong and displayed his potential as a future star quarterback and living up to his family's athletic legacy.

With so much hype going into his first season as the starting quarterback for Texas, the pressure of being the nephew of NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning may have gotten the best of Arch in his first five games as a starter.

In his first five games as a starter, Manning's early season performances caused the Longhorns to go from a preseason No. 1 ranking to becoming unranked for a week. Manning recorded 1,151 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions in his first five games.

Despite displaying his elite running ability after leading the team in rushing with 160 yards on 43 carries and scoring five rushing touchdowns in his first five games, fans labeled Manning as a “flop" for not having an immediate impact as a potential Heisman trophy winner, which he was predicted to become.

The game against Oklahoma served as a turning point for Manning after completing 21 of 27 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. In press conference settings, Manning has remained poised and has faced criticism head on, demonstrating accountability for his poor performances early one in the season.

I believe Arch's last name has made him a constant target for criticism and the name has caused fans to believe that he will live up to the amount of greatness his family members have in their careers. Manning just needs time to develop as an elite quarterback, and it is just taking him longer to find his rhythm compared to other quarterbacks who are projected to be drafted in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft.

In a few short weeks, Manning has displayed an improvement in confidence and decision-making. After making a handful of unforced errors that consisted of interceptions and struggling to handle the blitz, Manning has become more mature as a player as the game appears to be slowing down for him.

With some tweaks to his footwork while being pressured in a blitz environment and fixing his habit in throwing with a sidearm method, Manning will become the quarterback that everyone has been anticipating him to be.

Overall, with more game experience and leadership development, Manning's moment to shine will come in due time. Once he becomes more familiar with reading defenses and improving his decision-making under pressure, he will be able to maintain composure against top-tier competition. I believe that Manning should not declare for the NFL Draft at the end of this season but run it back with the Longhorns after gaining all the experience from this season to potentially bring a National Championship back to Texas.