After two years of waiting behind Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning is now just two days away from walking on the field at Columbus as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback for the first time.
Despite only spending a limited amount of time on the field, Manning has been one of the most hyped up players we’ve seen since Tim Tebow, with analysts like Paul Finebaum even predicting him to be among the most dynamic players in the decade.
The Texas star has already been projected to be the No. 1 draft pick in both 2026 and 2027 while also being the top prospect to win the Heisman Trophy award.
While Manning’s genetics and characteristics help his case, many analysts like Jordan Rodgers believe it’s not nearly enough to match the hype that he’s been getting.
“There are good things and there are some good things, but the hype or the tape to me doesn’t tell you you got a first round draft pick or a top 10 or a number one overall draft pick or a Heisman hopeful. I think he’s going to go into Ohio State and he’s going to struggle because he hasn’t played anybody,” Rodgers stated during his analysis on ESPN’s Get up.
“The last time we saw him against a really good defense was Georgia and he looked out of place, right? He looked really good against UTSA, Louisiana Monroe, and Mississippi State, the worst defense in the SEC. I think there’s still a lot for him to grow and a lot we need to see like Lewis said,” he added.
“The hype doesn’t match the tape.”
—@JRodgers11 on Arch Manning pic.twitter.com/NZJoNAaHAD
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 27, 2025
Arch Manning Shares NFL Draft Plans Following Grandad Archie Manning’s Recent Claims
The Arch Manning NFL Draft debate took a pause recently when his grandpa Archie Manning made a bold statement about the Longhorns star’s future plans.
Archie claimed that Arch is certainly not leaving Texas after the 2025 college football season to go to the league and will come back for another year.
Clearing the air on Archie’s statement, Arch Manning told the media during a press conference on August 20, saying he doesn’t know where Arch got that from and shared that he hasn’t made a decision yet and is going on a day-by-day basis currently.
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