In NCAA college football, all the attention will be on Arch Manning’s shoulders as he becomes the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns after spending two years on the bench behind Quinn Ewers-who will be on an NFL team within a week.
Manningpassed on programs like Ole Miss and Tennessee, where his uncles Eli and Peyton played, to suit up for the historic Longhorns. He’s already started two games for Texas and has a 2-0 record, but now the real challenge begins. And just as there are fans who are rooting for him, there are others who doubt him and even hope he fails.
Arch Manning causes chaos at Texas campus as students scramble to stop him
Arch Manning could become a villain in the NCAA
College GameDay host Rece Davis from ESPN believes the pressure will rise significantly when Manning makes his season debut in 2025 as Texas faces off against Ohio State. Davis said that Arch is destined to become a “villain” in the sport.
“This is what I think is going to happen with Arch, and it’s unfortunate. Because of the attention he’s going to get, he’s going to become a fan favorite outside of Texas. And to others outside of Texas, he’s going to become the ultimate villain,” said Davis. “And I’m not just talking about Oklahoma fans. It’s like that analogy I always use-when people hype up a restaurant, a movie, or a TV show, saying it’s amazing, it’s must-see, it’s the best-eventually, because of human nature and cynicism, others will start rooting against it. That’s going to happen with Arch.”
“People who aren’t predisposed to like him-whether they’re not Texas fans, or they don’t like the Manning family, or they’re not into ‘ManningCast’, or they just feel like it’s all happening too fast-they’re going to want him to fail.”
There’s no doubt that Arch Manning will have the spotlight on him, not only because of his famous family, but also because of the immense talent he brings. And if he declares for the NFL Draft in 2026 or 2027, there’s little question that he’ll be the top overall pick.