Arch Manning’s 2025 season has been a rollercoaster so far. After initially struggling against teams like OSU and UTEP, Manning began showing flashes of brilliance, especially in the Sam Houston Bearkats game, where he scored 3 TDs with a season-best completion rate of 85.7%. But before the Longhorns star could build on that form, he suffered a concussion against Mississippi State a week ago.
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Then on Saturday, the Texas quarterback seemed to silence all the doubts around him, at least temporarily. Returning from the concussion, the sophomore led the Longhorns to a hard-fought 34-31 win over No. 9 Vanderbilt, reigniting both Texas’ playoff hopes and, surprisingly, his own Heisman chatter.
In front of the home crowd at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Manning went 25-of-33 for 328 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first player in Texas history to record 300 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a 75% completion rate against a top-10 opponent.
“Maybe the concussion helped,” Manning joked postgame. However, there was little humor in his execution, for he shredded Vanderbilt’s blitz-heavy defense, completing 8-of-10 passes for 145 yards and all three scores under pressure.
That’s why the ABC/ESPN broadcast crew decided to lean fully into the narrative of Arch Manning’s Heisman comeback. Broadcaster Sean McDonough, referencing Manning’s resurgence, said,
“Arch Manning was the preseason [Heisman] favorite … he’s fallen completely off the board. He’s on target again and might be reigniting candidacy with this performance!”
Fellow broadcaster and analyst Greg McElroy also backed the take, calling Manning’s comeback from adversity “a lot.”
“To have that experience now, still with everything to play for — knowing that you can take the absolute heat that he’s taken and bounce back… says a lot,” he said.
And when the Longhorns QB capped off a third-quarter drive with a precision touchdown pass, McElroy doubled down: “Steve Sarkisian’s got Arch Manning playing like his uncles after all.”
Heading into a commercial break after Arch Manning’s third TD pass, Greg McElroy dishes even higher praise:
“Steve Sarkisian, he’s got Arch Manning playing like his uncles after all.” pic.twitter.com/h2B8QhzlUf
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 1, 2025
This sequence of chatter was enough to enrage CFB fans, who were tired of listening to Arch Manning’s Heisman chances despite not showing a worthy body of work.
“One good game and he is a Heisman candidate again? If the back of the jersey said “Smith”, that stupid comment would have never been uttered,” wrote one. “One of the dumber things you will ever hear said on national tv,” said another.
“The only thing that today’s game proved is that Arch Manning can throw a swing pass left and a swing pass right. I don’t think he threw a ball more than 20 yards downfield that did any damage. Vanderbilt’s defense was horrible,” added a third.
As is evident, for many online users, the praise felt premature and misplaced. And we agree.
Across the country, the Heisman race is already fierce and defined by elite consistency that Manning hasn’t quite shown. As of now, Alabama’s Ty Simpson (+325) and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (+325) are tied atop the odds after leading their programs to 7–1 and 8–0 records, respectively.
Both have been near flawless… Simpson with 2,184 yards, 20 TDs, and just one interception, and Mendoza boasting 1,923 yards, 23 TDs, and a 72.9% completion rate.
Further down the list are names like Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who nearly orchestrated a comeback against Manning with 365 yards and four total touchdowns on Saturday.
In comparison, Manning has 1,795 passing yards, 15 TDs, 6 Interceptions, and a QBR of 63.4 this season. So, while his bounce-back was encouraging, fans weren’t wrong to question the timing of the “Heisman revival” narrative.
Still, there’s no denying the optics: Manning looks more confident, his offense is finally functional, and his leadership more assured. As head coach Steve Sarkisian put it, “He just looks so much more mature, poised, and confident… and he’s got a lot more trust in those guys around him.”
With a bye week before travelling to face No. 5 Georgia, the Longhorns and Manning have little room for error. If he can back up the broadcast hype in Athens, maybe the Heisman talk won’t sound so far-fetched. But for now, it feels like college football’s media machine is running a little faster than Manning’s resume.
