Heading into the 2025 season, Texas was the betting favorite to win the national championship, and Arch Manning was the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman trophy. Now, no one is sure of anything.
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The heir to the throne of football’s royal family has looked like anything but through the first two weeks of the season, and even though the Longhorns were able to escape this weekend with a 27-10 victory against the UTEP Miners, the scrutiny surrounding Manning has only intensified.
At one point in the contest, he was responsible for 10 consecutive incomplete passes, and even managed to throw an interception against an incredibly lackluster defense. As a result, he was booed at home, and the internet let him have it as well.
Nevertheless, the former Pittsburgh Steeler turned media personality, Ryan Clark, is ‘rooting for’ the now-unlikely candidate in Manning, who he believes needs an extra bit of ‘time’ before things fully develop.
I think everyone at Texas already knew. Rooting for the kid. It’s going to take time. I hope Arch figures it out. A lot of pressure on him. Can’t be easy when things start going this poorly.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 13, 2025
His fellow analyst, Emmanuel Acho, along with the rest of the internet, took the opportunity to criticize Manning and the hype that surrounded both him and this Texas team prior to the start of the season. The disgraced FS1 personality took to Twitter to voice his opinions on the signal caller, and suffice to say, it was on par with the rest of the criticisms that have been offered up throughout the past several days.
The Miners, according to both Acho and the rest of the nation, were supposed to give Texas an easy win. Unfortunately, they offered too much resistance for everyone’s liking, and now, he’s simply asking for the offense to show a bit more confidence both on the field and in its play calling.
Texas’ offense isn’t good enough right now.
Arch Manning isn’t good enough right now.
These games are supposed to be “tune up” and “confidence building” games.
But we still seem out of tune and our offense has no confidence.
Come on #TexasFootball let’s get it!
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 13, 2025
Unfortunately, for Manning, neither praise nor criticism on the internet will be enough to save him from the spotlight. His last name, as well as his NIL valuations, betting lines, and ESPN coverage, have all helped to turn him into a faux household name, an undeserving authoritative figure in the world of college football.
If there’s anything that Americans hate, it’s a person in a position of privilege who they believe did not earn it. So, unless he’s able to deliver a true Heisman-deserving performance, one that is based on numbers rather than name value, it seems as if Manning is destined to become the laughing stock of college football for the 2025 season.
Up next is the Sam Houston Bearkats, a winless program that just allowed 37 points to the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors. It should be another “give me” for Texas, but given their most recent result, perhaps those kinds of contests no longer exist on their schedule.
At this point in time, it’s put up or shut up for Manning, who needs to start delivering on downfield passes sooner rather than later. Otherwise, he’ll risk jeopardizing the most valuable NIL portfolio in the history of college athletics, and to a greater extent, his own NFL Draft value.
