Wanna know what’s wrong with college football today? While there are countless things to point to, a couple of texts I received from Power Five coaches this week tell the tale.
“Is Arch Manning afraid of competition?”
And…
“Arch needs to get in the portal. He’s not hungry enough.”
And there you have it. Arch Manning, Texas QB and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, can’t win. Before we continue, I’ll repeat what I’ve said about Arch — I think he’s overrated as the No. 1 recruit in the country in the 2023 class, and if his last name was Smith, he probably would have been a three-star based solely on film evaluation against a weak level of competition. I’m not hating on the kid. It’s just my opinion after seeing thousands of QBs over the last quarter century. But still, the kid can’t win.
Manning sat behind Quinn Ewers at Texas this season and was behind Maalik Murphy as a third-stringer. He completed two of five passes for 30 yards and kept his redshirt season. All of that was honestly the plan between the Manning family and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. So, essentially, everything went according to plan.
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But here we are, and some unexpected things have occurred. While Ewers hasn’t said he’ll be back, rumor has it that he will return this season rather than go into a crowded QB group in the NFL Draft. Most, including the Mannings, thought this would be Ewers’ last season at Texas, paving the way for Arch to be the starter next year. And while Maalik Murphy has finally entered the transfer portal, there was some debate as to whether he would leave as well. With all of this swirling around after Texas won the Big 12, there were legit rumors that Manning might enter the portal and head to Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miami, or someplace else. But those rumors were false, and Arch will be back next season.
And that information led to those texts. Had Manning jumped into the portal, everyone would have said he was soft and didn’t want to earn his starting role at Texas. He would have been labeled spoiled and impatient. And now that he’s staying in place to happily back up Ewers for yet another season, he lacks hunger and competitive drive. No winning.
It is odd in this day and age for a player with such notoriety and potential to stay patient and possibly sit for two seasons. It’s kind of unheard of, actually. Carson Beck at Georgia has waited his turn, but he wasn’t anything close to Manning out of high school. Jalen Milroe waited his turn at Alabama, and there are many other examples, but when QBs are entering the portal for new starts left and right, it just feels weird to see Manning sit so still. As I wrote previously, he doesn’t need to do much with his last name as one good season in college makes him a first-rounder and possible No. 1 pick overall. There’s no rush. But now the questions are being asked — does he want it bad enough?
And there you have it — something really wrong with college football. Manning committed to Texas, his only commitment without any drama or flip-flopping. He’s been a high-character teammate for the Longhorns and will continue to support Ewers as much as he can. And the sky won’t fall if he’s not a starter until 2025.
So, I guess to those who question how hungry he is, maybe you have a point. Heck, I don’t know. But with all this transfer portal nonsense and so many kids quitting at the first sign of adversity and looking for a new home immediately. It’s kind of refreshing to see a kid of this stature wait his turn when he clearly could start for dozens of other big programs. Maybe Arch is the one we should pay attention to the most for the best reason — a commitment to his team and college and not just jumping around for no reason and NIL dollars.
