It’s hard to recall a time when a player has entered the season with as much hype and noise surrounding him as Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, despite Manning having never spent a full season as a starter at the collegiate level.
Paul Finebaum, one of ESPN’s college football analysts, said that Arch “is the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006,” Finebaum said.
Finebaum isn’t the only one singing Manning’s praises, either. ESPN’s NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper ranked Manning as the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 class.
“We put him at No. 1 because we have to. It’s Arch Manning. We saw glimpses last year of the greatness he could provide that Texas offense. Running the football, he’s got great legs. Cooper Manning, his father, was a wide receiver until he got injured. So he’s got speed – something Eli and Peyton didn’t have…”
For his part, Manning is laser-focused on the task ahead. He and the Longhorns are headed to Columbus, OH, to take on the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes for their season opener.
Ahead of the contest, Manning is letting everyone know, including the Buckeyes, that despite all the noise surrounding him and the Texas program, the Longhorns aren’t distracted.
“The target’s not on our back. We have a red dot on everyone else,” he said.
Fans reacted to Manning on social media.
“Sam Ehlinger mindset with Quinn Ewers Talent. We’re winning the ship,” one Texas fan wrote on Twitter.
“Remember this post. Arch may win back to back nattys and go down as better than Tebow,” another fan added.
“Targets not on their back because they didn’t beat anyone even mildly impressive last year. Not sure why they and PSU get so much hype after losing their important reg season games and then gifted incredible playoff paths, one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see how Manning and the Longhorns fare in Columbus this weekend.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.