From early struggles to recent explosive performances, Arch Manning is rewriting the narrative, proving his potential with strong outings for Texas.
Pressure.
It’s an inescapable feeling in all of sports, especially college football. The pressure to showcase that you’re deserving of your scholarship. The pressure to make a team and earn yourself the right to be named a starter. Or, more commonly, the pressure to win.
Sometimes it’s a necessity. After all, as the old adage goes, pressure makes diamonds. But like all things in life, there’s a limit. There’s only so much pressure one human being can withstand before they collapse in on themselves like a black hole.
There’s no one in college football who understands the concept of pressure quite like the quarterback of the Texas Longhorns. This is a man who came in with the entire world of college football watching, not because of his rating or his recruitment profile, but for the seven letters on his back.
Combine those letters with the horns on his helmet, and everybody from the mainstream media to the regular Joe sitting on his couch every Saturday is waiting to pounce on any slip-up he makes.
At first, the critiques seemed somewhat fair. After all, Arch Manning was struggling to do even the bare minimum at home against Power Four teams. But like all good things in life, it takes time.
Now, Manning’s playing better football than he has all season. Throwing for 300+ yards and three touchdowns over the past two games, he’s begun to erase the narrative that everyone once thought was written in ink.
"He's really growing up before our eyes, and he's making great decisions," Steve Sarkisian said after Texas’ win against Vanderbilt. "(I'm) very proud of him. It (has) been a long year. He (has) been through a lot and so, for him to have some of the success he's having right now–he deserves it."
When Texas fell out of the rankings after losing to Florida, everyone was quick to criticize the young quarterback. Whether it’s being labeled as college football’s “first flop” or a nepo baby undeserving of the hype, there were few to no limits when it came to critiques.
Luckily for Texas fans, Manning isn’t a massive star that’s turned into a black hole. Instead, he’s blossomed into something better, something worth looking at. Mannings turned into a supernova.
Even if Texas doesn’t make the playoffs, there’s something to be celebrated in Manning’s growth. Because odds are this season won’t be the last time we see him in burnt orange. Like it or not, Manning is Texas’ leader for the foreseeable future. So let’s just take the time to appreciate just how far he’s come.