Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning once again received the nepotism allegation before the 2025 season.
In less than a month, the Texas Longhorns will travel to "The Shoe" to take on the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes in perhaps the most anticipated Week 1 matchup of all time.
It's a rematch of the College Football Playoff semifinal, but with so much turnover on both rosters, the attention turns to new third-year player and first-time Texas starting quarterback Arch Manning, who will begin his quest for a title and to be the first player off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Arch fanfare has been at a fever pitch from the second he arrived in Austin two years ago, but with so little production on the field at this level, is his last name doing too much heavy lifting?
While guest-hosting FS1's "The Herd," analyst Danny Parkins suggested the buzz around Arch is now contingent on his famous uncles.
"We get to see if Arch Manning can live up to this ridiculous and unprecedented hype," Parkins said. "If his name were Arch Jones, we wouldn't be talking about him as the number one overall pick. We need to see if this kid is legit—he might be, I don't know."
There's a whiff of truth in Parkins' take, because it's rare to see this level of intrigue last for a player who has been on the bench for his last few campaigns.
But Arch was the top-ranked recruit on 247 and Rivals and is under center for one of the most prominent programs in the country. He was always going to generate discussion.
There should be some natural reservations about crowning the 21-year-old before this crucial season, but he has elite tools and a roster and coaching staff ready to win now. It'd be stunning if he weren't an instant success.
Category: General Sports
