By Ian Miller
Copyright outkick
It’s safe to say that the 2025 season hasn’t gone as planned for Arch Manning thus far. Manning entered the season with Heisman Trophy expectations – literally, he was the preseason Heisman favorite after an impressive debut as a fill-in for Quinn Ewers in 2024. But Manning was disappointing in the Texas Longhorns’ season-opening loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, completing 17 of 30 passes for just 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception. After a rebound in week two against San Jose State, with 295 yards, four touchdowns and one pick on 19 completions, he took another step backward in week three. Even though the Longhorns again faced an overmatched opponent, the UTEP Miners, Manning had arguably his worst game of the season. Just 11 completions on 25 passing attempts, 114 passing yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He did add nine carries for 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but 114 passing yards and a 26.5 QBR against UTEP isn’t what any fans, Texas coaches, or Manning, had in mind. All told, he has just a 55.3 percent completion percentage, with six touchdowns and three picks. Those aren’t Heisman numbers – often, they aren’t even starting quarterback numbers at a program like Texas. So what’s wrong with one of the most highly regarded, hyped quarterback prospects in recent college football history? Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt might have the answer. Joel Klatt Has Arch Manning’s Struggles Figured Out In a recent episode of “The Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt explained he thinks that Manning is moving too quickly, trying to anticipate throws and getting “ahead of the offense.” “I personally think after watching Arch, he is too fast right now,” Klatt said. “He is pressing and he is ahead of the offense.” “Arch gets back there and he has time to throw. And then before the picture can develop, you can tell his eyes are already shifting from the first place he’s looking to the second place he’s looking. So he’s going from one to two before the picture ever materializes. He’s ahead of the timing of the offense. When that happens, typically you lose your balance. You lose your pocket presence. Your eyes go down because you’re anticipating that the clock is moving too fast. So your eyes go down. Your pocket awareness crumbles. You miss open wide receivers and when you do let go of the football, your mind is moving so fast that you typically throw those balls short. Why? Because you jump at them. Your front foot gets out a little bit too high. You jump at the throw and the ball tends to nose down and be short. If you’re looking at the bulk of the incompletions for Arch Manning so far, they are under-thrown. A couple of them woefully, going back to that game against Ohio State and then several more in the last couple of games. Even when he’s trying to throw a quick hitter on the outside, it’s too far low and away. Everything is trending down and away from the wide receivers. Very few passes from Arch this year have been in rhythm, in balance and in the frame of the wide receiver. That’s what’s going on right now.” It’s easy to see how this could happen with a young, gifted quarterback. Field vision is extremely important, and coaches stress the importance of going through reads quickly to stay away from sacks and throwaways. But if that quarterback goes through those reads too quickly, or tries to, as Klatt explains, anticipate too aggressively, you miss opportunities and make mistakes with timing and accuracy. There’s plenty of time for Manning to fix those issues this season as he gains more experience and familiarity with the speed of college football. Texas will be favorites to win each of their upcoming games, likely until they travel to play the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens on November 15. If he hasn’t calmed things down by then, however, the Longhorns’ season could fall well short of preseason hopes.
