By Evan Massey
Copyright newsweek
Coming into the 2025 college football season, Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning was one of the most talked about players in the nation. He was widely considered to be a top-tier Heisman Trophy candidate.Unfortunately, to begin the year, Manning has not looked as advertised.Throughout his first three games, the young star has been disappointing. He has struggled mightily and has looked extremely in his new role as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback.Read more: Jon Gruden Becoming Popular Name for College Football Coaching JobIn three outings, Manning has completed just 55.3 percent of his pass attempts for 579 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions. He has also picked up 112 yards and scored three touchdowns on the ground.Manning hasn’t been great. Those three games were played against Ohio State, San Jose State, and UTEP in that order. Fans expect better from him.Despite the start of the season being slow, Manning has received a comparison to an NFL superstar quarterback. A reason for optimism was also provided for Texas fans who are panicking about their quarterback’s performance.As shared by Orangebloods.com, the start of the 2025 season for Manning has looked eerily similar to how Joe Burrow looked in 2018 with the LSU Tigers.That is the best news Longhorns fans have seen about their young quarterback all year long. It’s easy to panic about a quarterback’s bad start, but there is plenty of season left for him to settle in and start playing like a star.Granted, there is no guarantee that the rest of Manning’s season will go like Burrow’s did. He has a lot of work to do to get himself on track.However, the talent that has made Manning such a hyped up player is still there. He still has the potential to be a superstar college quarterback. It’s way too early to give up on him and throw in the towel this season.Read more: Florida Gators Urged to Consider Urban Meyer as Billy Napier ReplacementWhile Manning has given everyone reason to be concerned, there is still hope. He simply needs to get back to the basics and find his confidence.Hopefully, he’ll be able to start down that road in Week 4. Texas is set to take on Sam Houston this week. That game will give Manning another opportunity to get rolling.It will be interesting to see if the first-year starter is able to figure his struggles out and get the Longhorns back to looking like a serious national championship contender.For more on the Texas Longhorns and all things college football, head to Newsweek Sports.
