Texas just dropped the ball big time, losing their No. 1 national ranking on Sunday after getting beat 27-24 by unranked Oklahoma. What a gut punch, right? It felt a lot like last year’s struggles, with Arch Manning looking like he just couldn’t find his best game, and the Longhorns absolutely paid the price for it. This kid has been hyped as a Heisman Trophy favorite for two seasons now, practically guaranteed to be a generational talent when he hit Austin. We’ve seen flashes, no doubt, but that consistency? Nah, it’s just not there. And that makes you wonder: What’s this mean for his NFL future?
Two Picks in the Fourth Quarter: The Collapse
On paper, Manning’s numbers against the Sooners don’t scream disaster: 260 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a 61.2% completion rate. Looks decent enough, right? But here’s the kicker, the absolute deal-breaker: he tossed two interceptions. Both of them came in the fourth quarter, and each one was a killer. One got returned 42 yards for a touchdown, giving Oklahoma a 24-17 lead with only 10:07 left on the clock. The second? That was the dagger, an interception at the OU 39-yard line in the final minute of the game. That pick didn’t just kill Texas’s shot at winning; it set up Oklahoma for their game-winning 47-yard field goal as time expired. Max Chadwick, a college football analyst, didn’t hold back, calling out Texas’s overall offensive performance and their total inability to close out the game. Ouch.
The Daniel Jones Comparison And Why RG3 Thinks He Should Wait
So, with that kind of inconsistency, especially in the clutch, people are naturally going to question Arch’s NFL potential. Max Chadwick went there, floating out a comparison that’s gotta sting a bit: Indianapolis Colts starter Daniel Jones. Now, Chadwick was quick to say that’s “good, yet not great.” As he put it, “The comp might really be Daniel Jones, Dalton. Which isn’t bad, right? Daniel Jones is still an NFL starting quarterback. What? Seven, eight years after he’s been drafted, too. So, that’s still a good career right there, but I don’t think we have this superstar quarterback. At least in the NFL, and even not in college football.” That’s a pretty big dose of cold water for a guy touted as “generational.”
Even Robert Griffin III, the former NFL quarterback, chimed in on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” with some advice for Manning’s NFL future: “Arch Manning should definitely come back for another year of college football. He needs more starts and more experience before going to the NFL.” RG3 laid it out plain: “When the players are ready to play the NFL, college football looks like an easy feat for them. For Arch, it still doesn’t seem easy.” Right now, it seriously doesn’t look like Manning is a top first-round contender for 2027, maybe not even a first-round prospect at all if he bolts for the NFL. He’s got a lot to prove to change that narrative.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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