Kirk Herbstreit Thinks Arch Manning’s Tough Start to the Year Comes Down to One Thing

The start of the Arch Manning era at Texas has been rockier than expected.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning has had a lot of expectations heaped on his shoulders. Kirk Herbstreit thinks that might be holding him back. / Gaby Velasquez / El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Arch Manning era at Texas has not gotten off to the hot start that many expected.

While the Longhorns are 2–1, their only loss coming on the road against No. 1 Ohio State, Manning has not lit the world on fire under center.

Even when doing enough to get the Longhorns a win, Manning has missed open receivers and sometimes simply looked lost on the field. It got to the point where fans were booing him as Texas headed to the locker room for halftime of last week’s game against UTEP with just an 11-point lead.

So what’s going on with Manning?

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has a theory—the weight of expectation is heavier than any of us can imagine.

“This kid’s been throwing the football his whole life. Then all of a sudden he can’t complete a pass in cases where the guys are wide open?” Herbstreit said on College Gameday. “It’s mechanics, but I think it’s emotional; it’s mental. Unrealistic expectations. ‘He’s better than Peyton. He’s better than Eli. He’s the first pick next year in the draft.’ And now this guy has to go an live up to that.

“I think it just shows you the power of the mind and how [emotions] impact his mechanics. Because this guy knows how to throw the ball, but he’s being impacted because all this weight is taking a toll.”

.@KirkHerbstreit weighs in on John Mateer and Arch Manning ✍️ pic.twitter.com/SxGeQKBdZX

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 20, 2025

Herbstreit’s not the only one to think the high expectations on Manning have taken their toll. Paul Finebaum, one of the commentators leading the charge behind building up expectations for Manning, has since acknowledged that he might have crowned the young quarterback too quickly.

Earlier in the week, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, no stranger to high expectations himself, offered a bit of advice to Manning regarding how to navigate the difficult waters at this moment of his career.

"I'd encourage him, like, 'Man, you're a gifted player. You're a really good player. You just need to be encouraged,'” Tebow said. "He's at a location right now with great coaches, great players around him, but he's just under a lot of pressure. The pressure's real, and it's hard sometimes explain that to people."

Manning’s path to fulfilling the expectations set out for him will be taken one step at a time. On Saturday, that step is a home matchup against Sam Houston, set for 8 p.m. ET.

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