Arch Manning's First-Year Stats Blow This Heisman Trophy Winner Out of the Water

Arch Manning may not win the Heisman Trophy this year, but if history repeats itself, could next year be the year for the sophomore?

Nov 22, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has come quite a long way from where he was in the beginning of the 2025 season.

As expected, the sophomore just needed a few more reps under center and a full season of conference play under his belt, and lo and behold, the Longhorns are beginning to look like playoff contenders again.

And for those wondering just how good the next chapter of the legendary Manning family has been in 2025, comparisons to a college football great during his first full-time season will tell you.

Manning's Stats Better Than Joe Burrow's in 2018?

Manning's stats as they sit currently have seen a vast improvement from where they were after the first handful of games at the beginning of the season; in fact, they're even better when you look at how quarterback Joe Burrow fared in his first season with the LSU Tigers in 2018.

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow (9) attempts a pass during the second half of the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-Imagn Images | Jason Getz-Imagn Images

During the year that preceded his iconic 2019 Heisman Trophy and national championship season, Burrow led the Tigers to a 9-3 overall record while completing 57.4 percent of his 345 pass attempts for 2,500 yards, 12 touchdowns, and only four interceptions through 12 games in the regular season.

As for Arch, a win over the Texas A&M Aggies on Friday night would bring the Horns to 9-3 on the year, and Manning has completed 62.5 percent of 341 attempted passes for 2,763 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions, all in one less game played than Burrow during the season.

Not to mention, Manning is a much more mobile option at quarterback than the 2020 No. 1 overall pick was. No offense, Joe.

However, if history were to truly repeat itself, then Texas could be in for a long night in Austin against Texas A&M, given that the final game of Burrow's 2018 campaign was the legendary seven-overtime game at Kyle Field.

Burrow would go on to have one of, if not the greatest, seasons by a college football quarterback of all time the following season, throwing for 60 touchdowns with the help of wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson while leading LSU to a perfect 15-0 record and defeating the Clemson Tigers 42-25 in the national championship.

Much like Arch, "Joe Shiesty" also had an elite defense backing him when he wasn't on the field, and with the skill set that Manning has equipped himself with through his first full season as a starter, who's to say he couldn't at least try for the same success that the current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback had in his collegiate prime?