Former SEC QB Praises Texas Longhorns’ Arch Manning After Red River Rivalry

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has had a rollercoaster of a 2025 season.

Ahead of the year, he was touted as the preseason Heisman Trophy winner slated to bring the Texas Longhorns a national championship before riding out into the sunset as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. So far, things have not looked like they are going to play out that way after a rocky start, but Manning and the Longhorns are on the come-up.

After receiving a ton of backlash after saying he was not sold on Arch Manning before the season, then getting to have one of the biggest “I told you so” moments in recent sports media memory, former Vanderbilt quarterback and college football analyst Jordan Rodgers is impressed with Manning’s improvements after Texas’ big win in the Red River Rivalry.

Jordan Rodgers’ Arch Manning Comments

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks to throw the ball during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

“The hype doesn’t match the tape,” Rodgers said ahead of the Ohio State game. “There are good things, and there are some good things. The tape, to me, doesn’t tell you you’ve got a first-round draft or a top-ten or number-one-overall draft pick or a Heisman hopeful.”

Rodgers, at the time, had received a lot of backlash for the comments, which were shortly proven accurate. As the season has progressed, Rodgers has not held back his praise for the Longhorns’ quarterback.

“Look, I loved Arch. I think he did a really good job when things broke down, making plays outside the pocket,” Rodgers said on a recent episode of Get Up. “We saw that last week against Florida, although they took six sacks because play calling was continually trying to hit shots downfield. His average depth to target against Florida was over 17 yards. Against Oklahoma, under three yards. So I think Sark did a great job of getting the ball out of his hands quickly, and then when they did take the shots.

Manning had one of his best games of the season against the Oklahoma Sooners, where he completed 21 of his 27 passing attempts for 166 yards and a touchdown. He also accounted for 34 yards with his legs.

“When it wasn’t there, Arch did a great job of buying time, using the athleticism and all those issues with, you know, the off-target throws and the mechanics, those go away when Arch is on the run,” Rodgers said. ”His athleticism and natural ability take over. I thought he was fantastic on the run. He managed the game well. I think Arch is really trending in the right direction. We’re starting to see the Arch Manning that we thought, or a lot of us thought, that we’d see at the beginning of the year. He’s starting to get there.”

The Longhorns are set to continue their road trip with a stop to face the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.