Jordan Rogers sets clear expectations for Arch Manning ahead of Florida game

Former Vanderbilt QB turned broadcaster Jordan Rodgers offered some words of wisdom for Texas's Arch Manning on ESPN's Get Up. A showdown with Florida before the seasons seemed like a shot for two of the nation's top QBs to trade big plays, but both Florida's DJ Lagway and Manning have struggled so far in 2025. Rodgers offered the recipe for getting things right.

Rodgers' take

Make the easy throws look easy. I love that you see some of the confidence and swagger come back from this kid, because I think that was not there the first couple weeks with all the media pressure and the cloud over him of not performing up to the standard. We're seeing his mobility and confidence come back. But I want to see the easy throws look easy. His off-target percentage right now is 19%. That's the highest in the Power 4. It's really those throws to the flat, the intermediate throws, that he's missing because of his footwork. I want to see that be more consistent.... He should be set up to have a big day as long as his fundamentals are back to what we're expecting to see.
Jordan Rodgers

Arch's issues

Manning's 61.3% completion percentage is next to lowest among SEC quarterbacks with at least 60 passing attempts. That said, his 8.4 yards per throw lands him in the middle of the pack in the league and his QB rating is ninth among 15 qualifying SEC quarterbacks.

Manning faced a wall of preseason hype off a 2024 campaign in which he looked essentially flawless. Starting a pair of games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State due to injury to Quinn Ewers, he completed 67.8% of his passes for the season and picked up 10.4 yards per pass.

But Manning opened 2025 with a sluggish 17 for 30 game against Ohio State for just 170 yards, with Texas losing the game 14-7. Worst still was an 11 for 25 performance for 114 yards against UTEP in Week 3. Manning has been sharp in the other two Texas games so far, but perhaps improved mechanics and accuracy on the simple throws can return him to preseason expectations in Week 6 against Florida.