Arch Manning set to take on Ohio State, and overwhelming expectations

One of my favorite social media videos in recent memory comes courtesy of last season’s tilt between Michigan and Ohio State. Shot from behind the Wolverines as they exited the visitors’ locker room at Ohio Stadium and made the walk to the tunnel, and set to “The Beast” from the Sicario score, the video perfectly captures the feeling of walking into the proverbial lion’s den. From the haunting music, to how the changes in lighting slowly uncover the hundreds of thousands of Ohio State fans in red waiting for them, to the solitary blue Michigan flag leading them onto the field, the video looks like it was ripped from the latest installment of Dune, and not from a college football Saturday.

And yet, that is the scene that awaits Arch Manning this weekend as he begins his first full season as the starting quarterback at Texas.

Shortly before noon on Saturday, Manning will make that same walk, leading the top-ranked Longhorns onto the field at Ohio Stadium in one of the most anticipated games of the entire 2025 college football season. On the other side of the field, beyond the over 100,000 fans that will be jeering his every move, are the defending National Champions: the third-ranked Buckeyes, who will be honoring one title and hoping to start a journey to another.

The game is billed as perhaps Ohio State’s biggest season opener ever. It is the first time the Buckeyes are opening the year against the No. 1 team in the nation. This is a rematch from last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal, when Ohio State knocked off Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl. Colin Cowherd called it the “biggest college football game in a decade.” Mel Kiper Jr. described it as the most anticipated game in his nearly five decades around the sport. Lee Corso will be there for his final “College GameDay.” There is even speculation over what celebrities will head to Columbus for the tilt, with LeBron James and Matthew McConaughey leading the way.

That is the cauldron that Manning is walking into Saturday, literally and figuratively. He will do so with the weight of expectations on his young shoulders, as the quarterback of the top-ranked team in the nation, the odds-on Heisman Trophy candidate, the 2026 NFL Draft’s “most intriguing prospect,“ and the consensus first-overall selection in early mock drafts.

By the New Orleans Saints, the team his grandfather played for.

There are valid reasons for those expectations, beyond his famous last name. In limited action last season, as starting quarterback Quinn Ewers dealt with an injury, Manning completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns, against just two interceptions. He led Texas to wins in both games he started, first against Louisiana-Monroe and then an SEC tilt against Mississippi State.

He also brings an element of athleticism to his position, more in line with his grandfather and not his uncles.

“The athleticism is something that I can’t wait to see. We saw glimpses of it last year. He plays a lot more like his granddad than his uncles,” said Joel Klatt recently, who will be on the call Saturday for FOX Sports. “He reminds me a lot of Trevor Lawrence when Lawrence was at Clemson, where his A game is still going to be from the pocket because he can threaten every blade of grass on the field with his arm, and that’s where he can showcase his real ability.

“But he also has this extra gear where he can hurt you as an athlete, and as every coach that will ever talk to you will admit, the most dangerous thing that a quarterback can do is hurt you with his legs. That’s certainly something that in college football is incredibly valuable.”

Klatt is not alone.

“I’m not going to bury the lede: Based on Arch Manning’s 2024 tape—and assuming he continues developing at the pace he has to this point—I wouldn’t hesitate to make him my early No. 1 prospect in the 2026 draft class,” said Todd McShay in May after studying Manning. “He is that gifted and has shown immense potential in the limited playing time he’s had through his first two seasons at Texas.

“This guy has it all, talent-wise. I’m not saying he’s Lamar Jackson as a runner or that he has Josh Allen’s arm, but Arch is tooled up,” added the draft analyst. “His combination of prototypical size, mobility, an excellent release, and his natural accuracy—it’s all there for him to be a great player. The ball snaps off his hand and he’s both slippery and strong in the pocket, showing the ability to extend passing plays and break away from defenders in the open field as a runner.”

In McShay’s eyes, even the mistakes can illuminate positives.

“In that small sample, I saw a young player who was learning from his failures, progressing quickly, and loosening his grip on needing to be perfect. The more he played, the fewer negative notes I had, and the more impressed I was at his ability to avoid making the same mistake twice,” McShay said. “That points to a guy who’s hungry and coachable. Factor in his combination of raw talent, family background, and elite quarterback coaching in the form of Steve Sarkisian, and Arch in as good a position to succeed as any QB prospect in recent memory.”

But not everyone is convinced.

One such person is Urban Meyer. The former Ohio State poured some cold water on the Manning hype recently, noting that he “hasn’t done a thing” yet in college football.

“Arch Manning hasn’t done a thing yet. I went back, because I’ve said a few times and some people hit me back saying, ‘What are you talking about?’ I’m hearing the word Heisman,” said Meyer during a podcast with Klatt. “I’m hearing the word national champion, first pick overall. I went back and re-watched it just recently. He’s a good player. I mean, he’s a really good player, but ... get a couple first downs you know.”

Then there is Jordan Rodgers, who declared “[t]he hype doesn’t match the tape” in recent days.

“I think he’s going to go into Ohio State and he’s going to struggle because he hasn’t played anybody,” added Rodgers on ESPN. “The last time we saw him against a really good defense was Georgia, and he looked out of place. He looked really good against UTSA, Louisiana-Monroe, and Mississippi State — the worst defense in the SEC.

”I think there’s still a lot for him to grow and a lot we need to see.”

Saturday gives Manning the biggest stage the sport has to offer to answer these questions.