The buzz is real—Texas supporters are abuzz because, after sitting behind Quinn Ewers in the wings for two years, Arch is now the man under center for the Longhorns this season. Texas has made consecutive College Football Playoff trips, and the expectations for Arch are sky-high. People are already thinking of him as a Heisman contender and a top draft pick in next year’s NFL draft—even though he has only started a couple of games. With 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and a 67.8% completion percentage in limited duty, including two blowout victories as a starter, it won’t be too difficult for him.
There’s been no lack of drama and controversy, of course. Some insiders believe Arch should have started getting his feet wet earlier, especially after Ewers’ costly turnovers in last season’s Cotton Bowl loss to Ohio State. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Step in Aaron Murray, ex-Georgia quarterback, who chose to roil the pot. He appeared on a podcast and more or less asked why Texas wouldn’t give Arch the starting spot earlier, particularly when they hurt Ewers. Murray’s opinion? Perhaps Arch isn’t quite as prepared as everyone believes, and perhaps the buzz is merely that—hype. When discussion arose regarding Aaron Murray’s recent remarks concerning Arch Manning, some of the NFL veterans couldn’t remain silent.
On the May 31 episode of Raw Room, assistant coach for the Carolina Panthers, Daren Bates, discussed Texas QB with Jalen Collins, King Dunlap, and Dallas Johnson. “I bet Aaron Murray wish he didn’t say that, whatever the f— he said about Arch Manning,” says Bates. What did Murray exactly say about Arch? “If you’re so good, why in the h— are you not playing above a seventh-round quarterback?”
The four veterans didn’t let Murray get away with his harsh words for Arch Manning. They wondered, ‘Wait, what did Murray even do in the NFL?’ Murray was drafted in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014, and… well, that’s about where the story peaks. He never played a single snap in a regular-season NFL game. Not one. He only ever made it onto practice squads or off-season rosters. After going through Murray’s career, Bates talked about the former’s words about Arch. “That’s crazy to say, bro. That’s a lot of hate. I don’t know why you hating on young fella.”
Dallas Johnson wondered whether there’s more to Murray’s ‘hate’ towards Arch. However, when explaining his take, Johnson mentioned Arch’s NFL prospects. “He’s going first round, probably going first overall.” Despite the conversation centering around Murray, the current assistant special teams coordinator for the Carolina Panthers interjected to this specific sentence. “I don’t know about that,” Bates said. He added, “That’s a prediction. He’s still 19 years old.”
When someone showed Bates an article about the 2026 NFL mock draft where Arch Manning was predicted to be among the first four QBs taken off the board, Bates almost lost it. “Get that sh– out of my face,” he said. “I hate this… I hate this ‘Too Early Draft Prediction.’ Man, ‘Shut the F— Up’.”
While there’s some truth in Bates’ reservation that Arch Manning needs more time and experience, you can’t discount the hype. And it’s not just coming from casual fans or Texas die-hards. CFB analysts are all in on this hype train.
Joel Klatt compares to Arch Manning to a 275 million QB
Fox Sports commentator Joel Klatt, who’s renowned for his quick commentary on college football, had no such reservations when he listed Arch as the second-best QB in college football for the 2025 season. Arch has hardly played a full season yet, but he’s second behind Cade Klubnik. Klatt’s reasoning? Arch Manning has all the qualities you like in a QB: a solid arm, excellent accuracy, and, to the surprise of some, serious athleticism.
Is Arch Manning the 2nd best quarterback in college football right now?@joelklatt thinks so and joined @colincowherd to discuss the Texas QB’s potential. pic.twitter.com/ZfPpEwvo4v
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 29, 2025
He’s not a pure pocket passer—he can run, he can make defenses flail about, and that dual-threat approach puts defenders in a difficult position. “All of a sudden, in those couple of starts that he got, he flashed this ability to run, that looks like Trevor Lawrence,” says Klatt. Now, that is a big thing because Lawrence was a five-star signee who entered and essentially took over Clemson immediately, winning them a national championship before he became the No. 1 overall NFL draft choice. Lawrence is currently on a five-year $275M contract. Klatt was excited by Arch’s ability to transform the Texas offense when he entered last year. When Quinn Ewers got hurt, Arch stepped in, and the offense became more dynamic.
Klatt concedes Arch has more experience to gain, but he believes in the Texas coaching staff and the support system around him to develop him. And with Texas ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll and talent-loaded, Klatt anticipates Arch to have a breakout season that will put him squarely in Heisman talk and on NFL scouts’ radar.
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