It's been a big of a rough week for Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning.
The former five-star recruit has received plenty of criticism after news broke earlier this month that Manning is choosing to not opt in to the new EA Sports College Football game.
Mike Farrell of MikeFarrellSports.com went scorched earth on Manning this week, suggesting that the quarterback with the famous last name is "overrated" while questioning whether or not Arch is a competitor.
On Tuesday, Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney wrote that Manning needs to "lighten up" while also taking the Texas QB to task for the way he handles the media.
Gorney noted that Manning supposedly wants to just be "one of the guys", but unlike his five-star counterparts, he mostly refused to talk to reporters during his recruitment -- which was very unlike the rest of "the guys".
From Rivals.com: He (Manning) wouldn’t provide quotes on his commitment and again he was unavailable for comment. Again, Stewart was a total pro, was great to the media and genuinely was a great person to deal with through Manning’s recruitment.
A few days after his Texas commitment, Manning was a no-show at Elite 11. Manning’s senior season rolled around and then the all-star games happened and again, Manning didn’t participate in those, either.
From start to finish of his high school career, Manning played in exactly zero national events.......What’s the use in hiding and being handled by whomever is calling these shots to basically not join society, not be involved like every other: 1. College athlete and 2. College kid to just let go a little bit and stop measuring every inch of every aspect of your life?
Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and is leading a resurgence in Jacksonville. He hung out at Rivals events all the time, he played in the All-American Bowl. He’s OK. Same with Bryce Young, Justin Fields, Kyler Murray, Tua Tagovailoa, Nico Iamaleava, Dante Moore and the list goes on and on.
Gorney is spot on. The Manning family, which loves to be in control of the narrative (remember the Eli Manning and San Diego Chargers draft fiasco), has made sure that Arch isn't "one of the guys" by trying to control every single bit of media attention directed his way. Arch's recruiting experience was anything but normal. And that was 100 percent because his family made getting access to Arch more difficult than getting access to a sitting a president.
They didn't do Arch any favors by protecting him from the same media that nearly every other high profile recruit talks to on a semi-regular basis during the recruiting process.
The approach may have backfired on the Mannings. Because outside of Austin, it's starting to feel like Arch is becoming a bit of villain. And it's all because he wasn't allowed to actually be "just one of the guys". Instead, he's now the backup quarterback that's making a big fuss about a video game after shunning reporters for more than two years.
So much for being "just one of the guys".
More must-reads: