Arch Manning burdened by ‘impossible’ expectations, warns former NFL QB

Expectations surround Texas quarterback Arch Manning as he prepares to taking the starting role for the 2025 college football season.

A unique path in the NIL and transfer portal era, Manning elected to wait his turn behind Quinn Ewers instead of looking for green pastures elsewhere. And fans were left anticipating when the former five-star would take the reigns of Steve Sarkisian's offense.

That time has seemingly come. After 12 total appearances with two starts over two seasons, it's Manning's turn under center and there is no shortage of pressure on his shoulders.

Manning's talent and family legacy already have him in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick honors. Despite his inexperience, Manning also leads all college athletes with a $6.8 million On3 NIL valuation.

Adding to the pressure, the Longhorns are coming off back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances and rank first in blue-chip ratio this year, making Texas a national championship contender.

The question that won't be answered any time soon is whether Manning can live up to these lofty expectations. It's an "impossible" task, according to former Vanderbilt and NFL quarterback Jordan Rodgers.

"No, it's impossible," SEC Network analyst Rodgers said on "Crain & Company." "Like if they go 10-2 in the regular season, and God forbid miss the college football playoff, or just barely get in... get bounced in round one, it's going to be a disappointment. It's going to be a failure.”

Manning's redshirt freshman season featured two of his first career starts, both wins against UL Monroe and Mississippi State. Those performances, albeit efficient, are difficult to evaluate given the level of competition.

In his 10 total appearances last season, Manning completed 67.8% of his passes for 939 yards with nine touchdowns to two interceptions while adding another 108 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

The Longhorns' season opener should provide a true look at Manning's ability, as Texas is slated to visit defending national champion Ohio State in a rematch from last season's playoff semifinal.

Texas-Ohio State will take place on Aug. 30 at noon ET (Fox) with ESPN's "College GameDay" previewing the action.