Dabo Swinney Comes to Arch Manning's Defense

“None of that stuff matters, but these are young people, right? These are kids,” Swinney said, according to On3. “They’re not robots. I mean, I know we have so much talk about Arch, right? Arch Manning is gonna be a freaking superstar. And people that don’t believe that, they’re just stupid."

Swinney's brought up the subject of Manning because his own quarterback, Cade Klubnik, also had a disappointing week one performance, throwing for 230 yards and an interception. In response to some criticism toward Klubnik, Swinney brought up Manning as an example of a young player who may have had one bad game, but still holds a bright future.

"He’s gonna be a superstar …But, what’s been put on this kid? I mean, like, I mean, it’s unbelievable," Swinney said. "All of a sudden, now it’s like, okay, you make a bad play or, I mean, the guys just playing, it’s the same thing with our guy, you know?"

Players such as Manning and Klubnik have been the subject of so much offseason hype that any poor performance is emphasized in the aftermath. Understanding the world of college football and the negativity that sometimes ensues, Swinney says it's part of the ups and downs of the game.

“Like he’s the worst quarterback in the history of football, and then he goes to, now he’s a Heisman guy, now he sucks again. So that’s football. But you just, you just have to learn how to manage that stuff … This is what you sign up for … This is what we do … this is our world," Swinney said. "You fail in front of everybody, and you succeed in front of everybody, and you've got to be able to handle both of those things.”

Both Klubnik and Manning will have a chance to bounce back on Saturday, playing more favorable opponents. Manning and the Longhorns prepare for San Jose State for Texas football's first home game of the season. The Spartans also started this season 0-1, and it could be a good opportunity for Manning to find his footing.