Joel Klatt Makes Arch Manning, Texas Prediction For Next Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 12:06 PM ET

The Texas Longhorns will have a new starting quarterback next season: Arch Manning, the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, and the grandson of Archie Manning.

Arch Manning was a five-star high school recruit and the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2023 (247Sports). After sitting behind Quinn Ewers during two College Football Playoff semifinal runs, where he was primarily used in case of injury or for short-yardage, red-zone situations, he is now next in line for the starting job.

On Thursday, Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt gave out his "way-too-early" top 10 rankings for next season on his podcast " The Joel Klatt Show." While ranking Texas at No. 2, he also shared a prediction for Arch Manning and the Longhorns offense.

Four of Texas' five starting offensive linemen from this season have declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, with right guard DJ Campbell being the lone returning starter.

Many would expect the Longhorns' offensive line to struggle, given their many losses, but Klatt predicts otherwise. His reasoning came down to Texas having a quarterback who "can run" in Arch Manning and an "elite-level running back" in Cedric "CJ" Baxter Jr.

"I don't think it's going to be quite as big of an issue when your quarterback can run when you've got an elite-level running back," Klatt said. "I don't think it's going to be quite as big of an impact losing some of those offensive linemen as maybe some look at, but I look at this Texas team, and I think that they're going to be fantastic."

In his two seasons, Arch Manning has completed 63-of-90 passes for 969 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Meanwhile, Baxter, who missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, shined in his freshman year in 2023, rushing 138 times for 659 yards and five touchdowns.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: