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Kirk Herbstreit Reveals 'Best Thing' to Happen to Arch Manning

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Oct 16, 2025 12:43 PM ET

The 2025 college football season was anticipated to be extraordinary for the No. 21 Texas Longhorns.

Texas began the year ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll for the first time in the program's history. The Longhorns were also ushering in the Arch Manning era. Manning is the grandson of legendary college football quarterback Archie Manning and the nephew of NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning. He was one of the highest-rated recruits of all time in the 2023 recruiting class.

The start of the 2025 season has been far from ideal for Texas. Their record stands at 4-2, following a 14-7 loss to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes at the beginning of the season and a 29-21 defeat at the hands of the Florida Gators (2-4), just two games ago. Now, their season hangs by a thread.

Manning has not performed well lately, leading ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit to state on the "Dan Patrick Show" that this could be beneficial for the young quarterback.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks on during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl.Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"I think the greatest thing is he's going through this right now," Herbstreit said. "I really do. As opposed to Anthony Richardson. The only failure that he really met was injuries in Gainesville. All of a sudden, he gets to the NFL, and the position is all about overcoming failure. I think Arch Manning, the best thing that's going to happen to him long term is people going from, 'He's the Heisman. He's better than Peyton,' to 'this guy sucks.'"

Manning has thrown for 1,317 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. However, he has experienced some challenges, including three games in which he threw for under 200 yards and only one game in which he surpassed 300 yards. Additionally, he has struggled with accuracy, completing fewer than 60% of his passes across three games.

Even with his early struggles, Manning’s story is far from finished. Texas still has a manageable schedule ahead, and a strong finish could restore both the program’s momentum and its quarterback’s confidence. Herbstreit’s comments reflect a growing sentiment among analysts that adversity might be exactly what Manning needs.

The greatest quarterbacks are defined not by hype, but by how they respond when things go wrong. If Manning can steady himself in the second half of the season, this stretch could be remembered not as his downfall, but as the moment he began to grow into the player Texas, and the nation, expected him to become.

Texas takes on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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

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