The spotlight on Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has only intensified in his first season as a full-time starter. After taking over for Quinn Ewers, the redshirt sophomore entered 2025 with sky-high expectations. However, three games into the season, Manning’s performances have been a roller coaster of highs and lows, and now, prominent national voices like Colin Cowherd are openly questioning if he has what it takes to succeed.
Why Is Colin Cowherd Questioning Arch Manning’s Future?
On his show, “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” the national analyst provided a blunt assessment of Manning’s season thus far.
“It’s fair to say that Arch Manning will not be coming out of college football this year, that he will come back for another year to Texas. It’s been a disaster,” Cowherd stated. “And I’ve got my theories on why…He’s struggling, he’s lost confidence. I don’t know, I’ve never played quarterback at the college or pro level. So I don’t necessarily disagree.”
To support his point, Cowherd compared Manning’s situation to the development of other quarterbacks, using Bo Nix as an example.
“But this season’s been bad. He is literally last in the SEC among all quarterbacks in completion percentage and near the bottom in everything else,” Cowherd continued. “Of 14 quarterbacks with three plus starts, he’s 12th or worse in virtually everything. It doesn’t look good. The production’s bad. Now they’re missing some receivers and backs and the O-line is young. The defense is much better. It just doesn’t look right. Now to support him, it should be noted that Bo Nix spent five years in college.”
“If your last name is ‘Manning’ you don’t have a lot of turbulence… That turbulence is incredibly valuable for you.”@colincowherd thinks this difficult season will benefit Arch Manning in the long run pic.twitter.com/ARADqsfhL2
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 17, 2025
Cowherd added, “So did Jaden Daniels and Justin Herbert spent four… so like time on task in college football matters for quarterbacks in the NFL.”
He also argued that Manning’s privileged background might be a disadvantage compared to peers who have faced more adversity on their journeys.
“So my take is on Arch Manning. He’s never had turbulence,” Cowherd summarized. “He grew up with money. He grew up with fame. He’s a great looking kid. He goes to Texas. He was on a dominant high school team. This turbulence is important. It’s not a coincidence that all these guys had to overcome stuff. All of them.”
Can Texas’s Defense Carry an Inconsistent Offense?
While Manning has faced criticism, the Texas defense has shown significant improvement. After failing to generate a single turnover against Ohio State in a 14-point Week 1 loss, the unit flipped the script. In the next two games against San Jose State and UTEP, the Longhorns’ defense forced six takeaways, providing a much-needed spark.
Against UTEP, both turnovers came from interceptions. The first was a direct result of defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s aggressive play-calling, which flushed Miners quarterback Malachi Nelson from the pocket. Nelson’s hurried, cross-body throw landed directly in the arms of Jelani McDonald.
However, as the defense thrived, Manning’s stat line told a different story of struggle. He completed just 11 of 25 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against UTEP. At one point during the game, he recorded 10 consecutive incompletions.
Everybody hold hands and say it with me… Preseason Heisman.
The national media can’t help themselves when it comes to Arch Manning & Texas.
Nobody does overhype better than the Longhorns. pic.twitter.com/hFlNgbtfK1
— Kyle Lovinggood 🌵👍🏼 (@kloveaggs) September 17, 2025
Despite the recent criticism, Manning has shown flashes of the talent that made him such a coveted recruit, including a five-touchdown outburst against San Jose State. Now, Texas fans are left waiting to see which version of their young quarterback will emerge as SEC play begins.
With a favorable matchup against Sam Houston State next on the schedule, Manning has an opportunity to reset the narrative before the Longhorns face a brutal back-to-back stretch against SEC powerhouses Florida and Oklahoma in early October. The real test will be whether he can turn his raw talent into consistent production and prove that turbulence isn’t the only path to greatness.
