Arch Manning carries one of football’s most famous names. Son of Cooper, nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, and grandson of Archie Manning, the Texas quarterback has been under the microscope long before he took a snap in college. Last season, Manning showcased glimpses of his potential. He completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two interceptions, adding 108 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
Manning’s performance earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors and spots on national award lists. With the 2025 season opener against Ohio State looming, the hype around Manning is getting louder. However, not everybody is buying into it. Former NFL lineman-turned-analyst Aaron Taylor is taking the hype train with a pinch of salt.
Aaron Taylor Pumps the Brakes on Arch Manning Hype, Picks Georgia and Alabama Over Texas
For Aaron Taylor, the story early in Texas’ SEC debut isn’t about conference domination. Instead, it is about whether Manning can hold the fort down without compromising his game. “Yeah, he does,” Taylor said of Manning’s potential. “But the story early is going to be Arch Manning, and the quarterback position in my opinion is going to have to lead the charge early so that they can have some growing pains.”
Taylor is not wrong. The world has seen Manning in “bits and spurts” but never started. Sure, the UTSA game was brilliant, with Manning passing for 223 yards and 53 rushing yards. Then again, this was a game against a mid-tier opponent. Against Georgia last October, he went 3-of-6 for 19 yards. As Taylor sees it, the SEC is a different kind of beast.
“I’ve got Georgia and Alabama in Atlanta when it’s all said and done.”
— .@AaronTaylorCFB isn’t buying in to the Texas hype pic.twitter.com/9J53QNFjWy
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 15, 2025
Texas does have momentum, winning 11 straight road games, which bodes well for the trip to Ohio State. However, as Taylor rightly notes, the schedule’s front half is not the toughest. That could be both a blessing and a curse. While facing the Buckeyes is not easy, the matches that follow include names like San Jose State, UTEP, Florida, Oklahoma, and Sam Houston.
There is a chance to grow and combat the cracks during these matches. However, Texas will have to fix the cracks before the November gauntlet of Georgia, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. And that’s where Taylor makes his pick and stated, “I don’t believe that they’re built yet… I’ve got Georgia and Alabama in Atlanta when it’s all said and done.”
While Georgia’s new QB Gunner Stockton may not have the best of stats, Kirby Smart is the man coaching the team. Additionally, the Bulldogs have reloaded at receiver with Zachariah Branch, who transferred from USC, and return defensive standouts like Christen Miller, who started 10 games last season. Smart and the Bulldogs have a way of peaking when it counts, so watching out for them is fair.
Then there’s Alabama. ESPN’s Greg McElroy, an NFL QB himself, has them at No. 5 in his preseason rankings. And that is all thanks to the receiver room led by Isaiah Horton, who transferred from Miami last year after making 616 yards. The Tide looks loaded with veterans like Domani Jackson, who ended last season with 52 tackles, and Keon Sabb, who started seven games before injury, anchoring the back end.
In fact, the only SEC team ranked above the Crimson Tide is the same team that Taylor has also named: the Georgia Bulldogs. However, McElroy’s biggest concern for Alabama is its ability to stay healthy. “But in the event they have a similar injury year to what they had a year ago, they could get really young in a hurry. That’s something that you have to be mind of,” McElroy cautions. Meanwhile, Texas has its own question marks.
Manning has a habit of taking hits instead of sliding, and there’s no proven backup QB if he goes down, unlike last year. In the SEC, that’s a dangerous combination. As Taylor sees it, “I don’t believe that they’re built yet. Maybe by midseason, we could see them as the SEC favorites….but I think it’s going to be a wild and fun ride for Texas this year, just not early.”
Texas is banking on what Manning did last season when Quinn Ewers was injured. While the numbers were impressive, it is not going to be easy for Manning to face SEC QBs and teams in the gauntlet that awaits him in his first season as a starter.
