“It’s up in the air”: Urban Meyer drops a cryptic answer talking about if Arch Manning will live up to the hype

Modified Apr 02, 2025 17:27 GMT

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Ohio State v Texas - Source: Getty

Arch Manning's humongous hype ahead of the 2025 college football season is one of the most talked-about narratives this year. The Texas Longhorns quarterback will take the leadership role this year after waiting for two years on the bench behind Quinn Ewers.

In 2024, Ewers led the Longhorns to a successful 13-3 season, before losing the CFB semi-final game in the Cotton Bowl Classic against Ryan Day's Ohio State.

Now that Ewers has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, all eyes are on Arch Manning, who will be taking center stage this season. Due to his ties with football legends like Eli and Peyton Manning, there's added pressure on him to prove himself during his first year as a starter.

Talking about whether Arch Manning will be able to live up to the hype on The Triple Option on Wednesday, sports commentator Urban Meyer said:

"I think it's up in the air. I really do. I got to study the personnel around them because every great quarterback has some uncommon, great players around them. I'm sure they do.

"I just don't know about him right now, but, you know, just the pressure on that player to be what he's supposed to be at that school, and (from) what I've seen. He's a good player. I've seen that." (34:50)

Steve Sarkisian talks about Arch Manning's leadership skills

Despite being from one of the most popular football families and a former 5-star recruit, Arch Manning is known to be a humble, down-to-earth, model citizen in Austin.

Many analysts advocate for Manning's demeanor as a leader and as a quarterback, and heap praise on him. Talking about his leadership style compared to Quinn Ewers, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said:

"The guy’s got a charismatic (way of leading)," Sarkisian said. "You can feel it. There's definitely it – and that's not a knock against Quinn. Everybody leads differently, but he's got something about him that guys gravitate to."

"And that's always a great thing to have as a quarterback. Because it's like a coach, I can know all the stuff I want to know and I can lead, but you want the players to want to play for you, not in spite of you or despite you."

The Longhorns will kick off the 2025 college football season against Ohio State in Columbus.

About the author

Prasen is an NFL/College Sports analyst at Sportskeeda. A B.Tech/Civil Engineering graduate, he has two years of experience writing content.

For Prasen, providing historical angles relevant to the story is important, as it can give the reader useful information and help them relate it to the present. He thinks this keeps the content unique rather than just a bland reporting of facts. Prasen believes in fact-checking and researching relevant information as per the headline and context. He hates clickbait or misleading the reader.

A fan of the Colorado Buffaloes since Deion Sanders took over as coach, Prasen expects Coach Prime to make the Buffs a national championship contender. Nick Saban is his favorite all-time coach, while Baker Mayfield and Caitlin Clark are his favorite players. Prasen considers Vince Young coming up clutch for the Texas Longhorns in the dying seconds of the 2017 national championship game against the USC Trojans as the most iconic moment of all time.

Per Prasen, College Sports is competitive and garners attention but it is just the beginning, where a student-athlete can show their skills and potential to make it to the big leagues. When he is not researching and writing, Prasen’s hobbies include pursuing higher studies and playing sports.

Know More

Who's NEXT on the HOT SEAT? Check out the 7 teams that desperately need a coaching change

Edited by Ruth John S