Arch Manning's Texas squad called "too damn good to fail" by CFB insider

A college football analyst doesn't believe Arch Manning will fail in his first season as the Texas Longhorns' starting quarterback. The sophomore star player will take over the new role this year as former starter Quinn Ewers enters the 2025 NFL draft.

Fans and analysts believe the quarterback change could lead to the Longhorns playing in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

On Wednesday's episode of "Andy & Ari On3," On3's Ari Wasserman shared his top 10 list of who he thinks will be the best quarterbacks in the upcoming season. He ranked Manning third and discussed why he thinks the sophomore will be successful.

"I've been on record buying Arch stock for a long time, okay? You saw what Quinn Ewers was able to do in a similarly situated offense, and I know that Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell are not on the team anymore. Texas is too damn good for this guy to fail, okay?" Wasserman said (25:31 onwards).

Last season, Texas finished with a 13-3 record and reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Ewers completed 293 passes for 3,472 yards and 31 touchdowns. The Longhorns were the best offensive team in the league in total yards (7,000) and sixth in total points (528).

"Even if he is 10 percent better than Quinn Ewers was with that supporting cast, he will probably, just default, no matter what, as a top-five quarterback in terms of production," Wasserman opined. "On top of that, he has a second gear that Quinn Ewers did not have, which is he is a dangerous runner." (26:02 onwards).

The sophomore impressed last season despite being Ewers' backup quarterback. Manning completed 61 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns, making Texas fans optimistic about his future.

Ari Wasserman defends Arch Manning from critics skeptical of his hype for the 2025 season

Wasserman also rebuffed critics who believe Manning only receives praise and intrigue because of his family's legacy.

"If Arch Manning didn't have his last name and played in the moments that he played and was just named, like, Steve Smith, I think he would be in our top five still, and people would be more accepting of it," Wasserman said (30:22 onwards).

He added that he thinks the Longhorns quarterback will be excellent in the starting role. Texas will start their season on Aug. 30 in a matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes.