CFB analyst shares "hard truth" about Arch Manning that Texas fans might not like

All eyes will be on Arch Manning when Texas takes the field next season. The Longhorns passer has only two career starts, but with all the hype surrounding him, fans seem to expect him to shoulder a heavy load as he takes over for Quinn Ewers, who is headed to next month’s 2025 NFL draft.

Speaking to Paul Finebaum on his radio show, Houston Chronicle columnist Kirk Bohls shared an eye-opening comment about Manning. Bohls was listening when Texas coach Steve Sarkisian spoke to the media for the first time since last season ended.

"(Sarkisian) did have one troubling statement, I would say, Paul, when he said about Arch Manning, 'He's not gonna throw a touchdown on every pass,'" Bohls said.

"I think that kind of shook everybody. Maybe he's talking about a touchdown every other pass, which would probably be acceptable to Longhorn nation, but there's gonna be growing pains, as we all know."

Finebaum shared the clip on X (formerly Twitter), describing Bohls' story as a "hard truth" for Longhorns fans.

What are analysts expecting out of Arch Manning?

While fans are eager to see Manning get his shot after two years as an understudy, college football analysts have been more level-headed. On3’s J.D. PicKell has repeatedly defended Manning and called out the expectations placed on him as unfair.

"Let's start with the first thought — he's the greatest of all time, he's gonna be this, he's gonna be that," PicKell said last month on the On3 podcast "The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell." "I don't know. Nobody knows. I think he was worth his five-star rating. I think he's got all the tools to be one of the better quarterbacks in college football this year."

"Arch isn't asking for all the coverage that he's getting," PicKell said. "Now, he agreed to do the sit-down interview, but in general, when it's Day 45 of us comparing Arch Manning to some ridiculous NFL quarterback – 'Is Arch Manning the next Tom Brady?' – Dude, I don't know."

Manning will get his first real shot to prove himself when he and Texas open next season on the road against defending College Football Playoff national champion Ohio State.