CFB insider pleads for fair chance for Arch Manning as heir to the Manning QB legacy gears up for 2025 season

Considering the success of those in his family tree, it's easy for fans to get excited about Arch Manning. The nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson of Archie – all formerly NFL standouts – is set to take over under center for Texas next season. Expectations are being heaped on top of him.

On3's J.D. PicKell has defended Manning before. He did so again on Wednesday, pleading that people pump the brakes when it comes to labeling the Longhorns passer.

"Not everything needs to have a take," PicKell said on his podcast, "The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell." "Marcus Aurelius essentially said that one of the greatest gifts in life is having no opinion. I'm paraphrasing, but that's what he said. Let's be OK with having no opinion on Arch Manning for the better part of the first few games of his college career.

"I'm not saying we can't evaluate it and have an emotional response in real time. ... But we're not going to have definitive takes on Arch Manning because that's stupid."

Manning started two games for Texas last season when Quinn Ewers was briefly shelved with an injury. Manning went 2-0 against UL Monroe and Mississippi State. Other than that, he played sparingly as Ewers' understudy. The small sample size is part of why PicKell has shielded Manning this offseason.

"Can we just let the plot play out for once in our life?" PicKell asked. "Can we just let this guy get a few reps at quarterback and let him start a few games? I know the answer is no, but I'm just asking all of us here to try and as best we can keep our head on straight just a little bit as this Arch Manning story arc progresses."

What else has PicKell said about Arch Manning?

Arch Manning has tried to stay under the radar off the field. He had a sit-down interview with ESPN's Marty Smith this offseason, but the Texas signal-caller hasn't done much to try to draw attention to himself.

That doesn't mean he can avoid it. One Fox Sports NFL draft analyst said that Manning would be the first player off the board in this year's draft, ahead of eligible passers such as Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. Along with other labels, PicKell thought that notion was laughable.

"He's (gonna be) the greatest of all time, he's gonna be this, he's gonna be that," PicKell said earlier this month. "Like, 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."

Manning will be tested when the Longhorns open next season on the road against defending national champion Ohio State. Opinions on the passer will surely fly, win or lose.