Texas entered the season with Arch Manning carrying the kind of hype that follows a quarterback expected to sit near the top of the college football conversation. But four weeks in, with the Longhorns still unbeaten and sitting at No. 1, not everyone has been sold on what Manning has put on tape.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt made that clear Wednesday during an appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd.
"Arch has just been okay, at best," Klatt said. "He played really gritty for three series against Ohio State and competed his butt off...
He played a really gritty, schoolyard three series. Outside of that, he needs to play better."
That assessment lines up with what the numbers show. Once you separate out those three series against the Buckeyes that Klatt highlighted, Manning’s season has looked more ordinary than dominant. Outside of that stretch, he has completed 47 of 79 passes, a 59.4% clip, for 550 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.
His rushing production tells a similar story. More than half of Manning’s rushing yards this season came in those same three series against Ohio State, another sign that the rest of his work has not matched the early expectations.
Now Manning gets a chance to answer the criticism in one of the biggest games of his career. Texas heads to Neyland Stadium on Saturday for a top-15 matchup with No. 14 Tennessee, a setting that will test him in one of college football’s toughest environments.
A strong outing there would go a long way toward helping his draft stock and quieting some of the national doubts around him. If Texas slips, though, the questions about how he performs against top competition will only get louder from here.
In Other News...
Ohio State Enters Big Ten Play With Its Playoff Path Already Tightening
Ohio State heads into Big Ten play already feeling the pressure that comes with a September loss, as the Buckeyes fell 24-23 to Texas in their second game of the 2026 season. It was their first nonconference loss since 2021, and the AP top 25 reflected the hit right away, dropping Ohio State from No. 1 to No. 7.
Now the margin for error gets much slimmer. The Buckeyes still have several ranked opponents ahead of them as conference play begins, which means every week carries added weight for a team that was built with playoff expectations from the start. The path is still there, but it is no longer wide open. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has Two Injury Concerns Fans Will Watch Closely Saturday
Ohio States first availability report for Saturdays game at Illinois gave fans a clearer look at the early injury picture, and it included a mix of expected absences and a couple of names worth tracking. The Big Tens weekly reporting system put three Buckeyes out and three more in the questionable category, with the most attention naturally falling on Phillip Daniels and Zion Grady, two players whose status could affect the defensive rotation.
Kyle Parker is also listed as questionable after yet to make his season debut, adding another layer to the Buckeyes depth concerns. The players already ruled out are not key contributors, and Ohio State may be able to stick with a similar offensive line combination to the one it used last game, but the next update will be the one that really matters for anyone watching how the lineup settles in by kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Freshman Is Already Forcing His Way Into The LB Mix
Ohio States linebacker room got a little more interesting this week as the Buckeyes continued their early-season roster churn. A freshman who came in as a four-star recruit has already worked his way onto the field in two games and started flashing the kind of playmaking that gets a staffs attention, with his recent work enough to earn one of the programs most recognizable signs of progress.
The black stripe coming off matters because it usually means a player has done more than just show up and learn the playbook. For a young defender in a loaded room, it suggests he is beginning to force his way into the conversation, and Ohio State has not handed out that recognition often since late August. The question now is how much more of a role he can carve out as the season moves deeper into Big Ten play. [Read more 🡒]