Arch Manning's Heisman Hype Downplayed by Fans After Struggles in Texas' Loss to OSU

There wasn't a player more hyped coming into the 2025 season than Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who was finally given the starting gig after serving as Quinn Ewers' backup for two seasons.

It wasn't exactly the start he would have wanted for himself, however.

Against an excellent Ohio State defense, Manning finished 17-of-30 for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 14-7 loss. As a number of people noticed, he never quite looked comfortable, especially in the first half:

Social media, as you might expect, was ready to extinguish those Heisman Trophy expectations for Manning after the loss:

Perhaps everyone should take a step back and acknowledge that anointing Manning as the next great savior of the quarterback position after all of 95 pass attempts through his first two college seasons was a bit hasty.

And starting his junior season with a road trip to the The Horseshoe was no soft landing after finally becoming the full-time starter.

But if there is one thing that people love, it's creating narratives for a player and then ripping him to shreds if he doesn't immediately meet them.

This isn't to suggest that Manning didn't struggle in this game, especially in the first half—he absolutely did. But Ohio State is a fantastic team, with a frenzied home crowd at its back, and the Texas game plan was pretty conservative throughout. The team's inability to capitalize in the red zone isn't solely on Manning.

There is plenty of room for redemption, in other words.

Manning comes from football royalty and has long been considered the next great successor. One game in and social media is ready to go full regicide. But Rome wasn't built in 60 minutes.