Arch Manning had a disastrous start against Ohio State on Saturday, and fans had a field day with it.
During the game’s second drive, with his team down a field goal, the Texas quarterback misjudged a pass to Cam Coleman. The ball bounced off the wide receiver’s hands and into those of Buckeyes cornerback Jaylen McClain:
The cameras later shifted to a puzzled Manning:
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Much mockery ensued as soon as the footage hit:
The Longhorns would fall burther behind later that quarter, when Buckeyes running back Ja’Kobi Jackson rushed for an eight-yard touchdown.
Manning finished the first quarter with just a single completion to Raleek Brown that resulted in a four-yard loss. He also lost ten yards on one rushing attempt. Only Daylan Smothers had positive yardage, rushing thrice for 13 yards.
While the number of his interceptions has not been a major narrative in his career, his perceived inability to handle “big-game” pressure has. During ESPN’s “College GameDay”, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian got candid on the topic:
“Honestly, I think the adversity he got faced with last year was the best thing for him, his career, for his future and his own mental health. He had never had real adversity before. So to get faced with it, then get on the other side of it and play the way he played the second half of the season, I think that speaks volumes of the human being.”
Arch Manning receives half of runaway winner’s votes in 2027 QB1 draft poll
Costly interceptions like the one above can serve to hurt prospects’ standing, and it is no different for Arch Manning, as evidenced by a recent 2027 draft QB1 poll.
On Saturday morning, ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed that the son of Cooper and nephew of Peyton and Eli had received seven votes. While it was good enough for solo second, Oregon’s Dante Moore received double that amount.
South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers was the only other quarterback to have more then one vote, receiving two. LSU’s Sam Leavitt and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr had one vote each.
The 2027 QB class also boasts the likes of Oklahoma’s Julian Sayin, Ole Miss’s Trinidad Cambliss and Cinciinati’s Brendan Sorsby. A veteran NFL executive commented on such depth:
“That’s crazy. I just don’t know the last time that’s happened. But again, how many of those [dozen or so] will actually come out and have good years? Also, there’s always the Cam Wards — a guy people aren’t talking about that’s all of sudden in top 30.”
The 2027 NFL draft will emanate from Washington, D.C.’s National Mall from April 29 to May 1.
Edited by Andre Castillo
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