Arch Manning is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Why are you booing me? I’m right. He’s had three developmental years, including a full season under center as a starter. He put up 3,163 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and turned the ball over just seven times. Oh, and he also ran for about 400 yards and 10 scores on his own two legs.

But just because, as a guy with the last name Manning, he didn’t arrive in Austin and immediately deliver a championship, doesn’t mean he’s a bust. Arch demonstrated advanced abilities and room for improvement, which should’ve just shown everyone how much higher his ceiling can be from where he’s already at. Instead, folks just want to hate on him, and his last name just makes it that much more convenient to do so.

Take a look at this wild one-handed grab by wide receiver Cam Coleman at Texas practice on Saturday. The comments should be all about the incredible snag, but instead the majority are focused on Manning, who isn’t even in frame, and his pass, which was tipped at the line of scrimmage.

This is just “Arch Derangement Syndrome” at work and it’s disappointing because Manning is going to be among the elite passers in the sport this season. Yes, he could even win the Heisman Trophy like has been long predicted since he entered the college game.

Arch Manning haters will eat their words after Texas’ 2026 season

The most ironic part about reading Arch Manning hate online is that the same folks trying to drag him are the very same folks that overhyped him entering his freshman and sophomore seasons, claiming he would be a one-and-done type of player. Now they’re just overcompensating to try and save face because, as fate would have it, Manning was not immediately the prince that was promised for Texas football’s deliverance.

Expectations are always sky high in Austin, but apparently two consecutive 10-plus win seasons, a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, and an SEC title game appearance with Manning taking significant snaps wasn’t enough progress. He and the Longhorns now enter 2026 with a serious chance to win their new conference and threaten for a national title. Hating on the leader of that team before a snap is even played is just fake fan behavior.

The media seems to be unnecessarily skeptical too. Arch and Coleman were left off the preseason first-team All-American list, landing on the second team instead. That could be viewed as hedging, but it’s really just good bulletin board material.

Folks are just going to have to get used to seeing a lot of Arch this year. A significant portion of the season’s biggest matchups will feature him and the Longhorns, including a Sept. 12 rematch with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Should he and Texas live up to the hype (there’s little reason to believe they won’t), fans should be glued to their televisions every time the burnt orange and white is on.