Ryan Clark is more than ready to declare that Arch Manning isn't elite.
Texas and Arch Manning dropped a week one game to Ohio State 14-7 in what was nothing short of a wildly ugly matchup on both sides.
Manning also struggled at times in his first career start against an elite opponent. He finished the game with 170 passing yards on 17/30 attempts, one passing touchdown, one interception and 38 rushing yards. The stat line was far from solid, and the fact the Longhorns lost makes it even worse.
That's led to people being quick to bury Manning as a great QB or even a guy with an NFL ceiling. Reactions have flowed in, and it's getting to be a bit much.
Clark, a former NFL defensive back, opined about the situation and added to the pile-on with a bit of a mixed bag of comments.
"The problem with Arch Manning is more so other people than him. He didn't ask for these expectations. Other people gave him these expectations without doing their due diligence. Arch Manning, period, point-blank, is neither a generation, nor a transcendent talent. Arch Manning can't run like LaNorris Sellers. He can't throw like Garrett Nussmeier or Bryce Underwood. He's not Trevor Lawrence. He's not Caleb Williams. Those guys were what people felt like were generational can't miss college quarterbacks, right? College football talents."
Clark also then went off on the fact that Arch didn't start ahead of Quinn Ewers, who ended up being picked in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins. We'll get into more on that later.
You can watch Clark's full comments below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
There's a lot to unpack here. First, Clark is correct that Arch Manning never asked for these expectations. The weight on his shoulders came with the fact he's a Manning, but the Texas QB has gone out of his way to avoid the spotlight. He's not constantly on social media or talking to the press.
He presents publicly as a very private young man focused on nothing other than football. On that point, Clark is correct.
After that, he goes a bit off the rails. He seems to believe that because Manning struggled against OSU - a team that could easily win the national title - that he's not elite.
Let's take a look down memory lane for everyone who forgot. Caleb Williams during his *JUNIOR SEASON* threw one touchdown and three interceptions on the road against Notre Dame. The 2023 Fighting Irish team was solid. It wasn't nearly as good as the 2025 OSU squad. Clark's own argument lacks consistency. By his logic, Williams also must not have been elite because he struggled against a good opponent with way more starting experience than Arch.
Also, shouting out Michigan QB Bryce Underwood…..after he played one college game in his life is certainly a choice.
Now, let's address the fact Manning sat behind Quinn Ewers. That was always going to happen. It was clear from the jump there was no urgency to rush Manning's development, and Ewers was the QB who restored Texas to national prominence in college football. There was never any shot the face of the program - a man beloved by fans - was going to get benched for an unproven freshman.
You know who would agree with that take?
Ryan Clark.
Now, let's take a look at Arch Manning's stats in 2024 when pressed into service in limited time. He threw for 939 yards, completed 67.8% of his passes, threw nine touchdowns, had two interceptions and rushed for four touchdowns while averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
In no world is that bad for a guy who has to come off the bench. He showed a ton of potential while serving as QB2 for Texas.
Now, Arch Manning might ultimately never meet expectations. He could also turn into the star people expect out of the former top overall recruit. Time will tell, but the hot takes need to stop. He lost one game against an elite opponent. There's no reason to panic. Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com if you agree.
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