Three games into the 2025 college football season, Texas quarterback Arch Manning has yet to reach his preseason expectations. While some speculate a potential injury, ESPN analyst Chase Daniel believes his mechanics are just out of sync.
From watching film, Daniel believes that Manning's arm and throwing angles are off, he said on ‘The Dan Patrick Show.' More than anything, the former NFL quarterback believes that Manning has yet to settle into his new role as a starter.
“I would just say, instead of the ‘yips,' I'll say mechanically, there are a lot of things wrong with his throwing motion,” Daniel said. “His feet not being in the right spot, to his arm angle not being in the right spot, to him grimacing when he throws the football. And that's the biggest thing, I don't think he's hurt, I really don't. I just think [it's] his motion and his throwing angle of his shoulder. I feel like everything's completely off.”
Manning entered the season as the preseason favorite to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy award. Instead, he has just 579 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions through three weeks. He has a trio of rushing touchdowns, but the early returns are severely underwhelming.
While fans certainly got too excited about Manning too soon, he gave them a reason to believe in him in 2024. During a three-game stint in which Quinn Ewers was sidelined, Manning racked up 806 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He led Texas to a 3-0 record during that stretch, while averaging 47.3 points per game.
Arch Manning gets final showcase spot in Texas-Sam Houston matchup
Many fans immediately criticized Manning for his poor Week 1 performance against Ohio State, but some were willing to give him a pass in his first career road start. However, despite facing two inferior opponents in Texas' ensuing two games, Manning's struggles have persisted.
Texas has one more non-conference game against Sam Houston State in Week 4, giving Manning one final showcase opportunity.
The Bearkats have begun the 2025 season with a 0-3 record, losing to Western Kentucky, UNLV and Hawaii. All three losses have been by double digits.
Sam Houston enters the meeting off a bye and has another one following it, but is still significantly overmatched. The Bearkats are only in their third year as an FBS program and are 0-17 against Power Four teams in the last 30 years. Despite existing in the same state, the teams have only met once before, with Texas winning 56-3 in 2006.
