Over the weekend, Texas suffered a huge upset loss to Florida 29-21. A win that had Florida fans wanting to rub it in the face of QB Arch Manning in particular.
A loss that will fuel the fire of Manning critics, among them former college football standout Johnny Manziel. On Monday, Manziel unleashed a strong critique of Manning's transition from high school to college, per The Nightcap Podcast with Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
Essentially, Manziel made the argument that while at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, he didn't face any real competition. In other words, he had a reasonably smooth ride.
“Where he went to school, when you go watch Arch Manning highlight tape and you see the dudes that are chasing after him, my grandma in a wheelchair move faster than some of them boys they were chasing after him,” Manziel said. “He ain't play 6A. Me and my boys were talking about this the other day. If you put him in 6A Dallas or Houston football, you’re gonna see some dogs. You're gonna see some people who could play. He didn't play that competition. So, this is his first level of playing guys who are real real dogs.”
At the same time, Manziel gave Manning some credit for being the starting QB, but emphasized the need to grow in that role.
“You play in the SEC and you get an offer and you're a starter, you can play,” he said. “You got the size, you got the speed, you don't see a lot of you don't see a lot of bums out there. So, It's going to take some time for him to get used to that. And it's not his fault. That's just where he went to high school.”
Arch Manning vs Johnny Manziel in high school
It turns out, clips of Manning's high school exploits of have gone viral. Critics point out when watching the footage that Manning played for one of the lowest divisions and didn't overcome real adversity.
Granted, Manziel, who attended Tivy High School in Tyler, Texas, had it pretty easy as well. However, his coach made it a point to set up games with teams outside of the conference that were objectively better.
Therefore, putting Manziel to the test. In 2012, Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M.
This year, Manning has accumulated 1,151 passing yard, 11 touchdowns, and a QB rating of 60.1. Against Florida, he completed 16 out of 29 pass attempts along with two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a pass completion percentage of 55.2%.
