They say Arch Manning got a golden spoon, just effortlessly riding THE MANNING legacy. But nobody talks about the heavy burden of expectations on his shoulders. Already, he’s been snubbed by former South Carolina HC Steve Spurrier, who commented, “Most people (are) picking Texas to win the SEC (this year). They’ve got Arch Manning already winning the Heisman too. My question is: If he was this good, how come they let Quinn Ewers play all the time last year? And he was a 7th-round pick.” However, Manning doesn’t let this negativity get to him. Instead, he’s busy spreading positivity among budding stars who often look up to him for inspiration.

Friday, June 27, marked a full-circle moment for the Texas Longhorns quarterback in Thibodaux: he returned to the Manning Passing Academy as a counselor. And he couldn’t resist being a hype man for the freshman players.

On June 28, OnTexasFootball tweeted, “Arch Manning made sure to give true freshman and former 5⭐️ WR Kaliq Lockett a shoutout at the Manning Passing Academy 🤘.” When asked who impressed him at the camp, Manning shared, “Kaliq [Lockett]’s looking good this summer. We’re fired up. We’ve got a young but talented group.”

Freshman Kaliq Lockett was a 4-star recruit out of high school. The 6-foot-2/175 lbs star from Sachse, TX, is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 5 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 6 player in the state of Texas.

Manning must have been in a panic after the Longhorns lost two key receivers in the NFL Draft, Matthew Golden (Texas’ leading receiver in yards and touchdowns) and Isiah Bond (who caught 34 passes for 540 yards and five touchdowns). But he no longer has to worry, as Lockett has already shown signs of his explosiveness at the Thibodaux camp.

While Lockett has not played a collegiate snap, he is receiving national praise. FOX Sports’ Michael Cohen curated a list of the Top 10 impact freshmen heading into 2025, and at No. 6 was Lockett. Not just the freshman, even Manning’s competitor caught some praise from the Texas Longhorns’ quarterback.  

That’s none other than LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Despite Nussmeier being a known Heisman threat to Arch Manning, they reportedly shared space at the Manning Passing Academy and even filmed a Raising Cane’s commercial together recently. This camaraderie didn’t stop there, as the 21-year-old Longhorns star even sprinkled some praise for his fellow competitor. “I love Garrett. He’s the man. You know, he’s a coach’s kid, so knows ball. We went to Walmart last night and got food. He’s the man. I’m glad I got to build a good relationship with him.” While Manning has overstocked on praise for others, he might need some for himself.    

A ‘prove it or lose it’ road ahead for Arch Manning

When it comes to the Manning hype, analyst Lance Taylor summed it up perfectly: “Arch Manning is at the level I think it surpasses Tim Tebow coming back for his sophomore year. I think it is right up there with LeBron James coming into the NBA. I think that’s the type of hype we’re getting right now.” What has further fueled this hype is Manning catching the attention of the pro league.

He was recently spotted deep in conversation with Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead at Texas Pro Day. However, it might be time for the Manning hype train to slow down. After all, he’s yet to fully prove himself in college. While there have been heroic feats—for instance, in Week 5 against Mississippi State, he threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns—his time on the field has been limited, largely thanks to Quinn Ewers.

Within his short active span, Arch Manning managed a 66.3% completion rate, racking up 969 yards and 9 touchdowns. Consequently, analysts don’t have enough game tape to truly judge the Longhorns’ quarterback’s full power. On the other hand, Oklahoma’s John Mateer has already proven himself, leading all FBS players with 29 touchdowns and gaining 3,139 total yards. This makes it hard for those defending Manning to convince his detractors.

As Lance Taylor humorously shared, “Talking to Chip and Zay in Austin yesterday, I told him, ‘Here’s what’s going to happen October 11th. You’re going to have an undefeated rolling into Dallas. It’s going to be Oklahoma, and you’re going to have a three and two.’ And Chip was like ‘Are you dr—k? Are you on d—s?’” So, it’s high time Arch Manning earned his stripes in college football; after all, he has already earned the love and continues to spread it.