Three games into the 2025 season, Arch Manning has yet to prove why he was worth all the hype he was getting. Even if we consider that Ohio State was a challenging start, his slogging against UTEP in Week 3, when he was limited to just 114 passing yards, throwing an interception with a meager 44% efficiency, was inexcusable. Naturally, patience is running thin as analysts are made to eat their words about his Heisman chances. We’re no longer getting segments about him being the top pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. The games against Florida and Oklahoma could signal the end of Texas’s natty run. However, if you ask Arch’s father, Cooper Manning, about all of this, he has a simple reply.

Cooper Manning appeared on the ‘LaBatardShow’ along with special guest Brian Baumgartner and was asked if he pays heed to the criticism his son is getting. “Cooper, how much of your regular day is consumed with anything surrounding your son, from reading things or watching clips or just thinking about Texas football?” asked co-host Jonathan Zaslow.

Cooper Manning instead leaned toward a stoic approach, blocking the background noise seemingly for his mental peace. “I watch nothing. I read nothing, which is liberating. And I go to the games, and you know, could just be a regular dad,” replied Cooper Manning. Cooper, while probably being modest here, both as a father and a coach, had a huge role in developing Arch into a legacy 5-star recruit.

Cooper’s footballing career was cut short due to his spinal stenosis diagnosis, leading to nerve issues in his hands and feet. He still instilled the same discipline and work ethic of his famed ‘Manning’ family, and the best thing he taught Arch was to handle public expectations. “I want to see Arch learning, getting better… through his exposure in college football. Enjoy it, learn, get better, and just kind of grow up,” said Cooper on the Youth Inc podcast. Apart from that, Cooper prioritized holistic growth in his son, despite the family being deeply embedded in the footballing lore.

Not paying attention to the media hype or even scrutiny is the primary thing Cooper instilled in young Arch. It’s then a no-brainer that he follows it too, being away from anything related to college football, and just attends his son’s games. “I tell Arch to focus on the small things—being a good teammate, learning from every snap. The media noise, the hype, that’s all secondary. Don’t let it define you,” said Cooper last year on the Subpar podcast. Choosing Texas, too, was an inherent decision from Cooper to let his son not just become a world-class quarterback, but also be a scholar when required.

“We wanted a place where Arch could grow as a person, not just a QB, and Texas lets him be a student first, away from the constant spotlight,” said Cooper Manning. For now, it may seem like a lot of regression for Arch Manning this season, courtesy of his disappointing performance against UTEP, despite the team winning 27-10. However, Arch still has the same qualities that he had in high school, getting compared with the likes of Joe Burrow and showing incredible pocket awareness. So, making a comeback won’t be too difficult for Arch, and that’s exactly what Colin Cowherd predicts, calling the UTEP game “the best thing ever happened” for Arch Manning.

Colin Cowherd and Greg McElroy give differing opinions on Arch’s regression

For Arch Manning to perform against a G-5 team like UTEP was always considered a cakewalk, but the game turned Arch’s hype upside down (at least for now). Right from showing massive passing inaccuracy to nine straight incompletions just in the first half, Arch Manning was nowhere near the levels at which he was expected to perform. Moreover, throwing a red zone interception on a crucial 4th-and-2 situation didn’t help Arch’s case either, as he looked not even to follow some QB fundamentals. For instance, on that 4th down situation, Arch scrambled, got time on his side, but threw a pass to the end zone in the hands of Xavier Smith. That’s not even a beginner mistake. However, Colin Cowherd still leans toward Arch Manning’s side.

“I think (for) Arch Manning, actually, this is the greatest thing that ever happened to him. It’s real turbulence. Texas football, receivers are hurt, on his third-string running back, new O-line, his mechanics are weird. I’m going to argue this is essential if you’re going to make it on Sundays,” said Cowher,d who sat with Greg McElroy on his podcast. McElroy, on the other hand, called for some sweeping changes in Arch’s mechanics. “Here’s what I’ll say. There’s a lot to clean up – and it starts with his mechanics. When things are sideways and things are moving a million miles an hour, he’s got to clean up his mechanics.”

Faltering against Ohio State might have been seen through a much lenient lens, but now time is running out for Arch Manning. The team will face Sam Houston, another G-5 team, followed by tough games against Florida on the road and Oklahoma at home. If Arch can perform in the two games, all would be forgotten, like it was with other legends, like his uncle, Peyton Manning, who himself looked hesitant in his initial college games. But in the end, he turned out to be one of the GOATs of the game. Can we see Arch going through a similar arc?