Heading into Week 6, few gave Florida much of a chance. The Longhorns entered as 4.5-point favorites, still ranked despite their Week 1 loss to Ohio State, while the Gators were limping in after three straight defeats, including one to UCF. However, what we saw in the game was starkly different. DJ Lagway finally looked to be an SEC-caliber quarterback, and the Gators’ D-line made life hard for Arch Manning. By the end, Manning had managed only 16 completions on 29 attempts for 263 yards, along with two costly interceptions that turned the tide. That loss has reignited a familiar debate.

After the Texas vs. Gators game, Shedeur’s former agent, Boog, took to X and berated Arch Manning’s pre-season hype and questioned his ‘generational’ talent. “Where all the media heads who was tryna tell me that Arch Manning is a generational talent? I kept saying yall don’t know what yall talmbout, and yall tried to make me think I was crazy. Get ya a– back hea, I wana talk about it,” wrote Boog on X. Not just that, Boog also took shots at Arch Manning’s future by reacting to an X post predicting Arch’s future.

“Arch Manning in 3 years after successfully outbidding a single mother of 4 in the housing market,” wrote a user on X, posting a photo of a stockbroker. It was a harsh dig at Arch’s footballing future, predicting the redshirt sophomore to make use of his communication degree instead. Boog, however, couldn’t hold back on the post and reacted with 9 laughing emojis to the post. While the prediction is undoubtedly harsh and uncalled for. Arch’s performances have given more fuel to critics.

Arch in the Gators game nowhere looked to be performing on an SEC level. He continued to throw those underthrown and overthrown passes and didn’t exude the confidence Texas would want with their QB. The 21-year-old’s pocket presence, too, was questionable, as he took 6 sacks and looked too tense when Florida dropped pressure on him. For instance, in the fourth quarter, with Texas trailing 14-29, Arch Manning threw a costly interception with 7:33 minutes on the clock as Texas’s drive was halted after just two yards of gain. All in all, it looks like Arch isn’t quite ready for the big moments yet, when Texas needs him. But is it the end of the ‘Arch Manning’ era at Texas?

Steve Sarkisian defends his team and Arch Manning after the Gators’ loss

DJ Lagway can surely be the example from whom Arch Manning can learn a lot. Lagway threw five picks against LSU and was heavily criticized after throwing for just 61 yards against Miami. The Gators’ QB was also 9 months straight without full practice, missing the offseason due to his shoulder issues. However, against Texas, he looked prolific under center, completing 21 of the 28 passes. As for Arch Manning, it was later revealed that the QB had a shoulder injury mid-game, and that’s why Steve Sarkisian isn’t too pessimistic about Texas’ chances yet.

“We’ll get back ready to go. Obviously got a big, pivotal game next week against a rival opponent in the Oklahoma Sooners. Very good football team. We need to get ourselves ready and focus on next week. We’re a one-loss team in the SEC. There’s a lot of football left to be played. We’ve got 7 conference games to be played. I’m not going to sit here and give the poor me’s and the woe is us,” said Steve Sarkisian after the Gators’ loss.

Time is surely running out for both Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning, and the next games aren’t ‘easy’ by any means. Oklahoma, led by John Mateer, is playing exceptionally this year and is undefeated so far, with wins against Auburn and Michigan. The Red River rivalry game will then be stacked heavily against Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian; moreover, the next games against teams like Kentucky and Mississippi State won’t be easy either. Arch Manning still has the potential to make a comeback, but his current issues are quite evident.