Arch Manning has come under a lot of scrutiny around his questionable performance, as the Texas Longhorns lost their second consecutive game. The 27-24 loss against the Florida Gators witnessed the quarterback fail once again.

Manning’s performance prompted former Los Angeles Charger Breiden Fehoko to make a serious claim about the quarterback’s future draft. 

“I say this with seriousness,” Fehoko wrote on X. “If Arch Manning gets drafted anywhere in the first 5 rounds the NFL is a nepo baby system. Arch Manning is a bad football player can we start being real?”

Manning fumbled at the worst possible moment in the game against the Gators. The clock had 1:58 left in the fourth quarter when Florida’s linebacker Myles Graham sacked Manning on a second-and-eight. The ball came loose from the QB’s hands.

Defensive back Kanye Clark swooped in to recover the critical fumble and snatched the Longhorns’ chance at scoring a touchdown for a win, or a field goal to tie the score. Florida simply ran out the clock following a series of rushing plays in the ensuing drive.

Arch Manning himself wasn’t happy with his performance. 

“It’s not great right now,” Manning said after the game. “Coming off two losses in a row, it stings.” 

Against Oklahoma, Manning completed 19 passes for 260 yards and scored three touchdowns. But it was the final quarter that decided the fate of the game. With just above 10 minutes left on the clock, Peyton Bowen intercepted Manning’s pass and returned it for 42 yards to score a touchdown. In the next drive, however, Manning threw a touchdown pass to Jermaine Bishop Jr. to tie the score at 24. 

But it was the second interception with 19 seconds on the clock that turned the game in favor of the Sooners. Following the turnover, the Sooners scored a field goal and won the game by 27-24. 

Same scores, same results. Also similar is the manner in which Texas lost: Manning made bad decisions in those crucial plays.

The 2026 season is turning out to be a downer for Arch Manning, who was once again touted as a top pick in next year’s draft. He looked like one after his brilliant comeback effort against the Ohio State Buckeyes. But since then, Manning has not played well enough.

Taking to the Fully Loaded Podcast, Cris Carter slammed Manning for his poor play. 

“Arch Manning needs to stay in college because he is not good at college football,” Carter said. “You can’t leave college and not be good. And you got another year of eligibility.

“He’s not good at college football. They have a dominant defense. Oklahoma has their worst offense in a 100 years. They could not win that game without any help. He gave away this win. He threw a pick-six touchdown. He just threw the ball up for grabs.”  

Meanwhile, former NFL star Gerald McCoy had some advice for the young quarterback. 

“If Arch wants to maximize who he is, you don’t want to go into the NFL not confident, because in the NFL, it will break you,” McCoy, as per ESPN College Football, weighed in on whether Manning should spend one more year in school. 

“You know this: the NFL is a man’s game, and it will break you. It will humble you. So if you’re not tough or confident in yourself and your ability, then you’re never going to have success. He needs to go to the NFL when he believes I can handle everything that comes with the NFL. If he thinks the eyes are on him now, put on one of those NFL logos, and you’ll really, really see eyes. And he needs to do that when he’s overly confident.” 

Manning does have another year of eligibility remaining, he confirmed to People. Whether or not he is forced to use it is left to be seen.

For now, Manning needs to prove himself in the upcoming game against the Ole Miss Rebels. Otherwise, he’ll drop his 2027 NFL Draft ratings further.