• A confident passer: Despite his limited college sample size, Manning wasn’t afraid to test defenses in 2024. He is set to take Texas’ offense to the next level in 2025.

• The potential QB1 in the 2026 NFL Draft: Manning comes in at No. 1 in Trevor Sikkema’s preseason quarterback prospect rankings thanks to his overwhelming potential.

• Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more!

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

All eyes in college football will be on Arch Manning and Texas in 2025.

Manning has seemingly been touted as the next generational quarterback since he was a freshman in high school. In 2024, we finally got to see that talent in live action. While he recorded just over 100 dropbacks last season, it was enough of a sample size to show why the hype isn’t just because of his last name.

The first thing that jumps out when watching Manning is his confidence. He was not afraid to test defenses and stretch the field. Young quarterbacks often come in and take their first open look. Manning, however, displayed an ability to look off an open receiver to make a better throw. It wasn’t just deep balls and RPOs, either. He was making second-level throws between zones, which, again, isn’t something you typically see from young college quarterbacks. How a quarterback operates from a clean pocket is a great way to evaluate how they process information and make decisions, and Manning earned an elite 91.3 clean-pocket PFF passing grade, which would have ranked 12th in the FBS had he qualified.

Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock the world’s most advanced football database!

Manning has a natural throwing motion and generates velocity with ease. There’s little strain when he throws deep, and he’s not afraid to show that off. Some 21.1% of his attempts were 20-plus yards, whereas teammate Quinn Ewers was at just 12.4%. Texas’ deep passing game could really explode this season. Manning has the ability and willingness to stretch the field vertically.

Sometimes, Manning has a little too much confidence in his arm. His two turnover-worthy plays this past season came from believing he could fit a throw into a tight window despite a defender being in his face. That also speaks to how he needs to deal with pressure better. His PFF passing grade under pressure finished at 49.9 in 2024. He has to speed up his internal clock and know when to get out of the pocket. He tends to stand in too long and ends up inviting pressure.

All of this, however, stems from inexperience.

Another area of concern with Manning is accuracy. It’s a small sample size, so it’s tough to say he has an accuracy problem, but there were plenty of examples of missing easy throws. His accuracy percentage when looking at ball placement on every throw was 56.3%, ranking 132nd in the FBS. Again, it’s a small sample size, but it’s noticeable.

Arch Manning’s 2024 PFF Game Grades

The Manning name plays a huge part in why Arch has garnered so much hype, but his talent is evident and his play on a limited sample size is only adding fuel to the fire. He showed a great understanding and natural feel for the position in 2024, and he didn’t once look out of place. While there are areas of his game that can be cleaned up — as is the case for every quarterback — the majority of those issues arise from his lack of experience. The more dropbacks he gets under his belt, the better he will be.

Manning has the ability to elevate Texas‘ offense in 2025 and prove why he has already been called a generational talent.