FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt says Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning reminds him of a former No. 1 overall pick
On Tuesday, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt did a segment on his podcast about the Top 10 players in college football this season. He listed Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning No. 4 among the top players in the country in FBS. He’s not alone but there’s also a ton of push back for the early crowning […]
On Tuesday, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt did a segment on his podcast about the Top 10 players in college football this season. He listed Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning No. 4 among the top players in the country in FBS. He’s not alone but there’s also a ton of push back for the early crowning of the former five-star, No. 1 overall prospect in the 2023 class.
But, Klatt backed it up with some solid takes.
“Because of his name, people roll their eyes and they’re like ‘hey, man, let him do something…is he really that good?’. My answer is yes,” Klatt said on his podcast, ‘The Joel Klatt Show’. “If you watch the film, if he actually see the way that he plays, the way that he moves, the throws that he can make. Arch Manning deserves a spot on this list.”
Then, Klatt pushed the envelope a bit further when he likened his game and said he reminded him “a lot” of former Clemson quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence.
“In his two starts, he reminded me a lot of Trevor Lawrence when Trevor Lawrence was at Clemson,” Klatt said. “An athletic guy who didn’t beat you with his athleticism, but could. He beat you with his arm.
“Smart, competitive, great pedigree, obviously,” Klatt said. “In his two starts, 13 total touchdowns, two interceptions. I mean, the guy can play.”
Joel Klatt doesn’t just think Arch Manning will be good in 2025, he thinks Texas takes a big step.
“Texas could be a more dangerous offense,” Klatt said. “One, I do believe you have to account for him as an athlete and a runner. His ability to take it the distance is there so you have to account for that.
“There’s only so many defenders you get to deploy as a defensive coordinator,” Klatt said. “Then you have the aspect he can threaten the grass on the field to, what I would say, a greater extent than Quinn Ewers did.”
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has always done a nice job of catering to the skill set of his quarterback. Manning, no doubt, has the arm talent to pick up where Ewers left off and possibly exceed it. Klatt believes this to be the case as well.
“Manning makes throws that I think scared defensive coordinators as opposed to ‘yeah he can make the throw’,” Klatt said. “Because he can threaten the outside of the numbers from the far hash down the field. Now all of a sudden you’re expanding the defense. When you do that you’re expanding the seams in the defense.
“You put a greater level of importance on each individual’s ability to tackle in space,” Klatt said. “And now all of a sudden the defense is under more stress. When the defense is under more stress, they’re more apt to give up big plays … so Manning is going to be a better option for Texas. I think he is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”
