David Pollack downplays Heisman hype around Arch Manning: 'I'm not there yet'

David Pollack isn’t ready to put all his eggs in the Arch Manning basket quite yet. On the See Ball Get Ball podcast, Pollack explained his hesitation to buy into the Texas quarterback’s hype.

“Do I think Arch is a proven commodity that I’m ready to throw my hat in the ring and go, ‘Bro, Heisman ceremony.’ No, I’m not there yet. I know some people are,” Pollack said. “If you say the name, I should be there. Like, what else does he have to prove? If you’re a Manning, you’re pretty great at the quarterback spot. There’s some pretty good history there.

“I’m not worried about him on a whiteboard. He’s probably been on a whiteboard and probably been calling audibles at the line of scrimmage since he was two. I mean, he’s just probably been doing that his whole life, and he knows how to do it.

“The only thing that just kind of stays in my small, little brain is Texas was so close, such an elite defense a year ago, and Quinn Ewers was meh. I just feel a little bit in my head, man, like if he was that much better, he was that great — am I crazy — but I just think he would have played? I think you pull the trigger and go try to win a national championship because the defense held Ohio State to 21 points.”

Pollack is referring to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s decision to keep Ewers as the team’s starter despite some lackluster play throughout the season. Pollack is far from the only one who believes Manning should’ve been Texas’ full-time starter last season.

The idea gained traction after Manning had a fantastic two starts while Ewers was sidelined with an injury. In the two starts, Manning completed 41-of-his-60 pass attempts for 583 yards and four touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. He also recorded 29 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Nonetheless, Ewers retained his QB1 title upon return and was Texas’ starter during the team’s College Football Playoff run. The Longhorns’ season ended in a 28-14 loss to Texas. In the loss, completed 23-of-39 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns, compared to one interception.

Arch Manning will have a chance to outperform Ewers in Texas’ Week 1 showdown against Ohio State this season. The Buckeyes and Longhorns will square off at noon ET on Aug. 30. The game will air live on FOX.