Jesse Palmer claims pressure of NIL could be impacting Arch Manning amid struggles

As anticipation built for Arch Manning’s first season as Texas’ starting quarterback, he became more involved in the NIL space. He inked multiple NIL deals ahead of his redshirt sophomore season as his profile continues to grow.

However, it’s been a bumpy start to the year for Manning through three games. ESPN’s Jesse Palmer pondered whether the NIL attention could be adding to the pressure on the former top recruit.

Palmer pointed out the amount of noise around Manning considering not only his family, but also the fact he’s playing for Texas in the SEC. Add in the NIL component, and he said that adds to the outside chatter.

“It’s funny, I was thinking about this,” Palmer told David Pollack on Pollack’s See Ball Get Ball podcast. “Something that you and I never had to deal with, obviously, was NIL. And I do think something that, amidst the pressures quarterbacks and just college football players have in general about what fans are saying, social media now. You and I didn’t have to deal with that. The noise on social media, what the media’s saying, what SportsCenter’s saying. All that stuff.

“You also have to justify your NIL deal. … And in your mind, you’re thinking, I’m [one of] the highest-paid [guys] in college football. I’ve got to start showing people why. Now, should we feel sorry for him? No, we shouldn’t.”

Manning has a $5.5 million On3 NIL Valuation, which an 8% decrease from last week. A general manager previously told On3’s Pete Nakos the New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman product is due to make seven figures this year.

The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands.

Jesse Palmer latest to point out Arch Manning’s mechanics

Through three games, Arch Manning has completed 55.3% of his passes for 579 yards and six touchdowns, to three interceptions, as a redshirt sophomore. He also has 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Manning’s mechanics remain a big concern, and Jesse Palmer was the latest to raise questions. He recalled seeing flashes of Manning’s potential in 2024 during Quinn Ewers’ absence, but pointed out the mechanical issues at this point. He also shared some insights from Steve Sarkisian about it.

“A lot of people have talked about this, mechanics have been pretty poor up to this point,” Palmer said. “I asked Sark about that when we were getting ready for that game, and what we talked about, Sark said there’s times when Arch drops back to pass and his eyes are in the wrong place. As a thrower, your eyes lead your feet, which leads your arm. It all has to kind of be together. There are times when he’s looking over here to make a throw – really, he should be looking this way. … I think it starts with his eyes and just his mechanism to try to catch up with everything.

“But it’s not all right, right now. In that San Jose State game, he threw four touchdown passes really quick. They were all wide open throws. But he also just misses throws you’ve got to be able to make in your sleep. And I think that’s another example of a guy that’s pressing too much.”