Jordan Rodgers, Louis Riddick set expectations for Arch Manning against Florida

Jordan Rodgers is liking what he’s seen from Arch Manning over the past couple of weeks. After a slow start to the season, the highly touted quarterback is finding his footing as the unquestioned starter for Texas.

The Longhorns will face a tough challenge this weekend though, traveling to Gainesville to take on Florida. Joining Get Up on ESPN, Jordan Rodgers explained what he’s hoping to see from Manning against the Gators.

“Make the easy throws look easy, right? I love that you see some of the confidence and swagger come back from this kid, because I think that was not there the first couple weeks with all the media pressure and the cloud over him about performing up to the standard. We’re seeing his mobility and confidence come back,” Rodgers stated.

“But I want to see the easy throws look easy. His off-target percentage right now is 19% — that’s the highest in the Power Four. And it’s really those throws to the flat, the intermediate throws, that he’s missing because of his footwork. I want to see that be more consistent.

“He can make every throw. The confidence is back. Florida is a good defense, but he should be set up to have a big day, as long as his fundamentals are back to what we’re expecting to see.”

Louis Riddick was in agreement with his colleague. He’s on the call for Texas at Florida, and he’s hoping to see Manning continue his ascension, even if it might be difficult for him on Saturday against the Gators.

“I want to see consistency as far as his technique,” Riddick added. “You know, Jordan’s talking about his feet — you can see it sometimes. People get square and parallel, the ball kind of goes down in the dirt. He tries to change his arm angle sometimes. It doesn’t look natural to him.

“I’ll tell you what, if I’m Florida, this is what I’m doing: every time I see Arch get flushed out of the pocket, he’s trying to throw on the run — that’s just not his thing. I would not want him to sit in the pocket and get comfortable off of play-action, where he can become a rhythm thrower.

“You let him do that with the weapons they have, he’s probably going to tear you up. I’m sending the house after him. I’m making him move and making him throw on the move, because I think he struggles doing that. There are a lot of questions he’s going to have to face down here in The Swamp. This could be a much tougher test than maybe what people think for Texas.”

All told, Manning will always be under a microscope, and a bad game against Florida will continue the narrative that’s run wild in 2025. He can quiet his haters with a solid performance this weekend, but it won’t come easy. Rodgers and Riddick recognize that.