Jordan Rodgers sees 'bright future' for Arch Manning despite struggles in loss to Ohio State

Jordan Rodgers was vindicated by Arch Manning’s play in Texas‘ season-opening loss to Ohio State. Still, the SEC Network analyst is hopeful for the future of the young signal-caller.

During an appearance on Get Up on Wednesday, Rodgers took some time to evaluate Manning’s performance in Columbus. It wasn’t pretty, but the competition was staunch — despite past criticism, the ESPN pundit believes there’s something there with Manning.

“Here’s the thing — I don’t want to take a victory lap on Arch. It’s just something that I expected,” Rodgers prefaced. “This kid is going to be really good down the road. We saw flashes of what he showed last year. His mechanics were a little all over the place. His feet were inconsistent. Credit to Matt Patricia — the defensive plan was amazing.

“It wasn’t the pressure or blitzing; he only blitzed on four of Arch’s 34 dropbacks. What really caused problems were the mechanical issues that come with facing an elite defense for the first time. Showing him looks he wasn’t ready for. Everything was just moving a little too fast. That’s why we saw the inaccuracies: five underthrows, three overthrows, and a lot of missed chances for big plays downfield.

“I do want to push back a bit on the idea that Sark was being too conservative. I think he did exactly what he had to. He limited some of the full-field progressions. Later in the game, went to some split-field, flood concepts. There were still plenty of opportunities for Arch to hit big plays. The problem was his eyes were on the wrong read at times, or he wasn’t patient enough to let it develop. A lot was left on the table.

“Arch is going to be good. He just needs time to develop. He’ll win the way his uncles did—between the ears. It just takes time to develop that.”

All told, Rodgers believes that the biggest lesson learned is that Manning’s physical traits won’t blow you away, like some other quarterbacks in college football. Still, his mental makeup will only continue to improve, and that gives the SEC Network analyst hope for the Texas quarterback’s future.

“I think what we learned is that Arch doesn’t have elite physical traits. He doesn’t have an elite arm or elite athleticism, but he’s a good player with a high floor,” Rodgers added. “Once the mental side catches up, those inconsistencies will fade. He’s got a bright future. Some of the throws he made down the stretch were big-time. You still see flashes of brilliance.”

Manning won’t have to play Ohio State every week, and if he sees them again, he’ll be better prepared for the Buckeyes. Texas will be tested over the remainder of their schedule, and their quarterback will have to be better. Rodgers knows that, and he’s hoping Manning improves over the next couple of months.