Rece Davis predicts Arch Manning will become 'the ultimate villain' in college football

Rece Davis is making a bold proclamation regarding Arch Manning. The ESPN analyst believes the Texas quarterback will become the top villain in all of college football next season, and it’s not because he looks a bit like Anakin Skywalker. 

Due to the immense hype surrounding Manning, Davis believes everything around the quarterback will be amplified — his successes, and especially his failures. That’ll lead to him being someone many fans love to root for, but even more will be praying on his downfall, magnifying each and every mistake. 

“Here’s what I think that’s going to happen with Arch, and it’s unfortunate — because of the attention he’s going to get, he’s going to become a fan-favorite to those outside of Texas, and to others outside of Texas, he’s going to be the ultimate villain, and I don’t just mean Oklahoma people. It’s like the analogy that I use if you start hyping up a restaurant or a movie or a TV show, when you keep saying how great it is and how exciting it is and you cannot miss this, it is the cynical human nature of many to start rooting against it. That’s going to happen with Arch,” Davis claimed, via the College GameDay Podcast.

“Those who are not predisposed to like him, whether they are a Texas fan, or they like the Mannings, or they like the Manning Cast or whatever, or they just feel like it’s too much, too soon — they’re going to root against him. Everything’s going to be amplified. The dart that he throws in, you know, between two defenders for a touchdown is going to be hailed as the greatest pass in the history of college football, and the interception on the misread is going to be, ‘See, he’s not good.’

“The family genes would indicate he’s going to be able to handle it just fine. Kind of a smirk and a wink. … He has personality. He kind of understands how this is. He’s seen how his family commands attention and how they’ve responded to it. He’s still young. I mean, I’m sure he’s going to have his moments, both on the field and off, that will be frustrating. But I think on the outside there’s going to be all of this hubbub about him, ‘See, he’s no good. See, he’s the greatest Manning of them all.’ You know, all of those things. I figure that arch is just going to keep playing, keep cracking jokes and keep throwing touchdowns. I think he’s gonna be outstanding, and I think he’ll handle it emotionally just fine.”

As Davis alluded to, Manning has the perfect disposition to be able to handle the pressure. He might be the quarterback most well-equipped to do so in the history of college football, when you consider his standing and his family history. 

Texas fans already love Arch Manning, and if he makes good on his potential, there’s no telling how high his star will rise. There will always be haters, doubters and naysayers, but Rece Davis believes the Longhorns star is ready for it all. Time will tell if he’s correct in that assessment.