Ryan Clark claims Arch Manning is not a generational talent after performance vs. Ohio State

Ryan Clark has seen enough. On Tuesday, the ESPN analyst made a bold claim about Texas quarterback Arch Manning after he produced an underwhelming performance in the Longhorns’ Week 1 loss to Ohio State.

“Arch Manning is not a generational talent,” Clark wrote on X. “People placed expectations upon him without any evidence. He’s not Trevor Lawrence or Caleb Williams, who beat out returning starters as freshman.

“Instead Arch sat being a 7th round pick for 2 years. He’s a good player who will be very good, but let him to earn it. Arch has never faced top level competition. He didn’t play high level ball in Louisiana nor did he compete in the high school QB circuit. So, it’ll take time, & that’s ok.”

In Texas’ 14-7 loss to the Buckeyes, Manning completed 17-of-his-30 pass attempts for 170 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing an interception. Manning had particularly slow start in the loss, only recording 26 passing yards in the first half.

To his credit, he didn’t hang his head and racked up 144 yards in the second half, nearly leading the Longhorns to a comeback win. While 170 yards would be acceptable for some quarterbacks, many fans weren’t impressed by Manning’s performance.

Manning entered this season as one of the most hyped quarterbacks in recent memory. The media swarmed him at SEC Media Days, and pundits like Paul Finebaum compared him to 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.

Naturally, fans weren’t expecting the Manning era to begin with a loss. Yet, Ryan Clark believes fans shouldn’t have expected so much from Manning. Clark particularly pointed out that several other successful QBs in recent years haven’t had to wait their turn to be their respective team’s starter.

Thankfully for Manning, Texas’ season is far from over. Outsiders certainly shouldn’t expect the redshirt sophomore to lie down and wallow in self-pity.

“Ultimately, not good enough,” Manning said after the loss. “Obviously, you don’t want to start off the season 0-1. They’re a good team. I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I’ve got to play better for us to win.”

Texas’ next two opponents are San Jose State and UTEP. The non-Power Four opponents should give Arch Manning a chance to build confidence as Texas heads into SEC play.

The Longhorns will square off against San Jose State at noon ET on Saturday. The game will air live on ABC.