Arch Manning’s Heisman campaign could be determined in Week 1

Arch Manning comes into the 2025 college football season with a ton of hype behind him.

The Texas Longhorns quarterback was the most famous backup in the country over the past two seasons at Texas because of his surname. He’s the nephew of Eli Manning and Peyton Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning, after all. He’s part of the royal quarterback family, and he showed in spots as a backup (especially last season) that the hype is very much real.

In fact, in a recent piece on ESPN, Manning is ranked as the No. 2 Heisman Trophy contender for 2025. This is despite the fact that he’s only thrown 63 career passes.

“Manning is the current favorite to win the Heisman, according to ESPN BET. With his famous surname, Manning has as much national hype as any first-time, full-time starting QB in recent college football history,” Jeremiah Trotter wrote.

Manning has superstar potential, but the truth of the matter about the 2025 season is that we’ll know whether or not he’ll be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate by the time Week 1 is finished.

The Longhorns have a massive test to start the season. They play the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus to start the season. 

For a young quarterback getting his first start as “the guy” for his program, you couldn’t ask for a bigger spot. 

The Buckeyes have a new defensive coordinator in Matt Patricia but they have the talent and roster to be an elite defense in 2025 right off the bat. They do have some questions on offense at quarterback, but putting up points has never been a problem for the Buckeyes in the Ryan Day era.

Manning is going to have to play at an elite level if the Longhorns have a shot at winning that game. If he can lead Texas to a victory and he looks good in the process, he’ll have already secured a massive “Heisman moment” that could sustain his candidacy for the rest of the season.

If the Longhorns lose or Manning struggles, though, there’s a chance that could stick with him for the rest of the season.

Either way, in a sense, the Heisman Trophy could be on the line in Week 1 when the Longhorns take on the Buckeyes.