There’s a reason everyone’s already buzzing about Arch Manning ahead of next year’s draft, even though he’s only started ten college games. That wild 45-38 overtime win against Mississippi State was just more proof of why. Manning went 29 of 46 for 346 yards, threw three touchdowns, and even ran one in himself to carry the Texas Longhorns across the line. Still, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller thinks people should pump the brakes a little. In a recent exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, he explained why patience might be the key when it comes to Manning’s draft outlook.

“I mean, patience is probably the key word with him,” Miller said when our host, Andrew Whitelaw, asked about Manning’s draft timeline. “I do think he’s incredibly talented. You see that in moments. I think we saw that this past weekend against Mississippi State in the fourth quarter. When they needed a spark, he provided it.”

“But the expectations put on him were unfair. You know, he was never really being a starter except for a couple games last season where he was replacing Quinn Ewers. So to have him come in and have folks say, you know, he’s going to be the next Joe Burrow or Trevor Lawrence or Tim Tebow was unfair to him because we just hadn’t seen enough football to put those level of expectations on him.”

Arch is a talented prospect, there’s no denying that. But his case, unlike a few quarterbacks, is quite different. For starters, the next signal-caller from the Manning family is elite enough to provide a spark and lead his team to a win despite a major deficit. We saw it this past weekend.

Against Mississippi, Texas was trailing 38-21 with just 9:34 left before the final whistle. Manning then hit Emmett Mosley on a 21-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit. It was the first big play that started the comeback. The QB then led a late drive that set up Mason Shipley’s 26-yard field goal in the final five minutes, making it 38–31 and keeping Texas alive.

From there, Ryan Niblett did the rest of the work, as he tied the game with a 79-yard punt return touchdown with just 1:47 to play in regulation. In the process, Texas cut the 31-14 deficit to force overtime. Though Manning had to exit the field after getting a hit in OT, the signs were clear: The 21-year-old’s career-best performance led Texas to a crucial win.

But then again, as Miller pointed out, the expectations put on him were unfair. The reasoning behind this, however, is simple. Despite performing well this season, Manning is still inexperienced, and folks out there haven’t seen him much. After all, the Longhorns QB has started just 10 games in his collegiate career. On top of that, Miller also pointed out the ups and downs of his career and why he needs to be patient.

Arch Manning still has a lot of time to figure out who he can be

Over the past few months, Arch Manning has made headlines with reports of several NFL teams already showing interest in him. But in his exclusive chat with Whitelaw for EssentiallySports, Matt Miller didn’t hold back. He pointed out some of the major issues the Longhorns are facing. In the process, he also broke down where Manning is still struggling to find consistency.

“I think it’s unfortunate now because there have been ups and downs,” Miller added. “There absolutely have been. You know, the Florida game is a good example of a down game for him. The offensive line at Texas hasn’t been great. They’ve had injuries at running back. They’ve had a lot of turnover at wide receiver. So, I think it’s just about being patient.”

“I know that doesn’t work well like in our hot take culture, where everyone wants an answer right now about a player or prospect. But you know, he’s started what at this point, seven games in college, eight games maybe. So, there’s a lot of time left to figure out who he can be, but you see the potential. You see what makes him such an exciting player in terms of his arm strength, his athletic ability. He’s to the point still where the game has to slow down for him mentally, where he’s seeing things a little bit faster.”

The talent’s there, and so is the arm strength and athletic ability. But amidst the touchdowns and the glory, Arch Manning and the Longhorns’ struggles are hard to miss. Manning got the starting job after Quinn Ewers left to join the Miami Dolphins in the NFL. And let’s just say his first start as the full-time QB1 wasn’t up to the mark.

Manning struggled in the team’s season opener against Ohio State as he completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a 14-7 loss on the road. That Florida game that Miller pointed out? In a 29-21 loss over the Florida Gators, Manning struggled as he completed 16-of-29 for 263 passing yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs, while also leading Texas in rushing with 15 carries for 37 yards.

But his struggles weren’t entirely on him. As Miller observed, the Longhorns’ offensive line is struggling, and it just couldn’t protect their QB against Florida. Manning was hit and brought down repeatedly (six sacks reported, 18 hits, with many more pressures). The supporting cast wasn’t of any help either.

The running game was ugly as Texas piled up just 52 yards on the ground, 37 of which came from the QB himself. The penalties did the rest of the work. We’re talking 10 for 70 yards against the Gators. Long story short, a few things are pretty clear from what Miller said. First off, Arch Manning is without question one of the most talented prospects out there. But it’s still a bit early to start piling expectations on him, especially since he’s just getting his footing as a starting quarterback.