Arch Manning hears the Heisman buzz but knows he has more to prove with Texas

The hype surrounding Texas quarterback Arch Manning is real. Not since the days of Tim Tebow or even Johnny Manziel has college football been anticipating the breakout arrival of a talent such as his.

That hype comes with immense pressure. Manning is the odds on favorite to win the 2025 Heisman Trophy and even with over a month to go until Week 1 kicks off, pundits are already predicting him to lead the Longhorns over their opening opponent in the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

But he's not letting it get to his head whatsoever. At day two of SEC media days in Atlanta, Georgia, Manning spoke with reporters and addressed the dramatic increase in his notoriety and the mountain of expectations heaped on Texas ahead of the season.

"I'm not sure how they get these opinions. I've only played what, two games?" He pondered of preseason predictions on Tuesday. "It's nice of them to say but it doesn't mean anything. Talk is cheap, I gotta go prove it."

Arch Manning won't let Heisman hype prevent his development at QB

Manning is right in his self-critical assessment. In 10 appearances last year, the 21 year old put up 939 passing yards and was responsible for 13 total touchdowns behind starter Quinn Ewers. He earned two wins on his own when the latter went down with injury.

He still has a lot of development left to do, something his two-time Super Bowl-winning uncle, Eli Manning, has noticed and is encouraging ahead of the 2025-26 season.

"I'm just proud of Arch... He's just dialed into everything going on," he told ESPN's Pete Schrager on Get Up Tuesday. "He's a sponge right now... He's worked his tail off. I've seen it."

That's high praise (and perhaps a little convenient) considering Eli was supposedly not as present in Arch's life as many once thought. But the third generation Manning passer still has excellent influences he studies to get better.

"I'm watching a lot of Josh Allen and Joe Burrow right now," he told reporters at the Manning Passing Academy on June 27. "They're dogs. I've watched some of their college film. They're just good players, elite competitors and fun to watch."

If Arch's determination to mimic the best in the game and keep his eyes focused on winning is a strong as he's made it out to seem so far, Texas' opponents should be shuddering. Perhaps he could win the Heisman with as much ease as many are predicting after all.