"Arch Manning fears black players": Jason Whitlock points fingers at Texas QB's "mental hiccup" for disappointing start to season

Arch Manning entered the 2025 college football season with perhaps the biggest expectations of any quarterback in the nation. The Texas quarterback was surrounded by a strong supporting cast that included talented receivers, a stable backfield and a solid offensive line, but he has struggled to meet expectations so far.

While Manning’s performance has been a frequent topic among fans and analysts, sports commentator Jason Whitlock added a controversial angle to the conversation. In his YouTube video titled “Superb legend Arch Manning fears black players,” Whitlock said Manning’s struggles may be linked to racial dynamics.

“I'm going to say it more impolitely, or maybe this is what he hadn't considered and thought of as it relates to this mental hiccup,” Whitlock said (6:17). “I've seen kids at the high school and even collegiate level. I look out here, and 70% of these kids are black kids and of that 70%. They're from the hood black kids and they wet their pants.

“The next thing you know you're out there playing with a bunch of black dudes tatted up. You're playing against a bunch of city kids. I've seen that bring out the best in some suburban kids and I've seen it bring out the worst in some suburban kids."

Whitlock pointed to Manning’s background at Isidore Newman, where, as Whitlock said, the competition often featured “a lot of Asian kids” and “poor little Timmies,” implying a huge difference with the players he faces now at the college level.

The idea that Manning “fears black players” remains speculative, but Whitlock has repeatedly framed the quarterback’s struggles within a racial lens. Just two weeks ago, he argued that Manning faced harsher criticism for his poor performances compared to former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

“We keep feminizing and homosexualizing the black players and their father while the white guy gets treated like a man,” Whitlock said in his podcast.

Arch Manning gets hype from former Florida quarterback

This season, Arch Manning has connected on only 55.3% of his passes, totaling 579 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also added 112 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns across three starts, but these numbers fall short of expectations for a quarterback once compared to former Florida star Tim Tebow.

However, Tebow offered Manning some support during an interview on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

"I would just encourage him, like 'man, you're a gifted player,'" Tebow said (via SI)."Remember it's for the love of the game. He's at a location right now with great coaches and great players around him, but there's just a lot of pressure. The pressure is real, and sometimes, it's hard to explain that to people."

“I have really appreciated the way that he has carried himself for three years now, and the way he's handled it as a teammate with Quinn (Ewers), and then when he took over, even how he's handled some of the disappointment. He's a great example of someone that has handled both hype and criticism.”

Last weekend against UTEP, Manning went 11-of-25 for 114 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, as Texas came away with a 27-10 win. He will look to rebound when the Longhorns face Sam Houston on Saturday.