Texas Longhorns starting quarterback Arch Manning is one of the most popular players in the collegiate football scene. The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning is viewed as the undisputed starting QB for the Longhorns in his third year at the program.However, former college football coach Steve Spurrier had strong words for the Heisman Trophy favorite. In Monday's appearance on the "Another Dooley Noted Podcast," the College Football Hall of Famer said:"I think most people are picking Texas to win the SEC. They've got Arch Manning already winning the Heisman Trophy), too. My question is, if he was that good, how come they let Quinn Ewers play all the time last year? He (Ewers) was a seventh-round pick."Spurrier's words went viral and caught the attention of the ESPN College Football team. Former Florida State Seminoles quarterback EJ Manuel was quick to refute the criticism:"Well, guys, you saw me kind of wipe my brow, sick in my head. I mean, for one, why coach Spurrier? What are we talking about here? Man, look, I don't think it correlates to say a player that gets drafted ahead of a new incumbent starter is indicative that new starter not being that good."The former first-round NFL draft pick continued in the YouTube video posted on Friday:"I mean, when you look at the quarterback situation at Texas coming into the 2024 season, Quinn Ewers didn't lose his job. He didn't play bad enough to say, 'Hey, Arch, you're going to now be our guy,' considering in 2023 they leave winning the Big 12, they make it to the CFP that was all through the arm and the play of Quinn Ewers. "So again, I understand Quinn Ewers went much later in the draft, and I thought he went, or should have, but I don't think that's indicative of saying Arch Manning is not as good of a player."So I think Arch Manning is going to shut up all the haters. He's going to have a huge opportunity against Ohio State. But then this is one where I could tell Coach Spurrier was just trying to pump up the Florida Gators."Arch Manning will likely start his stint as Texas' QB1 with a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. This will be a litmus test, considering Ohio State's status as the reigning college football national champions.Arch Manning's Texas Longhorns are among the 2025 national championship favoritesHeading into Week 1 of the 2025 college football season, Fox Sports is giving the Texas Longhorns +550 to win the next national championship. This places them just behind the Ohio State Buckeyes (+500) on the list.The Longhorns have made consecutive playoff semifinal appearances under head coach Steve Sarkisian. The program achieved the feat with Quinn Ewers as their starting quarterback, and the bookmakers seem optimistic that Arch Manning could take them over the hump and into genuine national championship contention.Arch Manning has a significantly different skill set from Quinn Ewers. Ewers is more comfortable dropping back into the pocket to find wide receivers, while Arch Manning is able to do that and also rush down the pitch to gain yards. Manning's toolkit seems better equipped for modern football due to the prevalence of rushing quarterbacks.Not everyone is a fan of the Longhorns having such high national championship odds or Manning being touted as the next Heisman Trophy winner. However, there's a reason why the Longhorns' fan base hasn't been this excited going into a season in such a long while.