"I don't want to be cruel to him": Stephen A. Smith straight out rejects Arch Manning's $6.8 million NIL valuation in Week 6 interview

Arch Manning has been in the spotlight for the No. 9 Texas Longhorns (3-1) this season. The quarterback had a shaky start, but appears to have found his rhythm in the past few weeks.

Mannng entered the season with an NIL valuation of $6.8 million, making him the highest-valued college athlete in 2025. However, analyst Stephen A. Smith doesn't believe that the Texas QB's NIL is justified.

"No, but I don't want to be cruel to him," Smith said on "FOS" on Saturday when asked if Manning was worth his NIL valuation. "Obviously, with his uncles being Peyton and Eli, there's an immense amount of pressure. His grandfather being Archie Manning, there's an immense amount of pressure on the kid.

"But also, the lofty expectations that a lot of the experts, not me, placed on him. Acting like he was gonna be so much more than what he is being, what he has been thus far. So, I'm hopeful that he'll get it together, that he'll play significantly better, that he'll show himself to be that kind of talent going down the line."

Smith also said that he didn't feel Manning was worth $1 million, and that the Texas QB has struggled in the early weeks of the season.

Arch Manning's Texas struggled in first half vs. Florida of Week 6 matchup

Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning - Source: Imagn

The Texas Longhorns are currently facing the Florida Gators in Week 6 of the season. At the time of writing, the Longhorns are trailing 19-7 with four minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Manning appeared to struggle in the early stages of the game. At the time of writing, he had completed six of 12 passes for 63 yards with one touchdown, while also rushing for 18 yards on three carries.

The Longhorns lost to Ohio State in their first game of the season. Texas could find it challenging to make the College Football Playoff with another defeat.