Ryan Day refuses to hold back his assessment on Arch Manning as Ohio State overhauls its defense before Texas matchup

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has given his verdict on Texas quarterback Arch Manning before the two teams meet on Saturday. Speaking to the media, Day described Manning:

"Athletic, big strong arm, smart, quick release, accurate. All of the above. He checks every box."

Arch Manning joined Texas two years ago as the No. 1 prospect in his recruitment class. He has been by far one of the most talked-about players in college football, despite only playing a few games.

For the last two seasons, Manning was the backup quarterback to Quinn Ewers. He stepped in for injured Ewers for a few games in the 2024 season. These games were against significantly weaker opposition.

Now, with Ewers gone, the Manning era officially begins for Texas. This is a moment he has been preparing for two years.

Day knows just how good Manning can be. He is taking no chances in what is going to be an important game for two national championship contenders to begin the season.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on Arch Manning

Ryan Day is not the only coach to talk about Arch Manning in the build-up to Saturday's game.

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian also spoke about his quarterback, where he told the player the following;

"We're not asking any superhuman efforts of you to do anything that is extraordinary. Just go be you. What you've done is good enough to get us to this point and to get him to this point in this juncture of his career. Now go play the way he's capable of playing to the style that he's comfortable doing it."

There will be several eyes of the football world on Columbus this Saturday. There are many storylines in this game, and the pressure on these players will be immense. Due to his level of notoriety, Manning may be the player under the most pressure.

Sarkisian is not asking for anything outstanding from Manning. He knows the pressure that Manning will be under, and all Arch needs to do is play the same way that he has been throughout camp. By doing this, Texas has a good chance to defeat Ohio State on Saturday, potentially setting up a national championship run.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Krutik Jain