"Texas just seems to have more impact players": CFB insiders drop fair assessment of Steve Sarkisian vs Ryan Day battle in 2025

Ohio State and Texas will clash again on Aug. 30 in Columbus to kick off the 2025 college football season, a rematch of last year’s Cotton Bowl semifinal, where Ryan Day’s Buckeyes knocked out Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns en route to a national title.

Arch Manning appeared for just one play in that game, and it sparked an alleged controversy over a fumble. Now, with Quinn Ewers off to the NFL, Manning is expected to lead Texas full-time. In limited 2024 action, the sophomore threw for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions, and posted an 87.5 QBR, per ESPN.

Speaking on a Wednesday episode, On3 analysts Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman offered a level-headed evaluation of the matchup (1.02:19):

“Texas lost a lot,” Staples said. “Now here’s what’s interesting — Texas has seven players on Clark Brooks’ top 100 returning impact players list. That's the most of any team in the country.

“Ohio State only has three. Jeremiah Smith is No. 1, Caleb Downs is No. 3. That’s a pretty place to start… [but] Texas has more guys coming back who played big roles last year. Ohio State has to replace more people who played big roles.”

Staples ranked Ohio State just behind Texas in his preseason Top 25 and made clear the gap is small.

“Texas just seems to have more proven impact players at the moment,” he said. “But Ohio State most assuredly will have those players. But yeah, it's not like, it's not like we think Ohio State's gonna sting. It's that, yeah, we just don't know who's gonna pop.”

However, Wasserman said it's easier to picture Manning thriving because fans have followed his rise, but, Julian Sayin, another five-star talent, might be even better for Ohio State:

“I saw the guy was throwing absolute dimes the entire time," Wasserman said. "I think he won the Elite 11 the year that I went and saw him, this is when he was going to 'Bama.

"If he turns out to be better than Arch, it's not like some lovable underdog story. I'm just saying, we're more familiar and more certain of the way that things have gone in Arch Manning's career, that he's going to be an impactful player."

Manning hasn’t started a full season at Texas yet, but in a new CBS Sports mock draft, former Titans GM and college football analyst Chip Patterson projected Manning to the New York Jets at No. 4 overall.

Joel Klatt ranked Arch Manning high

Arch Manning during his first practice of the spring season - Source: Imagn

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt ranked Arch Manning as the second best QB in college football because of his trust in Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and what he’s seen in limited reps. Klatt called Manning a dynamic quarterback who can hurt defenses with both his arm and legs, adding he might have a stronger arm than starter Quinn Ewers.

“In fact, I think Manning's got a stronger arm than Quinn Ewers,” Klatt wrote (per FOX). “There was a difference to the offense when Manning was playing last season compared to when Ewers was under center.

"That's not a knock on Ewers, but Manning made Texas' offense more dynamic. He was able to put more defensive players in conflict than Ewers.”

Klatt compared Manning to Trevor Lawrence in how he moves and said he expects him to be “very good,” even without much experience.