Football fans are teeing off on The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill over her scorching hot take on Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.
The 21-year-old Arch Manning had a lackluster outing against Ohio State on Saturday afternoon, completing 17 of 30 pass attempts for 170 yards, a touchdown and one interception. The Longhorns were shut out for the first 56 minutes before Manning hit Parker Livingstone for a 32-yard touchdown with 3:28 remaining.
During Manning’s tough first half, the popular sports reporter delivered this hot take that caused a stir on X/Twitter.
“Arch Manning is considered a generational talent. I’m curious, what are the qualities that people feel like make him a generational talent?” Hill asked her followers.
Fans quickly came back at Hill over the viral Arch Manning post.
“He is gifted physically. Big arm and can run. But talent needs to be refined. Also you know you can’t overreact week 1. He’s a sophomore playing an experienced defense with a lot of potential first rounders,” a fan wrote.
“Probably doing this at age 20 + being the son of all-time greats talent wise which studies show genes are a massive part of success in sports + having been groomed mentally and physically to play football since a young age.
Who knows if he’ll end up being great but I do know getting THIS much hate since age 14 is not normal for anyone and will come with its own challenges. I can’t remember Jayden Daniels trending on twitter after his stinker of a game 1 his last year,” said another.
“As a buckeye fan, I’m here to tell you or anyone else -watch and wait. Manning is still going to light it up this season. Ohio State‘s defense is just that good,” a user said.
“It’s his first game to start in a big moment and he’s a sophomore. A little early to start that narrative,” another wrote.
“Jemele hill is considered a sports analyst. I’m curious, what are the qualities that people feel like make her a sports analyst?” remarked a user.
“Well for one he’s talented, and so were multiple generations in the Manning family,” wrote a fan.
The 2025 Heisman Trophy betting odds also drastically changed during Arch Manning’s sluggish first half, with LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson signal-caller Cade Klubnik emerging as the new front-runners.
Too Soon To Worry About Arch Manning
Per ESPN’s Heather Dinich, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian quickly came to the defense of Manning after the game, citing the sky-high expectations he has to endure.
“For Arch, the expectations were out of control on the outside,” Sarkisian told reporters. “I’d say let’s finish the book before we judge him. That’s one chapter.”
The Longhorns were playing the national champions in a hostile environment, and it’s not like Manning is a seasoned NCAA veteran. If folks are going to freak out after one bad game from Manning, then why hasn’t the panic button been hit in Alabama following their awful performance agaisnt Florida State?
