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Arch Manning and the crazy stat that puts him in the Heisman spotlight

The youngster will become the starter for the Texas Longhorns in 2025/26

Arch Manning
Arch Manning

Arch Manning's arrival on the college football stage has been nothing short of electrifying, and after a remarkable statistical achievement, analysts are already entertaining serious Heisman Trophy speculation.

The 21-year-old will take over as the starter at the Texas Longhorns in the 2025/26 NCAA season and the hype is so palpable that he's already attracting interest from the NFL.

But first is college. And the redshirt freshman quarterback is a breakout star in the making. With a NIL of $6.6m and his famous last name (nephew or Peyton and Eli Manning) earning him deals with the likes of Red Bull, it's no surprise he's tipped for big things.

But he's not just a nepotism baby. He has talent to back it up and a FOX Sports analyst believes he could be in the race for the Heisman Trophy after uncovering a ridiculous statistic.

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"He had a 75-yard ing touchdown," RJ Young told The Number One College Football Show. "And a 65-yard rushing touchdown -- and another 50-plus yard ing touchdown.

"That makes him the first player in 25 years in the FBS or the NFL to accomplish that feat in a single game."

"It feels like a wild statistic, kind of like homering in domes at night on Sunday... But if you take a look at the film, you can see the traits of an outstanding quarterback."

The Heisman Trophy is, of course, handed out to the outstanding player of a respective college football season. The current incumbent is Travis Hunter, who won the prize with the Colorado Buffaloes before being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Longhorns to reshape offense around Manning

Manning's physical attributes, consisting of a 6'4" frame, quick footwork, and a live arm, are a stark contrast to those of Quinn Ewers - who was known for his short and snappy releases more akin to Tom Brady.

So with the talented prospect stepping into the leading role, it's no surprise that the Longhorns are reinventing themselves around a series of new traits to keep themselves dynamic in the 2025/26 NCAA campaign.

Texas is positioning itself for a major postseason run and Manning appears to be the key through his dual-threat talents, and this is something Steve Sarkisian has itted to.

"Any coach that tries to be a good coach," Sarkisian told the On Second Thought show. "You try to play to the strengths of your players and play to the strengths of your team, right?

"What we've seen from Arch... he's a very good deep ball er. He's probably... He's got some size and athleticism to him that offer us some different things."

The Longhorns take on the Ohio State Buckeyes, the winners of the 2024/25 National Championship Game, in their season opener. The pair clash on August 30.

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