Five days after the Longhorns' loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 1, the game is still the only thing anyone seems capable of talking about, specifically: the performance of Arch Manning.
On Thursday, during ESPN's First Take, former NFL player turned football analyst Ryan Clark discussed whether or not Manning still had the opportunity to be a generational talent at quarterback, alongside Stephen A. Smith and Dan Orlovsky.
The general consensus was that there was still time to determine if Manning would meet those qualifications. The kid had only truly been the starting quarterback at Texas for a week, after all.
Suddenly, Clark explained his take by saying that he was so selective with labeling players as "generational" that he wouldn't go as far as to include all-time greats like Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and even Tom Brady.
"I think Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent," Clark said. "I don't think Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning are generational talents."
Immediately, the world of football focused its sights (and its anger) on Clark's outrageous take, moving all of the negative attention from the young Manning to the ESPN analyst.
Ryan Clark doesn’t think Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning were generational talents
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 4, 2025
Football is so back pic.twitter.com/4Ws6Fj9h1u
Clark went on to include Andrew Luck as a generational talent, despite the former NFL quarterback retiring at the ripe age of 29 (the same age that Buffalo starting quarterback Josh Allen currently is).
Simply put, not including quarterbacks as historic as Brees, Manning, and Brady was one of the hottest takes that the world has heard in a long time.
Arch Manning still has time to prove himself
Moving on from the blatant swing and miss by Clark, the point that the three talking heads made about the younger Manning is entirely valid.
Arch Manning's appearance against the Ohio State Buckeyes was his first-ever start on the road, and it was against the defending National Champions, with some of the most talented defensive players in the country.
Yes, Manning and the Texas offense were stalled by Ohio State's defense, but it was the first game of the season, and there are still weeks to improve before the toughest SEC opponents step into the Longhorns' crosshairs.
No, Manning (the youngest) might not be a generational talent after last Saturday, but there is still time for him to grow into the role that his uncles, his father, and his grandfather played during their college football careers.