Joel Klatt urged his podcast listeners to have patience with Arch Manning. After a rocky first road start for the Texas QB at Ohio State, Klatt emphasized that expectations around the Texas quarterback need to be reset while making it clear he remains confident in the Longhorns.
He opened The Joel Klatt Show by addressing Manning’s struggles in Columbus. “Starting on the road your first time is hard. Doing it against that Ohio State team and in that environment [is] almost impossible. Relax. He’s going to be just fine,” Klatt said.
Manning threw an interception and made several poor decisions against the Buckeyes’ elaborate and often disguised defensive fronts. Klatt noted how new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia kept Texas guessing. “Matt Patricia kept Texas on their back foot most of the game. They didn’t know what they were getting whether they were trying to protect Arch or throw the ball down the field and into coverage and then the coverage was elite.”
Week 1 reaction is up now @JoelKlattShow
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) September 1, 2025
Panic meter check for Texas, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Alabama?? https://t.co/p69T6VZTaP
Still, Klatt stressed that Manning’s growing pains were predictable. “I think it’s important when talking about Arch Manning that we throw out the last name because if you throw out the last name, then you lessen your expectations a little bit…these were unfair expectations. He had never thrown a pass outside of Austin. So, he had never thrown a pass in his college career on the road. This was his first true road start.”
He went further, pointing to his own playing days to highlight the learning curve: “I remember my first road start in college was at Kansas State…I set three formations wrong. Didn’t even realize it because of the commotion and the noise and everything that’s going on. I didn’t even realize I was making mistakes in real time because my adrenaline was too high. I couldn’t think straight. It was a totally new experience that I couldn’t prepare for until I did it. Well, it’s the same thing for Arch Manning.”
Despite the loss, Klatt made his stance clear, “did he play great? No. Did he throw the ball accurately? No. Did he make a lot of poor decisions? Yes. Am I worried? Absolutely not. Texas is going to be just fine. Partly because he doesn’t have to be great. The defense was tremendous and will be for the rest of the year.”
When revealing his new Top 10, Klatt slid Texas down to No. 6, while elevating Ohio State to the top spot after the Buckeyes’ 20–13 win. “Number one, I’m going to go with Ohio State. Ohio State is the defending national champion. They beat the number one team in the country. And now they’ve won five consecutive games against top 10 opponents.”
The message from Klatt was clear, don’t panic over Arch Manning. Texas took a hit in the rankings, but its young quarterback will grow from the road loss. “Relax. He’s going to be just fine.”
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