Robert Griffin III on Arch Manning: “He needs to return to college for another year”

The future of Arch Manning is already one of the biggest debates in college football. The Texas quarterback is one of the names coming up in the early conversations ahead of the 2027 Draft, but Robert Griffin III believes he is not yet ready to make the jump to the NFL.

The former Washington Commanders quarterback and 2011 Heisman Trophy winner was clear when speaking about Manning’s future. “Arch Manning should absolutely come back for another year of college football. He needs more starts and more experience before going to the NFL”, Griffin wrote on X after Texas’ loss to Oklahoma.

RG3 believes Manning still needs experience

Griffin had already defended that position a few days earlier, during an appearance on The Herd alongside Colin Cowherd. For the former player, there is a sign that lets you know when a quarterback is ready for the NFL: college football starts to seem easy to him.

“I think he should come back another year. When players are ready to go to the NFL, college football seems easy to them. For Arch, it still doesn’t seem easy,” Griffin explained. As a reference, he mentioned his own experience and Andrew Luck’s, two quarterbacks who left college after seasons in which they clearly dominated the game.

Griffin's criticism is not related to Manning's talent. On the contrary, he believes his abilities are evident. His argument is based on experience and the need to accumulate more repetitions before facing NFL defenses.

Manning arrived at Texas as one of the top recruits of his generation and spent his first seasons as Quinn Ewers' backup. In 2024, he made two starts before becoming the Longhorns' starting quarterback in 2025.

They also question his reading speed

GR3's opinion is not the only one that focuses on Manning's development. David Pollack also recently pointed out a specific aspect of his game: the speed at which he processes defenses.

“Arch Manning has exceptional talent”, Pollack explained on The Dan Patrick Show. However, he considered that his processing “is consistently a step slow” and pointed out that the quarterback still needs more repetitions to gain consistency.

Manning has shown during his time at Texas that he has the physical tools to play in the NFL, as well as the ability to create plays when the offensive structure breaks down. The question, for Griffin and other analysts, is whether he already has the consistency needed to face the next level.

Will Arch Manning stay at Texas?

"The decision is still in the quarterback's hands. Manning has another season of eligibility and could remain at Texas in 2027 before entering the Draft.

"The possibility gained even more momentum after the loss to Oklahoma. Manning threw three touchdown passes, but suffered two interceptions in the fourth quarter. One of them was returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Peyton Bowen, and the other came in the final seconds, a turnover that allowed Oklahoma to set up the game-winning field goal. The Sooners ultimately prevailed 27-24.

For Griffin, those kinds of situations reinforce his argument: Manning has the talent to make it to the NFL, but he still needs to prove that he can control the most demanding college football games from start to finish.

For now, the quarterback will have to decide whether he feels ready to take the next step or whether he prefers to stay one more year in Texas to continue developing.