Arch Manning, a new American hero and Texas' charming comeback kid

Arch Manning, big First Amendment guy.

A big charmer, too, this one.

The Texas quarterback is not keen to quarrel with folks who buy ink by the barrel. And if the Gray Lady wants to farm engagement with absurd social media posts at Manning’s expense, he says he doesn’t mind.

Doesn’t even notice. So, fire away with the hot takes. Manning’s fine.

“Everyone has their own opinion,” Manning told reporters this week, “and that’s what’s good about America: You get freedom of speech. It doesn’t bother me.”

Somewhere, the ghost of James Madison beams.

Manning might not be the quarterback Texas needs to win a national championship, but he’s become a champion of the free press and to those across the land who want nothing more than to rip a struggling five-star quarterback. He’s winning America over, with his humility, resilience and good humor.

No need to reinvent history to protect Manning. Call it for what it was: He struggled throughout Texas’ first several games. He didn’t live up to the hype or his surname or his recruiting ranking. Texas lost twice. He had a hand in Texas’ freefall in the polls.

“Look, I wasn’t playing well,” Manning said, “and I’m going to continue to get better.”

OK, but what about that The Athletic column last week that described the 21-year-old Manning as being “synonymous with failure”? Will Leitch wrote we’re “already sick of” Manning and “especially his glasses,” a reference to the spectacles Manning wears in a Warby Parker commercial. As a chef’s kiss in this exercise of the extreme, the article’s headline preposterously positioned Manning as the first flop in college football history.

Ouch! Wasn’t that a bit much?

“I didn’t know (about the article),” Manning said, flashing his radiant smile. “I guess I do now.”

Arch, off the top rope! He forgot that you existed. What a clever little clapback.

Before the end of Manning’s meetup with the press this week, he had reporters laughing at his quips, and, if he’d offered, they’d have eaten brisket right out of his lucrative hand — especially if he’d have been wearing those Warby Parker glasses.

Uncle Peyton couldn’t have done it better himself.

In a week’s time, Manning flipped the script. He’s now a sympathetic figure. He’s the comeback kid.

All it took was one over-the-top article, one decent effort against Oklahoma, a victory in Red River, and some good old-fashioned support for the Bill of Rights, and yesterday’s flop became today’s American hero.

We’re seeing Manning’s top quality unfold right in front of us, in real time. It’s not his wheels, although those are pretty good, as shown by the fact he leads his team in rushing. It’s not his arm, either.

Manning’s top trait is he’s got hearing like your grandpa. You know, the one you’d call on the phone, and you knew exactly what he’s watching on TV, because the volume’s cranked to 100, but he still can’t hear a word of it.

That’s Manning, this old soul. He’s marching through a cacophony, not hearing it.

He’s whistling right past the Sooners, and he’s smiling with a gold cowboy hat plopped on his head, and he’s charming the press with his staunch support for 1A, and his team’s still got a puncher’s chance of saving this wobbly season.

What’s Warby Parker’s url, anyway? I need some new glasses.

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arch Manning, a new American hero and charming comeback kid at Texas

Arch Manning, a new American hero and Texas’ charming comeback kid

Tags: