Alabama Fans Troll Texas Freshman QB Arch Manning on ESPN’s College GameDay for Picking Longhorns Over Tide: ‘ARCH CHOSE WRONG’
- The 18-year-old committed to Texas over Alabama during his senior year of high school
- Manning did not play in Texas’ opening game of the season against the Rice Owls
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Arch Manning has yet to try out for Texas, but has already received some criticism from Alabama fans ahead of Saturday night’s clash between the two schools in Tuscaloosa.
A few fans who appeared on the live broadcast of ESPNs ‘College GameDay’ featured handmade signs criticizing the teenager’s decision to commit to the Longhorns over the Crimson Tide in 2022, referring to his choice as a missed opportunity to win a national championship .
“ARCH CHOOSE WRONG,” read one poster, replacing the first letter of Manning’s first name with the Alabama logo.
Another sign shared by the official College Gameday Twitter account revealed that Manning lost two items since enrolling at Texas: a “UT Student ID” and “A Chance at the Nattys,” referencing a story from earlier this year when Manning seemed to lose his student ID card in his first week of college and someone uploaded a photo of it online.
Alabama fans are targeting Manning with their trolls, despite the 18-year-old saying he was the No. 1 quarterback in his class. 247Sports – starting the season as Quinn Ewers’ backup at quarterback for Texas.
An Alabama fan held a sign calling out Manning for losing his Texas student card and a shot at winning a national championship during ESPN’s ‘Colle GameDay’ show on Saturday
Another sign claimed that Manning made the wrong decision in choosing Texas over Alabama
Manning warmed up for Texas’ game against Rice last Saturday, but ultimately did not play
Manning didn’t get any minutes under his belt in the Longhorns’ season opener against Rice, even though head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters after the game that he “had every intention of playing Arch in that game.”
“I didn’t think the fourth quarter would go so quickly,” Sarkisian said per Op3.com. “And then I didn’t want to put it in for the last minute and a half and use a play on that.”
If Manning plays in more than five games for Texas this season, the program will be ineligible to use a redshirt year for the freshman and cousin of Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton and Eli Manning.
Manning wore Alabama’s colors when he toured the school as a high school senior last year
Manning, Cooper’s son, showed his overall play needs improvement in his first spring game with the Longhorns earlier this year as he completed just 5-0f-13 passes for 30 yards, though Sarkisian later insisted the youngster was getting started is. ‘the right path’, without taking into account any concerns about Manning’s adjustment.
Still, it remains unclear when Manning will take the field this season.
Texas is ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll, while Alabama is ranked No. 3.
The last time the two teams met, the Crimson Tide emerged victorious in Austin, winning 20-19.
Earlier this summer, Ewers and Manning showed off their abs in a viral photo online before the start of the season.