Today marked the first ever starting assignment in a collegiate road game for Arch Manning, and it did not go well.

Manning went 17-30 passing, for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception, in a 14-7 loss at #3 Ohio State. On one hand, this was a very inexperienced quarterback having to start the season at the home of the reigning national champions, so you knew this was going to be tough.

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On the other hand, this is the QB1 of the #1 team in the nation, the most overhyped high school recruit ever, hailing from, literally, the first family of football. Way too many people made the joke on social media today that Arch is the offspring of Cooper Manning, and not Peyton or Eli.

Maybe that’s not fair, but his play provided the fodder for critics everywhere. According to the ABC on ESPN postgame/highlights show, Manning put up a 37% off-target passing rate (11 of 30), which is the highest/worst by a Texas QB in 10 years. Simply put, this is not what the #1 overall pick in the draft does.

While Manning entered the day as #1 on many draft prospects charts, that will likely soon change. To drive home the point, call it coincidence, irony, poetic justice, whatever it may be, it was safety Caleb Downs who iced the victory for Ohio State. On the ultimately decisive play, Manning completed his pass, but the receiver was stopped well short of the line to gain due to Downs, who many outlets list as the top overall prospect in the 2026 draft.

There is a belief, among those reportedly close to Manning that he won’t be entering the draft after this season. It’s just the season opener, and it came against a very formidable opponent, but maybe that is ultimately the right call. His grandfather, NFL legend Archie Manning, summed it up best.

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“People are saying he’s a Heisman candidate,” the elder Manning stated earlier this month. “You’re not a Heisman Trophy candidate when you haven’t played but three games. It’s crazy.”

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Arch Manning is talented, but he is very much a work in progress