Tom Brady defends Arch Manning as intense media scrutiny engulfs Texas QB

Give Arch Manning some breathing room.That’s the message Tom Brady is sending to the masses aboard the Arch roller coaster, as the 21-year-old quarterback navigates the ups and downs in his first season as a starter under college football’s biggest microscope.“Before, [players] had the kind of ability to fail when people weren’t watching, to build that resiliency within themselves,” the seven-time Super Bowl champion told Sports Illustrated in an interview published this week.“So I think it’s a real challenge these days for these young kids because Arch Manning, you know, seems like a great kid and great player.”The nephew of Super Bowl-winning NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch has been in the limelight since his high school days.Although he saw playing time at Texas over the past two years when quarterback Quinn Ewers was under center, the 2025 campaign marked Arch’s first official season as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback, which has produced mixed results.He disappointed in his debut against Ohio State, throwing a touchdown and an interception in the 14-7 loss on Aug.

30.Arch’s struggles continued even as the Longhorns piled up three straight wins, with Brady imploring that the world’s best athletes need time to hone their craft, citing his own experiences.“Peyton had a lot of years to develop,” Brady, 48, said.

“Eli had a lot of years to develop and, you know, I was a college kid once, too, and I wasn’t the best quarterback at that time.And how people remember me after my pro career was a lot different than I remember me after my college career, which is a lot different than me how they remember me after my high school year.

So give people a chance to learn and grow and develop and put them in the right situation.”” … I’d love to see some of these young players not have their confidence broken, you know, because they’re not their uncle… as a 17- or 18-year-old kid.”The 199th overall pick out of Mich...