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Former Texas running back and eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Bijan Robinson, has a message for current Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. He also had something to say to those who are already calling Manning a bust.
So far, in less than two full seasons of play, the much-hyped Arch Manning has completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 2,120 yards with 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Those numbers give the young star a passing efficiency rating of 162.6. All in all, that’s really not horrible. Then again, when your last name is Manning and you play quarterback for a school like Texas, expectations can be a little high.
“I would say to continue to stay consistent,” Robinson told Rich Eisen this week when asked what advice he would give Arch Manning. “Stay consistent as much as possible. Don’t listen to the media, because the media can either steer you in the right direction or it’ll tarnish you for your career. So, for him, always know that everybody has his back in that building. Coach Sarkisian will have his back. Everybody around him has his back.”
Robinson added, “Don’t think about what you can be, who you can be. Think about who you are now and then everything else will take care of itself because you’re the one on that field and you’ve been blessed to be on that field.”
Bijan Robinson thinks calling Arch Manning a bust isn’t fair
The next day, Bijan Robinson appeared on The Zach Gelb Show and was once again asked about Texas and Arch Manning.
“I mean, he just has he just has to learn, man,” the Atlanta Falcons running back told Gelb. “Take it one week at a time. Like, this is still his first season playing playing college football. So, you know, I know people have these crazy expectations, but you know for him, like, staying out the media, staying outside of just making sure that he’s in himself and he believes in himself and he believes in the talent that he’s been given is the most important thing.”
When asked what he thinks about people already calling Arch Manning a bust, Robinson replied, “That’s horrible. I feel like you shouldn’t put that on a kid because all he’s trying to do is improve. All he’s trying to do is become the best that he can become, not just for himself, but for his team. That word, the b-word, I really hate that people use that word, especially with him, man. He’s one guy that if you knew who he was as a person, then you would know that all he’s trying to do is make his team the best.
“It’s a word that that creeps into guys’ minds when you when you tell them that,” he continued. “And I really hate that because everybody has a chance to improve. Everybody has a chance to get better. And when they do, then people have another narrative and they want to say he’s the best or or it was a fluke or something like that. So, all it takes is time, man, and patience.”