Charlie Ward understands the struggle and wants Arch Manning to know it will get better.
Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback of FSU's first national championship team and current head basketball coach at Florida A&M, had some words of encouragement for Manning after the Texas quarterback had another rough outing this past weekend against UTEP.
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— Charlie Ward (@RealCharlieWard) September 14, 2025
I know the feeling @ArchManning. I got booed and benched several times in ‘92.
Keep putting in the work and trusting your work as you learn from these experiences. You have a Heisman in your future just keep growing from each game!
Following in some big footsteps
Ward is correct on both accounts. At times, he was booed early in his junior season in 1992. The Thomasville, Georgia native was following Casey Weldon, who was a first-team All-American and Heisman runner-up in 1991, so the pressure on Ward was high.
Through eight games as a junior, Ward threw 15 picks and was generally not an effective passer in the traditional FSU pro-style offense. But he rallied FSU past Georgia Tech, 29-24, with the offense scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter when they had to go to a hurry-up attack. That was the third time that season where Ward had shown great poise and decision-making skills in the hurry-up offense.
So, head coach Bobby Bowden and offensive coordinator Brad Scott put their heads together and decided to create a four-quarter version of the hurry-up that would take advantage of Ward's mobility and playmaking skills. Because Ward was a point guard for the basketball team, it was called the "fast break" offense.
The rest, as they say, is history. Ward went on to excel in the offense, and had a remarkable senior year, throwing for 31 total touchdowns with just four interceptions in leading FSU to its first national title and winning the Heisman Trophy — the first of three Seminole quarterbacks to accomplish the feat.
Charlie Ward was amazing at @FloridaState. In 1992, He led @FSUFootball to an ACC title, Orange Bowl win. His senior year he led the @Seminoles to their first national championship as he captured the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell, Camp and O'Brien awards. Today, we celebrate the… pic.twitter.com/U5Sk6HnQhQ
— College Football Hall of Fame (@cfbhall) October 12, 2023
Trust your process, block out the noise
In today's world of social media, hot takes and instant gratification, everything is under a microscope and who knows how Ward would've fared if he had to deal with constant chatter about him every minute of every day. Who knows if Bowden and Scott would've given him a chance at redemption or if they would've just replaced him with Danny Kanell and Ward would've left the program.
So it doesn't surprise me that Ward, one of the classiest athletes I've ever been around, is publicly reaching out to Manning with words of encouragement. He knows that success doesn't often happen overnight, and early struggles can eventually lead to great success.