Steve Sarkisian makes shock Arch Manning revelation after Texas falls to Florida originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Texas is floundering, the loser of two straight matchups against unranked opposition. Such is the nature of the Longhorns' form that their head coach, Steve Sarkisian, is weighing up making some major changes to the team's depth chart.
Sarkisian's side saw a 17-3 lead over Florida evaporate across the final three quarters. Arch Manning was at the heart of the collapse, being outgunned by Gators backup Tramell Jones Jr. en route to the 27-24 defeat.
With that, here's what Sarkisian had to say about Manning's stability at the top of Texas' QB depth chart following Saturday's result.
MORE: Is Texas out of the College Football Playoff?
Steve Sarkisian makes shock Arch Manning revelation after Texas falls to Florida
Sarkisian said Texas was considering all options after dropping its second game in as many weeks.
"I just felt like we didn’t play good offensive football and we’re not playing great offensive football right now," Sarkisian said, per Pro Football Talk. "So everything is going to be evaluated.
When asked whether that included considering benching Arch Manning, the Longhorns boss didn't rule out the possibility.
“Everything means everything,” Sarkisian said.
After Texas' home loss to Florida, Steve Sarkisian was asked if he thought about benching Arch Manning: "We're not playing great offensive football right now, so everything is gonna be evaluated." https://t.co/jZbLwMZDuy
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 17, 2026
Manning has toiled in recent weeks. He returned to form slightly in Week 7, amassing 173 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-20 passing. Even that performance had its warts, though — Manning fumbled the ball away late, gifting the Gators the victory.
MORE: Florida upsets No. 7 Texas as roller-coaster season continues
He was even worse in Texas' loss to Oklahoma, tallying two interceptions to sink the then-No. 1 Longhorns' chances to downing unranked opposition.
Considered a favorite to hear his name called first during the 2027 Draft, Manning's stock looks to have fallen precipitously. While it seems unlikely that Manning would be the man to dip out of the starting picture, the Longhorns college football playoff hopes are dwindling. With matchups against ranked opposition in each of their next four games, it's certainly possible that Sarkisian could give the reins of his offense to someone he deems more capable of pushing it forward.
Backup Karle Lacey Jr. was a highly-touted recruit coming out of Saraland (Alabama). If Sarkisian deems he can inject life into the Longhorns' dour attack and rocket them towards CFP contention, perhaps the blowback of leaving Manning out the side would prove worth it.
BENDER: SEC 'Hangover Saturday' with Texas, Alabama and Georgia losses comes with no excuses