Arch Manning Made Drastic Change Before Texas-Ole Miss Game

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian upped the first-team reps for backup quarterback KJ Lacey this week as he evaluates the quarterback position after the team suffered back-to-back losses against unranked Oklahoma and Florida.

The discussion of his potential benching appears to have lit a fire under Arch Manning before No. 19 Texas gets set to host No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday night.

Sarkisian told reporters on Thursday that Manning looks like a new quarterback on the practice field, bringing an edge that the coaching staff hadn't seen before.

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"I think that somebody texted me today that we lost the 'Ah Shucks kid', you know, and we've created something else," Sarkisian said, via On3. "I don't know if we lost him. We created this, you know. We did, all of us, y'all included, meet the whole thing, right? Everybody on ESPN, we've created this."

Sarkisian appreciates the edge Manning is bringing this week, saying it was time for the quarterback to "fight back" as his name has been dragged through the mud in the past few weeks.

Manning and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore appeared to be the two favorite quarterbacks for the 2027 NFL Draft before the season started. Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker and Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr appear to be the top two quarterbacks at this point in the season.

Manning has thrown for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions through six games this fall. He's added 108 yards on the ground.

There's a lot riding on the line for Sarkisian, Manning, and Texas when they host Ole Miss on Saturday. A third consecutive loss would jeopardize the Longhorns’ chances of making the College Football Playoff. Sarkisian faced pressure to win the national championship after what the program put into funding its roster.

For Manning, a bad performance could mean he starts looking for his next landing spot in college football, as the NFL and another year in Austin could be off the table if he continues to play poorly.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.