Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning entered the 2026 college football season as a Heisman Trophy favorite and a potential No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. But after back-to-back losses, Manning has become the most heavily scrutinized player in the sport, and Texas has even started giving his backup more first-team reps.
Now, head coach Steve Sarkisian says the pressure has changed his quarterback. Ahead of Saturday’s matchup with No. 7 Ole Miss, Sarkisian described Manning as “edgy,” and he made it clear that he likes what he’s seeing, while also taking some of the blame for the criticism Manning has faced.
Texas’ Quarterback Questions
Texas has dropped two straight games, both by a score of 27-24. In the Red River Rivalry, Manning threw an interception around midfield with 19 seconds left that set up Oklahoma’s game-winning field goal. A week later, Texas blew a 17-3 lead against Florida, and a late Manning fumble effectively sealed the loss.
After the Florida game, Sarkisian did not rule out a quarterback change.
“We’re not playing good offensive football right now, so everything is going to be evaluated,” Sarkisian said, via On3.
Manning responded by saying that “everyone’s gotta get better and that starts with me.” Then, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. would get more first-team reps in practice this week, though Manning is still expected to start against Ole Miss.
On the season, Manning is completing 63.9% of his passes for 1,295 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Texas is now 4-2 overall, 1-2 in SEC play, and ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll.
‘He’s Edgy’
Needless to say, it’s been a turbulent week for Manning, but Sarkisian has liked the way his quarterback has responded to the adversity.
“I would use the word edgy, and I like it,” Sarkisian said, via Tyler Horka of Inside Texas. “He’s edgy right now. And I think that somebody texted me today that we lost the ‘Aw Shucks’ kid and we created something else. I don’t know if we lost him. We created this. We did. All of us. Y’all included. Me. The whole thing, right. Everybody on ESPN, we’ve created this. And so we’ll see what comes out of it.”
Sarkisian added that he wants to see Manning channel that edge on the field.
“But he’s edgy right now. And honestly, I appreciate that about him. At some point, he’s gotta fight back,” Sarkisian said. “And the best way for him to fight back is going out and playing really good football with his teammates and enjoy playing football with his teammates. And so I’m looking forward to watching him compete Saturday night.”
Manning does seem to be embracing the edginess.
“It’s hard to not have a chip on my shoulder right now,” Manning said, via The Athletic. “I tell ya that. I think I play better with it on.”
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