Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning entered the season as the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL Draft. But after another costly turnover in Saturday’s loss to the Florida Gators, his own head coach wouldn’t commit to him as the starter.
After the game, Manning responded to Steve Sarkisian’s comments as he embraced the criticism and acknowledged that he needs to perform better.
‘Everything is going to be evaluated’
Texas jumped out to a 17-3 lead over Florida on Saturday, but the Gators scored the next 24 points behind backup quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., who was making his first career start, to pull off a 27-24 upset in Austin.
Manning completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown, but his late fumble essentially ended the game. That came one week after his late interception helped Oklahoma beat Texas.
After the loss, Sarkisian didn’t rule out benching Manning when asked if he would consider a change at quarterback.
“We’re not playing good offensive football right now, so everything is going to be evaluated,” Sarkisian said, via On3.
If Texas does decide to make a switch, redshirt freshman K.J. Lacey, a former four-star recruit, would be next in line.
‘That starts with me’
Manning was asked about Sarkisian’s comments after the game, and he didn’t seem bothered by the idea of being evaluated.
“Yeah, I mean everyone’s evaluated every week. That’s how it is when you go to a school like this with elite players. Everyone’s gotta get better and that starts with me,” Manning said, via CJ Vogel of On Texas Football.
Manning has thrown for more than 250 yards in just one of his last five games and has turned the ball over in crucial moments in back-to-back games. The road doesn’t get much easier for Texas as the team still has to face Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, and LSU over the next four weeks.
Needless to say, Manning will need to back up his words quickly if he wants to hold on to the starting job, because Texas is getting desperate.
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