Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has taken plenty of heat during a disappointing 2026 season. But ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky thinks a big chunk of the blame belongs to head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Orlovsky ripped Texas’ offense this week, saying that he “can’t stand watching it” and that it has “absolutely regressed” Manning as a player. And with Manning’s future in Austin in question, Orlovsky says the best move for the young quarterback is to leave Texas altogether.
Pressure Mounting In Austin
Texas rose to No. 1 in the country after beating Ohio State in Week 2, but things have gone downhill since then. The Longhorns have dropped back-to-back 27-24 games to unranked Oklahoma and Florida, and they have fallen to No. 19 in the AP Poll.
Manning, who entered the season as a Heisman Trophy favorite and the early favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NFL Draft, committed a costly late turnover in both losses. Josh Pate said Manning is “on thin ice” as the starter, Paul Finebaum blasted Sarkisian’s “absolute arrogance,” and Mel Kiper Jr. thinks Manning should return to college next season.
Sarkisian has defended his quarterback, calling him “edgy” this week. But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Manning took “significantly less” first-team reps in practice this week, and Sarkisian has “started to prepare” to replace him if he struggles against No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday.
‘They Ask Him To Play Thrower’
Speaking on ESPN’s First Take on Friday, Orlovsky said that Sarkisian shouldn’t be surprised by all the attention.
“First of all, I love Sark, massive fan. You know what you got into bed with. He’s the head coach at Texas. You recruited Arch Manning. You’re surprised by the attention? Come on,” Orlovsky said, via Awful Announcing. “What are we talking about? You led the program into the SEC. This is part of the territory.
“That being said, from a strictly football perspective, I hate Texas’s offense. I can’t stand watching it. They don’t allow Arch to play quarterback. They ask him to play thrower. Throw ball here, throw ball there, that’s it. There’s very little tools given to the quarterback. They run the same plays all the time. … It’s an offense right now that’s absolutely regressed the player.”
Orlovsky then made it clear that he thinks Manning’s time at Texas is coming to an end.
“I think whatever happens this weekend, cool, I think this relationship is certainly done,” Orlovsky said. “I do not believe Arch should go to the NFL. I believe Arch should leave Texas and go to a place that can adamantly develop him as a quarterback, that gives you the ability to play quarterback.”
However, Orlovsky did leave the door open to the possibility that the problem is Manning, not Sarkisian.
“It’s either, Sark doesn’t want him to play a certain way, or he is not smart enough to play a certain way,” Orlovsky said, via Awful Announcing.
Needless to say, Saturday night against Ole Miss could go a long way toward deciding Manning’s future, at Texas or elsewhere.
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