Legendary college coach Urban Meyer silences critics by highlighting a lack of supporting talent, drawing sharp parallels between Arch Manning and NFL veteran Dak Prescott’s similar struggles.
Texas Longhorns star quarterback Arch Manning receives plenty of blame when things go wrong — but Urban Meyer believes the criticism too often ignores what’s happening around him.
Ironically, that sounds quite similar to another quarterback that resides in the same state ... one that wears a star on his helmet.
But as Manning and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott have proven, the harshest detractors don't care about the context surrounding their struggles; they simply tee off on the leader.
Meyer, a three-time national championship-winning head coach at Florida and Ohio State, believes the noise transcends big names like Manning or Prescott and stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what even the greatest quarterbacks need to succeed.
“I think the common denominator of every great quarterback is a great group of players around him. And I remember talking to Sark about this, you know, everybody’s all over Arch Manning and I get it, you’re a quarterback and you had that last name, get used to it, pal," Meyer said during an appearance on "The Stampede."
"That’s going to be the rest of your life. However, when players aren’t open, that’s not the quarterback’s fault. And the receivers against Ohio State really struggled. They’re very talented. They didn’t play great in that game. Yeah. Every quarterback that has a great year, he is surrounded by dudes."
While the critics won't want to admit it — Meyer is right.
No successful quarterback ... in either college football or the pros ... is able to reach the end goal all on their own.
Look no further than the Longhorns' last championship season.
In 2005, Texas was led by the legendary Vince Young, who became a star in his own right, but also boasted a stellar supporting cast.
32 members of the Longhorns' roster that season went on to play in the NFL, including the likes of Jamaal Charles and Brian Orakpo, who each recorded four Pro Bowl selections in their respective careers.
Joe Burrow's iconic 2019 LSU squad serves as another example.
That title team sent 38 players to the NFL, while Burrow's two receivers — Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson — just earned the No. 1 and No. 2 rankings on ESPN's list of the top wide receivers entering 2026.
So while Manning was inconsistent at times during his first year as a starter, he can't do everything on his own.
Ahead of his second season as the lead man in Austin, Manning will undoubtedly need to take another step forward.
But if Texas intends to return to the College Football Playoff and compete for its first national championship in more than two decades, the highly touted quarterback won’t be the only one responsible for making that happen.
Manning may receive most of the praise or criticism that comes Texas’ way in 2026 ... but the Longhorns’ ultimate ceiling will depend on whether the “dudes” around him are ready to deliver.
