Texas QB Arch Manning took on high levels of scrutiny and criticism last season, but his head coach Steve Sarkisian believes all the doubts only made him better.
While its only March, football is starting to creep into the air in Austin. Several former Longhorns are preparing to leave behind the Forty Acres for a spot in the NFL. For those returning to Texas, head coach Steve Sarkisian is getting them ready at spring practices.
Texas is heading into 2026 with a slight feeling of disappointment. After winning a Big 12 title, appearing in the SEC Championship and making back-to-back College Football Playoff trips in their previous two seasons, the Longhorns boasted a 10-3 record and missed out on a return to the postseason tournament.
For most programs, a 10-win season is nothing to be ashamed of, and Texas certainly had much to proud, failing to compete for a national title after entering the season ranked No. 1 is inevitably a let-down. Despite not going exactly as planned, the Longhorns still showed flashes of their true potential, with wins over Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt.
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This year's team won't look the same but one returning piece in particular is leading to some interesting pre-season dialogue.
Arch Manning made the decision to return for another season under center after completing his first full season as a starter. His debut saw some growing pains and brought on extreme scrutiny, more so than what was already placed on him for his last name.
Manning wasn't perfect but he also didn't play as poorly as some headlines portrayed. He finished the season with around 3,200 passing yards, 400 rushing yards and 36 combined touchdowns through the air and on the ground. Interceptions did pose an issue, as he threw seven on the season, including four in their three losses.
Despite the up-and-down nature of the season, Manning could have still easily been one of the Longhorns to throw their name in the NFL Draft pool. He was one of the most touted potential prospects entering the year and his upside would have definitely attracted many suitors. For Manning to return shows a commitment to the Longhorns and his coach is sharing that attitude.
On3's Brett McMurphy reported that Sark had strong words of support for his QB ahead of the year. "Ninety-nine percent of kids would have melted last year if they had to endure what he endured & all Arch did was get stronger," he said.
Sarkisian doesn't appear to be blindly propping up Manning, as his play did improve throughout the season in the midst of doubts and outside noise. It'll be a while before Texas faithful see Manning take another snap, but Sarkisian is already believing that he will be back and better than ever this season for the Longhorns.