The Texas Longhorns entered the season with a lot of hype, especially surrounding their starting quarterback, Arch Manning, who was the odds-on favorite to bring home the Heisman trophy this season. Manning was even called “the best college football quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006,” by ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.
Finebaum wasn’t alone in his praise for the young quarterback, either. One of his colleagues at ESPN, draft expert Mel Kiper, listed Manning as the top quarterback in the 2026 draft class.
“We put him at No. 1 because we have to. It’s Arch Manning. We saw glimpses last year of the greatness he could provide that Texas offense. Running the football, he’s got great legs. Cooper Manning, his father, was a wide receiver until he got injured. So he’s got speed – something Eli and Peyton didn’t have…” Kiper said.
Unfortunately for Manning and the Longhorns, expectations have not been met. Manning has struggled against Power 4 opponents, and Finebaum has even walked back some of his previous praise for the young quarterback.
“The bottom line is Arch Manning is not playing like an elite quarterback,” Finebaum said on Tuesday, according to Awful Announcing. “He’s barely playing like a pedestrian quarterback. He had some good plays (against San Jose State), but that game doesn’t mean anything. Ultimately, I think we all jumped the gun. Is he in the Heisman race? No, Arch Manning is not in the Heisman race as of today.”
“I still think Arch Manning can have a big-time season,” Finebaum continued. “When he starts seeing the road games in the SEC … I think he has a chance. And what he doesn’t need is his coach babying him in the media. That’s the worst thing that can happen when you already have the name that a lot of people want to hate on, privilege that a lot of people want to scorn.”
Manning struggled again against the Kentucky Wildcats, wth the Longhorns barely escaping Lexington, Kentucky, with an overtime victory. However, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has decided not to bench his starting quarterback, something he was willing to do last season with quarterback Quinn Ewers after a rough start against the Georgia Bulldogs.
“I felt like against Georgia with Quinn last year, we were a little bit overwhelmed as an offense in general,” Sarkisian said, via the Austin American-Statesman. “He had gotten hit with a pretty good sack-fumble on a corner blitz that he didn’t see coming. At that point, I don’t know if he was seeing great.
“Sometimes, taking a step back when you’re not seeing things really well, that’s a way to go. I didn’t feel like there was anything happening Saturday night that Arch wasn’t seeing.”
To his credit, Arch is handling the possibility of being benched like a true leader.
“I control what I can control,” he said on Monday. “I work hard during the week, prepare my best and try my hardest on gameday. That’s all I can do.”
Still, if Arch can’t improve things, his head coach may be left with no choice.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.