Steve Sarkisian spent Monday doing something he hadn’t done two weeks earlier: talking about Arch Manning like a quarterback he trusts without reservation.
The Texas coach opened his comments with a blunt endorsement of his starter, even after a stretch in which Manning’s play had come under heavy scrutiny.
“Honestly, I’ve never felt better about Arch Manning than I do this week,” Sarkisian said as Texas gets ready for a critical trip to No. 19 Missouri on Saturday at 11 am CT on ESPN.
Sarkisian didn’t stop there. He praised Manning’s toughness, competitiveness and response to adversity, pointing to the quarterback’s role in Texas’ 31-3 win over Mississippi State.
“Like, this guy’s ready, and he’s a warrior. He’s tough.
His competitive spirit is extremely high. I thought he willed us to play football on the offensive side last week [in a 31-3 win over Mississippi State ], and that’s what a quarterback does.
And, so, what a difference a few weeks make, you know? We can improve on the offensive line - just like he was able to improve at the quarterback position, and that’s our job as coaches to make all of that come to life.”
That’s a sharp turn from where things stood not long ago. Texas spent a month at No. 1 before back-to-back losses to unranked Oklahoma and unranked Florida, both after the Longhorns had built double-digit leads.
Manning’s fourth-quarter turnovers were central to both defeats, including his first career pick-six against Oklahoma. Then came the 27-24 loss to Florida at home, sealed when Manning was strip-sacked with 1:58 remaining.
After that game, Sarkisian said every starter’s job would be evaluated, Manning included.
Kirk Herbstreit later said on ESPN that Sarkisian revealed in a pre-production meeting for the Ole Miss game that it was the first time he had really challenged Manning with the possibility of being replaced by backup KJ Lacey, and that Sarkisian also said he probably should’ve challenged Manning earlier, according to Herbstreit.
Sarkisian said Manning responded the right way. The coach described him as “edgy” and said he had “a chip on his shoulder” during the week of Texas’ home game against Ole Miss. In that game, Manning had three turnovers - two interceptions and a strip-sack Ole Miss turned into a touchdown - but also accounted for three touchdowns, one passing and two rushing, while “competing his butt off,” Sarkisian said.
Manning was asked Monday about Sarkisian saying he’s never felt better about him, and the quarterback kept his answer simple.
“Just trying to keep that edge moving forward and put our best foot forward each day and continue to grow.”
The discussion also turned to Manning’s time to throw, which has climbed to 2.98 seconds, up from 2.88 in 2025 and 2.74 in 2024, while Texas has already allowed 24 sacks in 2026, more than it gave up in 13 games in 2025. Manning didn’t shy away from responsibility.
“That’s football. That’s what you signed up for at the quarterback position. We talk about it during the week: Whatever it takes, and I’m going to do whatever it takes.
“A lot of those sacks, those are on me,” Manning added. “I’m holding the ball too long, not getting rid of the ball. So I’m gonna continue to get better at that, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
Sarkisian echoed the need for improvement around him, too.
“We’ve got to block better. That goes without saying.
We’ve got to call things that allow the ball to get out of his [Manning’s] hand a little quicker. At the same token, we can’t lose our stinger as an offensive football team.”
Texas heads into Saturday’s game trying to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, and it may have to do so without injured WR Cam Coleman (shoulder), WR Ryan Wingo (quad) and RB Hollywood Smothers (shoulder/knee) in what will be the Longhorns’ first true road game since a 20-17 win at Tennessee on Sept. 26.
For now, though, the message from Sarkisian is clear: Manning is still the guy, and Texas is counting on him to steady everything around him.
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