Texas has spent decades waiting for another Heisman moment, and Arch Manning has the profile to make the Longhorns’ drought end. The program already owns two trophies, both won by running backs - Earl Campbell in 1977 and Ricky Williams in 1998 - but the sport has shifted hard toward quarterbacks, and that change opens the door for Manning in a way Texas legends at other positions never quite had.
Campbell set the tone for Texas history with 1,744 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior, then went on to win an NFL MVP award two years later. Williams followed in 1998 with 2,327 yards and 29 touchdowns, winning the Heisman by the widest margin in the award’s history at the time.
Since then, the Longhorns have been waiting. Manning, after proving he was among the nation’s best in 2025, now has a real shot to become the first Manning to win the award.
The modern Heisman landscape is built for quarterbacks. Since 2000, the award has gone to a quarterback in 21 seasons, and the position’s influence on the race has only grown. That matters for Manning, who is the centerpiece of a Texas team expected to contend for a national title.
The playoff angle matters too. In the four-team College Football Playoff era, seven of the 10 Heisman winners played for teams that reached the postseason tournament.
Since the CFP was created 12 seasons ago, eight winners were on a top-four team. Through two seasons of the expanded 12-team format, one winner was on the No. 1 seed and the other missed the playoff entirely.
For Manning and Texas, that means the path is there, but the margin for error is thin.
Texas will have chances to make its case. Some expect the Longhorns to open the year as the preseason No. 1 seed, and the schedule offers no shortage of spotlight games: Ole Miss and Ohio State at home, with Texas A&M, Tennessee and LSU on the road. Those are the kinds of stages that can turn a strong Heisman candidate into the favorite.
Manning’s 2025 season showed both the upside and the ceiling. Texas stumbled in Week 1 at Ohio Stadium, but Manning settled in as the year went on.
Over the final five games, he averaged 285.7 passing yards and 3.3 total touchdowns per game. If he starts fast against Ohio State, that momentum could snowball quickly.
The Heisman always comes with a story attached, and Manning’s has been baked in from the start. His family name and recruiting hype have followed him everywhere, and that kind of pressure can work both ways. If he plays to that expectation, it becomes part of the appeal.
But reputation alone won’t carry him. The Longhorns learned how quickly people can turn after a loss to the Buckeyes, and consistency is going to matter more than one big afternoon. The “Heisman moment” will come if the production holds up.
Texas has tried to make life easier for him. Steve Sarkisian has talked about getting back to basics by cutting penalties, improving the running game and leaning into play-action passing. That setup should help Manning stay on schedule and keep the offense balanced.
The receiving talent around him also matters. Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo give Manning a pair of weapons that can boost his campaign, and recent Heisman history backs that up. Strong receiver rooms have helped quarterbacks shine, and having an All-American teammate has not been a drawback in this race.
Still, the bar is high. In the College Football Playoff era, nine quarterbacks have won the award, and all but one topped 4,250 total yards.
Mendoza was the exception with 3,220 total yards, but he made up for it by averaging 8.36 yards per play. Manning’s 2025 line - 3,562 total yards, 37 total touchdowns, 7.8 yards per pass attempt and 4.3 yards per rush attempt - was strong, but Texas quarterbacks have also posted bigger statistical seasons before.
Sam Ehlinger, Colt McCoy and Vince Young each cleared 4,000 total yards in a season.
The ingredients are there. Manning has the talent, the spotlight and the structure around him.
What he still needs is the next jump, the kind that turns a promising quarterback into a Heisman winner. Sarkisian has praised his resilience, and if Manning keeps meeting expectation head-on, Texas may finally have its next trophy winner.
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