Arch Manning enters 2026 with a different kind of pressure on his shoulders. The Texas quarterback is no longer the easy target of last season’s “flop” talk. He’s the player leading a Longhorns offense into a brutal SEC schedule, and the noise around him has shifted from doubt to expectation.
Manning said he learned to tune out the outside chatter after a rocky start to 2025.
“I’m not really worried about the outside world,” Manning said. “That’s what I’ll continue to try to do.”
That mindset carried him through the back half of the season, when Texas finally settled in behind him. Manning finished with 248 completions on 404 attempts for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 13 starts.
He also ran for 10 scores and even caught a touchdown. Texas went 7-1 over its final eight games, with the lone loss coming at Georgia.
Steve Sarkisian said Manning’s late-season stretch was much cleaner than the raw season totals might suggest.
“He came out and played the second half of the season at a really high level,” Sarkisian said.
Now comes the harder part. Manning’s second full year as Texas’ starter brings a schedule loaded with heavyweight matchups against Ohio State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, LSU and Texas A&M.
The rematch with Ohio State in Week 2 is the first big marker. Manning called last year’s meeting a “rough game,” and it’s still something he says motivates him.
Texas also expects more from the supporting cast around him. Auburn transfer Cam Coleman gives Manning a new outside target with real big-play potential, and Manning said the two have built chemistry through extra throwing sessions, more meetings and time together away from football.
“He always wants to throw, he always wants to meet extra,” Manning said.
Manning also sounded more at ease talking about the places and moments that come with this schedule. He’ll play at Neyland Stadium, head back to his home state of Louisiana for LSU, and return to Kyle Field for the Lone Star Showdown. His former roommate, Parker Livingstone, will be on the other sideline in Oklahoma colors.
None of it appears to rattle him.
“I think going through those rough times, I learned a lot about myself,” Manning said. “I’ve become a better man because of it and hopefully a better player.”
For Manning, the expectations have always been tied to the name. Last season showed how quickly those expectations can turn harsh, and how much stronger a quarterback can look after surviving them.
Texas spent a year waiting for him to stumble. Now the Longhorns are asking what happens when that pressure turns into fuel.
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