Texas entered the season with Arch Manning carrying the kind of hype that follows a quarterback expected to sit near the top of the college football conversation. But four weeks in, with the Longhorns still unbeaten and sitting at No. 1, not everyone has been sold on what Manning has put on tape.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt made that clear Wednesday during an appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd.
"Arch has just been okay, at best," Klatt said. "He played really gritty for three series against Ohio State and competed his butt off...
He played a really gritty, schoolyard three series. Outside of that, he needs to play better."
That assessment lines up with what the numbers show. Once you separate out those three series against the Buckeyes that Klatt highlighted, Manning’s season has looked more ordinary than dominant. Outside of that stretch, he has completed 47 of 79 passes, a 59.4% clip, for 550 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.
His rushing production tells a similar story. More than half of Manning’s rushing yards this season came in those same three series against Ohio State, another sign that the rest of his work has not matched the early expectations.
Now Manning gets a chance to answer the criticism in one of the biggest games of his career. Texas heads to Neyland Stadium on Saturday for a top-15 matchup with No. 14 Tennessee, a setting that will test him in one of college football’s toughest environments.
A strong outing there would go a long way toward helping his draft stock and quieting some of the national doubts around him. If Texas slips, though, the questions about how he performs against top competition will only get louder from here.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Controversy Is About To Test Texas Again
Arch Manning spent part of the week cleaning up a moment that drew attention for the wrong reasons, apologizing after he laughed at an AI-generated spoof video that showed Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe. Manning called his reaction insensitive, and the episode became another reminder of how quickly even a brief sideline reaction can turn into a bigger story around Texas, where every public moment involving the quarterback is under a sharper lens.
Rowe later accepted the apology after the two had a productive private conversation, saying they would move forward with respect, which helped quiet the immediate fallout. Still, there is one more wrinkle before Texas meets Tennessee, because Manning and Sarkisian are expected to sit down with Rowe together in the lead-up to the game, a small but noticeable test of how smoothly everyone can move past a controversy that never should have existed in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Suddenly Has Pressure In A Heisman Race Still Up For Grabs
Trinidad Chambliss made a real move in the Heisman conversation with a strong showing against LSU, the kind of performance that can change the way voters and oddsmakers look at the board this early in the season. He threw for 363 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns, while Miami quarterback Darian Mensah added another eye-catching line to the race by setting an ACC record for consecutive completions.
For Texas fans, the bigger point is that Arch Manning is still very much in the mix, but the runway is getting shorter for everyone as the season settles in. After three weeks, the Heisman picture remains wide open, with Manning joined by Kamario Taylor, Jeremiah Smith and CJ Carr among the names still hanging around a race that has already started to shift. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Gets Encouraging Colin Simmons News Before Tennessee Showdown
Texas first Southeastern Conference availability report of the 2026 season gave the Longhorns a clearer picture heading into their matchup with Tennessee, and the early read is a positive one for one of their top defensive playmakers. EDGE rusher Colin Simmons is listed as probable, an encouraging sign after he exited the UTSA game in a protective walking boot and left some concern about how he would look going into a bigger stage.
The report also shows the kind of attrition that can shape a game like this, with Justus Terry, Xavier Filsaime and Jordan Coleman out and Nick Townsend doubtful. Tennessee, meanwhile, has five players listed as unavailable, so both sides are already dealing with personnel questions before kickoff, but Texas at least appears to have a chance to count on Simmons when the pressure ramps up. [Read more 🡒]