The talk around Arch Manning has shifted fast enough to make your head spin. Around college football, the noise is no longer just about Texas’ season - it’s about whether Manning should be somewhere else entirely.
Dan Orlovsky helped turn up the volume this morning, posting on social media, “Arch should definitely go back to school (as of right now) and definitely not at Texas,” Orlovsky said on social media this morning.
He’s not alone in pushing that idea. Gene Wojciechowski of Sports Illustrated floated Indiana as a possible new home for Manning, pointing to what Curt Cignetti did with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza in 2025.
“I’m not saying it hasn’t worked out, but could it work out better someplace else, given what Curt Cignetti has shown, is it Indiana?” he questioned. Pat Forde quickly added his own support for the thought, calling it a possible “one year rocket ride” for Manning to the top of the draft board.
CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco also suggested Manning could be headed elsewhere, while former NFL general manager Ran Carthon mentioned Miami as another potential landing spot.
Still, Texas is not moving off its stance. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the Longhorns are “expected to give an up-tick in first-team quarterback reps to redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr this week in practice.”
Even with that report circulating, Steve Sarkisian made it clear Monday that Manning remains the starter.
“Arch can play better for us; he’s our starter, but I need to see a better version of Arch Manning,” Sarkisian said Monday. “Like I need to see a better version of a lot of guys on our offensive football team right now. We need to see a better version of him this week.”
Through six games, Manning has completed 63.9% of his passes for 1,295 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also been sacked 17 times, already surpassing the pressure he faced across the entire 2025 season, when he was taken down 23 times.
Texas, ranked No. 19, hosts No. 7 Ole Miss on Saturday night.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Suddenly Puts Texas' Quarterback Plan Under Pressure
Arch Mannings future at Texas has become one of the sports more closely watched storylines, and it is starting to spill beyond simple projection. The highly rated quarterback prospect arrived in Austin with enormous expectations, but after a stretch of poor performances and visible regression under Steve Sarkisian, the conversation around him has shifted from hype to uncertainty.
Even so, some analysts still view Manning as a possible first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, which only adds to the pressure around what comes next. He could stay in Austin and try to rebuild momentum, whether the staff around him changes or not, but the possibility of a transfer is also part of the discussion now, since another program might offer a cleaner path to development and a better chance to restore his draft stock. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Heads To Oxford With Pressure Suddenly Building
Arch Manning heads into Oxford with the spotlight getting brighter by the day, and not for the reasons Texas envisioned when he took over as the starter. The Longhorns are still riding with Manning for the Ole Miss game, even after a stretch of uneven play that has left questions lingering around the position and around what Steve Sarkisian may be willing to tolerate if the offense keeps sputtering.
Anwar Richardson reported that Sarkisian would need to see a very poor outing from Manning against Ole Miss before even thinking about a change, which at least gives Texas a clear short-term answer at quarterback. Still, there are signs of the conversation building behind the scenes, including reports that freshman KJ Lacey Jr. has been getting more practice reps, a detail that keeps the pressure on Manning without any official switch having been made. [Read more 🡒]
Cals Quarterback Situation Suddenly Carries A Much Bigger Risk
Quarterback uncertainty has become one of the more uncomfortable themes of the early 2026 college football season, and Texas has not been able to escape it completely. Arch Manning arrived with enormous expectations, but his uneven play has kept the spotlight trained on him, and the Longhorns have already started giving backup KJ Lacey more first-team reps as a sign that the competition behind center is more than routine depth-chart maintenance.
Around the sport, the ripple effects have been obvious, from Michigan making a midgame switch from Bryce Underwood to freshman Tommy Carr to California cycling between Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Jackson Brousseau because of injuries and performance concerns. For Texas, the lesson is straightforward: even the most celebrated quarterback room can become fragile fast, and once a staff begins preparing a backup more seriously, the margin for error around the starter shrinks even further. [Read more 🡒]