For the second year in a row, Texas quarterback Arch Manning will have to deal with lofty expectations. That being said, he's better equipped to handle them this fall.
After rough outings against Ohio State and UTEP during the first month of the 2025 season, fans were ready to label Manning a bust. However, he really hit his stride in November, completing 62.2% of his passes for 1,147 yards with nine touchdowns and just one interception.
Manning then had arguably his best performance of the season on Dec. 31 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. The former five-star recruit had 221 passing yards, 155 rushing yards and four total touchdowns in a 41-27 win over Michigan.
If Manning wants to pick up where he left off, ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers believes the Texas quarterback will need to improve his accuracy on short passes.
"The accuracy, especially on the short throws from zero to 10 yards last year," Rodgers said, via On3. "Arch was the most inaccurate quarterback in the SEC and 122nd in the country, completing only 56% of those throws. It really rooted back to his feet, which kind of affected his upper body mechanics. His eyes are going to be all over the place. His feet are going to be fast. You see the slow start that led to the explosion we saw towards the end of the season. That’s because his feet started to get better. He started to calm down. His eyes started to go to the right spot, and so his accuracy really started to increase."
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Is Arch destined for the NFL Draft?
Most fans expect Manning to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft and be selected in the top 10, but there's no guarantee that'l be the case.
During an interview with Kay Adams last month, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he wouldn't be surprised if Manning returns to Austin for the 2027 season.
“You know, we haven’t had the discussion, but I will tell you, I would not be surprised,” Sarkisian said. “I think Arch really loves college football, I really do. I think he loves the University of Texas, you know, he does pretty good through NIL, you know, he’s got some pretty good endorsements going right now, which is a credit to him.”
All we know right now is that Manning will be back in action on Sept. 5 when Texas hosts Texas State.
