Coming off back-to-back disastrous outings, Steve Sarkisian and the No. 19 Texas Longhorns may be running out of patience with Arch Manning. Sarkisian can no longer guarantee Manning’s starting role and the Longhorns plan to gradually increase KJ Lacey’s workload during the 2026 college football season. For the time being, Manning remains the starter, but he’s on thin ice, with a redshirt freshman lurking beneath the surface and waiting for his time to shine.
Manning can sense the pressure, yet he isn’t running away from it. Instead, he delivered a bold statement for the rest of the Longhorns to hear. If he’s going down, he’s going down swinging. If he’s about to play his final games as QB1 at The Forty Acres, he’ll make them count, playing to the best of his abilities and slinging the rock like there’s no tomorrow. Because there may actually not be.
“I’m gonna die on the hill of letting it rip,” Manning admitted, via Orange Bloods, during a press conference ahead of the Longhorns’ visit to the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels on Oct. 25. While he vies to turn the page and find his mojo again, Manning understands where Texas’ sudden change is coming from. “I told (Sark) I expect myself to play better. I haven’t put good film on tape for the last five weeks.”
Crazy 2026 season for Manning
It’s been a roller-coaster season for Manning, who went from being the subject of bust-versus-Heisman-favorite debates in the blink of an eye to going from Heisman favorite to bust all over again.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns.
Sarkisian knows better than to believe Manning is as great as either extreme suggests, but it’s clear he’s taking notice of the junior quarterback’s struggles. With Texas’ season heading for the gutters, Sarkisian’s hand won’t tremble as he steers the team in a different direction.
Sarkisian’s job is on the line, too
At the end of the day, Sarkisian wants what’s best for Manning, but his own job is also on the line. He isn’t Manning’s personal development coach; he’s the head coach at the University of Texas in Austin. If Manning is holding the Longhorns back, it’s only right to at least explore what things could look like with another signal-caller under center.
Sarkisian and the Horns know Lacey would also be up for some tough challenges should he be named the starting quarterback, though. In more ways than one, it seems like the decision to give Lacey some looks on offense might be a way for Texas to pull Manning’s ear and expect a strong reaction from the heir to football’s royal quarterback family.
Whether it pays off or not, only time will tell, and the future of the Longhorns in the 2026 NCAA football season will depend on that.
Key takeaways
- Steve Sarkisian plans to increase KJ Lacey’s workload while Arch Manning remains starter.
- Arch Manning vowed to keep “letting it rip” before facing the Ole Miss Rebels.
- Arch Manning acknowledged he has not put good film on tape for five weeks.
