Arch Manning finally made his long-awaited debut as the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. And while the teamās winning record suggests a potentially strong season for the program, many have started to notice certain struggles in Manningās first three starts. As a result, head coach Steve Sarkisian may be facing a tough decision regarding his starting QB moving forward.
While the QB hasnāt shown any major flaws in his outings so far, itās clear that at times heās looked hesitant and lacked efficiency in the passing game ā a combination that can prove costly in the world of college football.
Asked by the media whether heās considering giving Manning some rest in the short term, Coach Sark responded candidly, stating he doesnāt believe that will be necessary at this point.
āIf Arch was having a bunch of mental errors and not operating the offense well, that maybe would have required to take him out. I didnāt think that was the case,ā Sarkisian stated, per Inside Texas.
Steve Sarkisian Longhorns head coach.
āDifferent things require different things to get your point across. We handled it accordingly. Weāll handle it accordingly this week and expect him to come out and have a great game Saturday.ā
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Steve Sarkisian reveals his main goal for Arch Manning this 2025 NCAAF season with the Longhorns
Learning from mistakes
Sarkisian is well aware that Manning has had his ups and downs since the start of the season, but he remains confident that the young quarterback can learn from his mistakes and use them as a foundation for future improvement.
āI think some of this is really good,ā the HC said. āHereās a guy whoās had an awesome life. The way heās grown up, where he played, the school he went to, the people heās been surrounded by. I think you learn a lot about yourself through adversity and overcoming adversity and getting on the other side of that adversity. To have some of this adversity that he has right now, and when he gets on the other side of it, I think all of this is going to serve not only well for him but well for us as a team.
āLove the challenge for him. Love the challenge for us. Heās a strong minded guy. Heās got great work ethic. Great poise. Great composure. Heās an awesome teammate, so I love the end of the movie for him when he gets on the other side of this. Looking forward to it.ā
More tests ahead for Manning
With the main goal of staying on track this season, here are the upcoming challenges the Longhorns will face:
- vs Sam Houston, September 20
- @ Florida, October 4
- @ Oklahoma, October 11
- @ Kentucky, October 18
- @ Mississippi State, October 25
