Arch Manning Gives Strong Response to Struggles, Being Dubbed a 'Flop'

The 2025 season for the Texas Longhorns hasn't exactly been the worst one in recent memory, but it definitely hasn't started like fans were anticipating when the team was ranked as the nation's No. 1 in the opening AP rankings.

And if anyone is aware of this, it's the team's starting quarterback Arch Manning, who himself hasn't exactly been the Heisman Trophy candidate the nation thought he would be, but has still shown that he is capable of performing well in big games, shown especially this past weekend against the Oklahoma Sooners in his first Red River Rivalry game as a starter, which resulted in a 23-6 win for Texas.

However, it takes a strong man to admit when he's wrong, and that's exactly what the sophomore signal caller did Monday afternoon in his pregame press conference.

"Everyone Has Their Own Opinion"

In his pregame conference as the team gears up to take on Mississippi State this weekend, the New Orleans native was asked about a recent New York Times article that described Manning as a "flop," and while the signal caller admitted that he hadn't read the article, he did have a self-criticizing comment that also showed how much he wasn't really affected by the insult.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks to throw the ball at the Cotton Bowl. — Oct 11, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks to throw the ball during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

"No, I didn't know that, but I guess I do now," Manning said with a slight chuckle. "Look, I wasn't playing well and I'm going to continue to get better, but everyone has their own opinion. That's what's good about America, the freedom of speech, so it doesn't bother me.

Manning did admit that he does his best to block out the noise of all the critics, but that it's tough to do when it is all that people tell you to do.

"I feel like I try to do my best in blocking out the noise," said Manning, "But then, you get, like, 100 text messages saying, 'keep blocking out the noise,' like there must be a lot of noise, but yeah, I try my best."

And when the quarterback was asked about safety Michael Taaffe's Instagram post hyping up the quarterback after the Red River Rivalry win, Manning admired it, but still admitted that there was a lot of work left to be done.

"We won a game, yeah, but there's a lot of work to do," Manning said. "And I think that Michael is a really good leader, he's the leader of this team, but you can't just ride the highs and lows, you've gotta stay even."

Now back in the AP ranks and fresh off of a massive first conference win in the season, Manning and the Longhorns will look to stay even when they travel to Lexington Saturday to take on the Kentucky Wildcats.