Arch Manning Knows Sark Is Still in His Corner, And That is Crucial

It's no secret that Arch Manning has been performing well below expectations through his first three games as the Texas Longhorns' starting quarterback.

So far in 2025, Manning has completed 55.3 percent of his passes for 579 yards and six touchdowns, with three interceptions. He has also rushed 23 times for 112 yards and three scores, and is directly responsible for all nine touchdowns Texas has scored this season.

That said, the struggles are evident. Texas ranks 88th in the country in passing offense, 77th in total offense, 126th in third down conversions, 103rd in fourth down conversions, and 130th in red zone conversions. For clarity, there are 136 teams in the FBS division.

Fortunately, Manning still has the absolute confidence of the most important person in the equation - Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Sark's Support is Critical For Arch

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian watches the first half of play against the San Jose State Spartans | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

In fact, according to Arch himself, the two had a very constructive conversation about his early-season struggles on Sunday after their ugly 27-10 win over UTEP on Saturday.

"I talked to Coach Sark yesterday," Manning said on Monday. "We had a really good talk."

The positive and reassuring nature of their is crucial for Manning for a multitude of reasons. It helps him learn from his mistakes, grow in his understanding of the position at large, and learn the finer details of the schematics of the Texas offense.

But most importantly, it is critical for Manning's overall confidence.

"It helps a lot," Manning said. "Having him just be honest with me and tell me what he thinks and how I can get better, it's great to have that back and forth with the head coach. I'm blessed to have him in my corner."

Both Arch and Sark remain confident In their vision

Obviously, as a head coach, belief in your starting quarterback is critical.

In fact, there might not be a head coach who understands that more than Sarkisian. After all, he has been directly involved with a good deal of elite quarterback play throughout his career.

In other words, Sark knows what it takes, and he is confident Arch can get to that level.

"I felt like he pressed some. He knew he missed some throws," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I feel like we've done enough with him to have a pretty good understanding of who he is as a player and what he's capable of. I know there's a lot of football in him that's high-level football.

Of course, it is still incumbent upon Manning to take these conversations and critiques and apply them to the game being played on the field.

So how does he get there?

Manning remains motivated

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning warms up before a game against the Texas El Paso Miners | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

For Manning, it all starts with ignoring the hyper-fixations, over-analyses, and frustrations and getting back to having fun on the field again.

And that starts with practice.

"It'll be more fun once we start clicking and winning these games," Manning said. "I have fun during the week, and I've got to continue to have fun, because I think I play better when I'm having fun. I think we got a good group with full energy, and I think as a team, we can have more fun, and I think it'll help us play better.

If he can do that, Manning is confident things will get back on the right track, and he will begin to perform at the level Texas fans saw in 2024, and the level he knows in his own heart that he is capable of.

"Yeah, it was frustrating. I know I'm better than that," Manning said. "But we're gonna be better this week, and we're gonna get clicking on offense, and I'm excited to get going."

Manning and the Longhorns' next attempt to right ship will come against Sam Houston State on Saturday in Austin, with kick off set for 7 pm CT.