Cooper and Arch Manning Had Some Extremely Difficult Discussions in 2025

Arch Manning's first season as Texas' starting quarterback didn't come without some bumps along the way. During an appearance on Always College Football with Greg McElroy, Arch's father, Cooper Manning, revealed that there were some tough conversations last season after difficult performances.

For a quarterback with as much attention as Arch, those rough moments were always going to be talked about. The Longhorns' quarterback became the topic of the college football world after a slow start to the 2025 season.

“Certainly, there’s some nights and some afternoons where things were not great," Cooper said. "The Ohio State game, or a game after that, he didn’t play well. There’s some challenging conversations that happen."

How Arch responded to that rough stretch ended up telling Texas a lot about its quarterback.

That's what made the second half of the season so encouraging for the Longhorns. His performances in big moments, including the Red River Rivalry and the regular-season finale against Texas A&M, gave Texas a glimpse of why so many believed he could lead this program at a high level.

Cooper Manning's Perspective on Arch's Rough Start

Cooper and Arch Manning — Nov 12, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback recruit Arch Manning along with his father Cooper Manning on the sidelines before the game against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Longhorns opened their 2025 season with a tough 14-7 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Arch's performance in that game drew criticism from many of the same media personalities who had previously hyped him up as a breakout star in the SEC.

That's what makes Cooper's comments so interesting. He didn't try to pretend everything was fine early in the year. After all, it was clear that the Texas offense as a whole wasn't fully in sync. Instead, Cooper's comments gave a better look at how Arch handled adversity behind the scenes during his first year as Texas' starter.

"You don’t want to have them, and you don’t like to see your children go through adversity,” Cooper said. "But it sure is nice when they come out on the other side, and when they go through it and they battle through it."

That part of the quote stands out because it shows how real those struggles were, not just for the Longhorns' quarterback, but for his family watching him deal with the spotlight as well. Based on how he finished the season, it's safe to say that those early challenges helped bring out a more confident version of Arch.

"You want to see them fight through it and see what kind of character and grit they have," Cooper added. "It’s good for them. Not always great as a parent to have kids come home unhappy, but at the end of the day, it’s good for them.”

For head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, that may be the biggest takeaway from Cooper's comments. Arch's talent was never really the question, but last season gave Texas a chance to see how he would respond once adversity hit. Now that he's proven he can push through those difficult performances, the Longhorns likely have even more reason to trust him moving forward.