Kirk Herbstreit Has Some Advice for Arch Manning Before Florida Matchup

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has a lot to prove against the Florida Gators on Saturday.

This SEC opener will provide an opportunity for him to both redeem himself from previous struggles and prove he is capable of rising to the occasion in one of college football’s most merciless conferences.

The stakes are always higher when conference play rolls around, but ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit believes that Manning doesn’t have to put up a record-breaking performance in The Swamp to help turn things around.

Herbstreit’s take on Texas vs. Florida

Manning entered the 2025 season with an immense amount of pressure on him, much of which was fueled by the media. Herbstreit, however, argues that the redshirt sophomore doesn’t need to live up to the lofty standards and external expectations just yet.

“You don’t have to do everything,” he said on SportsCenter. “You don’t have to live up to these unrealistic expectations that the media, the hype around you created. Just go out and play the game. And I think that’s what Sark has been trying, really, since the Ohio State game, is just cut it loose, play with confidence.”

Given Manning’s inconsistencies throughout the past couple of games, Herbstreit says that rhythm could be the most essential aspect of this matchup.

“You have Oklahoma coming up next week, and if you want to go into that game, you can’t look past Florida, obviously, but you've got to be able to do what we just talked about with Ty Simpson. That to me, if I’m Arch Manning, is success. It’s not about throwing for 300 yards; it’s not about throwing for four touchdowns. It’s about just getting that confidence back and that rhythm back, about throwing accurately when the receivers are there, you make the throw,” he said.

Despite their overall record of 1-3, the Gators' defense has proven capable of holding its own against tough teams. Many of their struggles have come from the offensive side, similarly to the Longhorns.

That means that this game has the potential to come to whether it’s Manning or Florida quarterback DJ Lagway that can play with more confidence.

“If you watch the game, you’re going to know what success is,” Herbstreit said. “If you walk out of there and you feel like again, he’s not throwing for 400 yards, but he’s just playing with accuracy. Third and seven? First down. And by the way, Florida is a really good defense. They don’t have to play a ton of man-to-man. Gonna make it hard on Arch today, especially on the road.”

A blowout win and a lights-out performance by Manning would obviously help propel the Longhorns into their long conference season ahead, but Herbstreit believes that a landslide victory isn’t a necessity in terms of Manning’s course correcting.