Michael Taaffe Defends Texas QB Arch Manning After Red River Rivalry

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has been the target of many criticisms since being named the starter.

From the moment Manning entered college, he had been painted as the apple of everyone’s eye. He received high praise from almost every major media outlet and was touted as one of the best quarterback prospects to run through the college ranks. Very quickly into the season, it was revealed that the young starter may have been slightly overhyped as the Texas offense sputtered and the hate was piled on Manning.

After the team’s impressive Red River Rivalry victory over the Oklahoma Sooners, star defensive back Michael Taaffe took to his Instagram story to praise Manning.

Michael Taaffe with a simple message on IG

“What they saying now, QB1”#HookEm | #Texas pic.twitter.com/bZm74yVU1C
— Cory Mose (@Cory_Mose) October 12, 2025

Inside Taaffe’s Praise of Manning

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs with the ball during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

On Monday’s press conference, KVUE sports anchor Cory Muse asked Taaffe what would had prompted him to make the post about Manning.

“I think it was just a little pent-up frustrations about people's views on Arch,” Taaffe responded. ”I think if you know football at all, you don't have a negative thing to say about Arch Manning.”

So far this season, Manning has put up 1,317 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions as a passer, but also 194 yards and five touchdowns as a ball carrier. While Manning’s play has not warranted the hate he received, who he is as a person certainly does not, something Taaffe wanted to emphasize on Monday.

“The way that he fights, the way that he loves his teammates, the way that everything could be about him, and he goes into a press conference with Holly Rowe, a well-respected ESPN reporter, and only talks about his teammates and his running back, that just shows you that if you really know football, you don’t have anything bad to say about Arch Manning.”

On top of Taaffe’s praise of Manning, head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke on the way the team has handled the criticism thrown their way.

"It doesn't matter what people write or say,” Sarkisian also said on Monday. ”It's about what we do. It's a lesson learned for us, and that's where I talk about the maturity of our team. This is a great week for us to show our maturity for how far we've come as a team."

With two losses under their belt, it is do-or-die time for the Longhorns. An impressive win over the then No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners could be exactly the spark that the team needs to run the table and secure a playoff berth.