Steve Sarkisian Sends Strong Arch Manning Message Amid Spring Ball

To say that Texas Longhorns fans, along with the rest of the college football world, were excited to see Arch Manning take over in Austin would be an understatement.

Despite having one of college football's best quarterbacks in 2024 in Quinn Ewers, fans frequently clamored for Manning to replace the three-year starter. There were frequent debates over who should start for the team in the College Football Playoff, but ultimately the Longhorns rode with Ewers.

With the eyes of college football upon him in 2025, Manning's first month as a starter was underwhelming to say the least. He struggled mightily against Ohio State in Week 1, and also delivered a dud of a showing a couple weeks later in a 27-10 win over UTEP that saw him complete just 44% of his passes.

The crowd of people who anointed him as the next great Manning changed their minds, and instead insisted he was one of the biggest busts of all time. Regardless of the buzz, Manning turned things around and threw for 3,163 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for another 10.

The criticism seemed harsh and unfair at the time, and head coach Steve Sarkisian revealed in an interview with On3's Chris Low just how mentally tough Manning is because of it.

Steve Sarkisian reveals that Arch Manning criticism would have broken many

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. — Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal-Texas. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

When discussing the pressure that Manning faced, Sarkisian made it clear that most young athletes would have folded under that pressure.

“Ninety-nine percent of kids would have melted last year if they had to endure what he endured, and all Arch did was get stronger,” Sarkisian told On3's Chris Low.

While outside noise can often infiltrate a locker room, Sarkisian revealed that the players on the team ended up supporting Manning even more as they navigated the rocky start.

“The players in that locker room love him. I mean, he’s a guy’s guy,” Sarkisian said to On3. “That was always the thing that I was on him about, and I love this about Arch, but I would say, ‘You need to go lead. You’re the leader.’ He would say, ‘I just don’t feel like I’ve earned it yet.’ That’s important to him, that he earns everything he gets. But the players were the ones building him up to go lead. They wanted to follow him, and the moment he did, you could see a difference in our team.”

With a year full of trials and tribulations under his belt and a roster as talented as any in college football, the expectation is that Manning and the Longhorns will be contenders in 2026.

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