Texas Has One Clear Way to Make Life Easier for Arch Manning

With the Texas Longhorns a week away from opening the 2026 season, there remain plenty of questions surrounding how successful the program will be, and with plenty of expectations ahead, all eyes will fall on the Longhorns.

No one will have more eyes watching them than quarterback Arch Manning, who enters his second full season as the starter for the Longhorns, and expectations that are larger than those of any other player around the country.

With a revamped roster around him and talent in every role, making life easier for Manning benefits everybody, and with talented receivers and running backs letting them do the work is exactly how life gets easier for the Longhorns' signal-caller.

Let the Players Work

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Emmett Mosley V (3) runs the ball against Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen (3) in the first half at Sanford Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When looking at the Longhorns' roster, there is an argument to be made that the program has one of the most talented starting 11 out of any offense around the country. Featuring a deep receiver room loaded with star talent and a two-headed monster backfield, Manning will have no shortage of playmakers around him.

For as much arm talent Manning has, sometimes the easier route is to let the skill players do the work, and with shifty names such as Cam Coleman, Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown, screen passes and short RPO's are a match made in Heaven.

Last season, that style of play was one of the saving graces for the Longhorns. There were 95 passes behind the scrimmage, with 87 of them completed. Those completions accounted for 667 passing yards and averaged seven yards per completion.

The targets on the teams for the Longhorns are even better than the average would suggest. Ryan Wingo caught 22 passes behind the line of scrimmage and had 358 yards after catch, good for an average of 16.3. Brown also caught 22 passes behind the line of scrimmage and turned out 214 yards for an average of 9.7 yards after catch per reception.

Smothers caught 20 receptions for 205 yards after the catch and an average of 8.5. Coleman, on the other hand, only caught one pass in such a situation, instead being used primarily to stretch the field. Getting him involved would add another talented name, giving defenses much more to think about.

The options are there for Manning, and with definitive proof that screen passes can be broken for big gains, the Longhorns can lean on them, giving them quick and explosive plays, while also helping their signal-caller with easy plays.

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